For Indians, it is a home away from home
Photo: By Special Arrangement
AMID BOOKS: Discussing a point are two students at the National Library in Singapore.
Neatly maintained hostel rooms, a huge campus filled with flowering trees and greenery, a canteen serving `desi khana' and an aesthetically designed cafeteria.
These are the things that keep students of S.P. Jain Center of Management, Singapore, happy, outside the classroom too.
If academic affairs meant reading up and preparing for a class at their digitised library, open 24 hours, non-academic life on their campus on Hyderabad Road meant discovering new hang outs in the city and visiting tourist spots.
Indian hotels
"There are several Indian restaurants here. But we like trying out new places every weekend. The sea food here is awesome," said a student.
"Most of our students are of Indian origin and therefore, the cook makes sure they do not miss home food," said Nitish Jain, president of the Center. Of course, that does not stop them from experimenting with stingray barbecues and snail soups served in Thai or Indonesian restaurants.
Students said since they would stay in Singapore for only six months, they had to see the place within that time. In December, they would leave for their institute's Dubai campus, to complete their second half of the course there. Their counterparts at Dubai would in turn come to Singapore to commence part two of their course.
Busy itinerary
Most students seemed to enjoy turning tourist guides. Depending on the duration of the visitor's stay, they immediately chalk out a possible itinerary. A list of `must dos' in the city is quickly made and offered.
Many of them recommended Boat Quay as the best place for alfresco dining.
"It is a beautiful sight at night. There are several brightly lit restaurants lined up. They serve different cuisines and very interesting dishes. You should go there sometime," insisted a student.
Hindi is easily one of the most heard languages on campus. With regional dialects and campus slang coming in handy, every conversation is enlivened.
Thousands of miles away and yet feeling quite at home.
MEERA SRINIVASAN
Education in Singapore
