“It shows that post still holds its own place in the age of email and SMSes”
Commemorating the silver anniversary of the Association of British Scholars (ABS), Chennai, a special postal cover was released here on Tuesday.
Postmaster General, Chennai City Region, M. S. Ramanujan handed over the first cover to Regional Director, British Council (India and Sri Lanka), Ruth Gee.
The special cover, Mr. Ramanujan said, “shows that post still held its own place in the age of email and SMSes.”
Speaking on the occasion, N. Ravi, Editor of The Hindu, said that while Britain used to be the dominant destination for Indians looking for quality education abroad, the U.S. has taken over this position since the 1980s.
The ABS is a national forum for Indians who studied or were trained in the United Kingdom.
It is a non-profit organisation supported by the British Council and the British High Commission. Its objective is to pool resources to strengthen the Indo-UK ties.
Reading an extract from a report in The Hindu in 1950 during the inauguration of the British Council in Chennai, Mr. Ravi said “A verbatim copy of the speech transcript was carried. The speakers laid stress on developing deeper educational links between the two countries. Spoken 60 years ago, the theme of education as a means for cross-cultural exchange has a contemporary ring.”
He added that the English language and Britain's traditions have contributed a great deal to the Indian political system and social psyche.
Close relationship
British Deputy High Commissioner in Southern India Mike Nithavrianakis highlighted the contributions of ABS, Chennai. He said the Association and the High Commission shared a close relationship.
Ms.Gee said that friendships and associations between countries would be long lasting only if they were apolitical and built on the foundation of cultural exchange. President of the ABS Chennai P. M. Belliappa spoke.
Keywords: Association of British Scholars, Indo-U.K. ties
