LSE and Cambridge-The two academic jewels

Not only is London famous for its monuments , building, architecture and way of life it is worth visiting for some of the famous and historical institutions. We were lucky to visit some of these institutions and its worthwhile to share my experience about these famous institutions.

London School of Economics (LSE): The LSE is located in Westminster, central London. It has produced many notable alumni in the fields of law, economics, philosophy, business, literature and politics. To date, there have been 18 Nobel Prize winners amongst its alumni and current and former staff. It is one of the richest academic institution with a total income of £220.9 million in 2010 of which £23.9 million was from research grants and contracts.  LSE is amongst the top three academic institutions in UK. It has always been competing with Cambridge university for the top spot. The academic rivalry between LSE and Cambridge is well known since 1930s for the differential views on economic thought.

Many famous Indians have passed through LSE over the decades. The most prominent include Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, a founding father of the Indian constitution, ex-President KR Narayanan. Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen is an LSE Honorary Fellow and Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh is an Honorary Fellow of the Asia Research Centre.

But LSE’s involvement with India extends beyond the achievements of a few individuals. In the 2010-11 academic year, students from India comprised the fifth-largest international contingent on campus. SPICE, the Indian students’ society, regularly celebrates Indian festivals and organises dinners and lecture series.

LSE campus tour is an integral part of any visit to the campus. We were taken around too. The British Library of Political and Economic Science (BLPES) is the current operating Library of LSE. It is the home of the world's largest social and political sciences Library, containing over 4.7 million volumes on its shelves. This also makes it the second largest single entity library in Britain, after the British Library at King's Cross

The old curiosity shop is another noteworth place. The building dates back to the sixteenth century, but this name was added after the novel was released, as it was thought to be the inspiration for Dickens' description of the antique shop. At one time it functioned as a dairy on an estate given by King Charle  II to one of his many mistresses. It was made using the wood from old ships and the building survived the bombs of Second World War. There is also a shop in Broadstairs called The Old Curiosity Shop, where Dickens rented a home.

The lectures by eminent personalities like Lord Meghnath Desai of course was part of our official business at LSE .No need to say that it enriched and widened the horizon of our exisiting knowledge.

 

University of Cambridge: It is the second oldest university of UK after the Oxford University and third oldest university in the world. It is considered to be one of the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in the world. The institute grew out of an association of scholars that was formed in 1209. No wonder we were excited about out visit to this great institution of learning. And if we talk about an institution of such a high repute, there are bound to be famous Indians associated with it. Cambridge houses some of the reputed colleges like Trinity, King;s college and Judge’s business school.

Trinity College was founded by Henry VIII in 1546 as part of the University of Cambridge. Rahul Gandhi, Amartya Sen, Jawaharlal Nehru and  S Chandrasekharar studied at Trinity, while Sarojini Naidu studied at King George college. Manmohan singh and JC Bose are other notable Indians at Cambridge who studied in John’s College. and Christ college respectively.

Visit to Judge’s Business School at Cambridge was our official iterniary. Cambridge Judge Business School was established in 1990 under the name of the Judge Institute of Management Studies, as a focus for management teaching and research in the University.

Cambridge is not only famous for its academic institutions, it has a beautiful surroundings and is known for its beautiful architecture, museums and chapels –each of which has a remarkable historical past. Cambridge University is situated in the city of Cambridge near London on the banks of the river cam. The architecture of the university is mesmerizing. Just like LSE we were taken on the campus tour and we had a lady professional guide who was chirpy old lady full of energy. The University is rich in history - its famous Colleges and University buildings attract visitors from every nook and corner of the world. The University of Cambridge has nine museums. The museums hold many treasures which give an exciting insight into some of the scholarly activities, both past and present, of the University's academics and students. We were taken to the famous chapels and colleges like Kings college and Trinity college.

Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum, houses world-class collections of art and antiquities spanning centuries and civilisations, and Kettle’s Yard, one of the country’s finest galleries and a major centre for 20th century and contemporary art is  a must see. The cam river provides a good picnic spot, while  King's College Chapel is famed for its choral services.

London-the dream destination city

London is one of the dream cities for most of the people. It has plenty to offer in terms of sightseeing, its way of life, culture and history. No wonder millions of people visit this city from every nook and corner of the world. It would not be justice to describe about this great city in just one article. Therefore, it would be a good idea to mention about some of the iconic buildings , monuments etc that have become symbols of London . As a sequel I would be talking about some of the great institutions and London’s way of life as I observed during my few days visit to this great city.

Tower Bridge is an iconic tower of London, which was built between 1886–1894 on river Thames. It is an example of a combination of bascule and suspension bridge. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name; Visitors generally confuse it with the London Bridge. The current London Bridge stands at the western end of the Pool of London. These two bridges have been part of many Hollywood, Bollywood movies .The bridge has hydraulic system that enable it to move upwards to give passage to the ships passing below it.

London's Millennium Bridge is the first pedestrian river crossing over the Thames in central London for more than a century. It is a 325m steel bridge linking the City of London at St. Paul's Cathedral with the Tate Modern Gallery at Bankside. Its called millennium bridge to celebrate the start of new millennium. Construction of the bridge began in 1998, with the opening in June 2000.

The London Eye is a popular tourist destination.  It is also called the Millennium wheel and was build in 2000 to mark the beginning of the new millennium just like the millennium bridge. In 2000, it was the tallest giant wheel in the world. But the Star of Nanchang, which stands in the eastern Chinese city Nanchang, is now the tallest giant wheel. The London Eye stands at the western end of Jubilee Garden, on the South Bank of the river Thames. It is a beautiful way to look at London .A breathtaking bird eye of the magnificent city with its rivers and buildings. Due to large visitors everyday there is always a long queue , which becomes boring at times. We had some thrilling and anxious moments too. When the capsule in which we were there reached the top end of the wheel, there was some technical snag and the wheel stopped. We were stranded almost for 10 minutes .But then the snag was rectified and the wheel started moving. Of course it did add to excitement filled with some fear .

At Madame Tussauds, you'll come face-to-face with some of the world's most famous faces. From Shakespeare to Lady Gaga you'll meet influential figures from showbiz, sport, politics and even Royalty. Strike a pose with Brad Pitt or receive a once-in-a-lifetime audience with Her Majesty the Queen. The experience at Madame Tussauds was even more exciting and funfilled as the famous wax museums has a  good representation of famous Indian personalities like Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi, Sachin Tendulkar, Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bacchan, Shahrukh Khan .It’s good to see these great personalities in London .

Buckingham Palace is the Queen's official and main royal London home. It has been the official London residence of Britain's monarchy since 1837. Queen Victoria was the first monarch to live there. A familiar sight at Buckingham Palace is the Changing of the Guard ceremony that takes place in the forecourt each morning. The monarch and the royal palaces have been guarded by the Household Troops since 1660. Buckingham Palace's garden covers 40 acres, and includes a helicopter landing area, a lake, and a tennis court. A flag always flies above Buckingham Palace. When The Queen is in residence, the Royal Standard flies. When the Sovereign is not present, the Union Flag flies instead. We visited in the evening so we missed the change of Guards and as the sovereign flag was flying, obviously the Queen was not there.

Big Ben is the nickname for the great bell of the clock at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London and often extended to refer to the clock and the clock tower. The tower is now officially called the Elizabeth Tower, after being renamed in 2012 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The tower holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.

The Palace of Westminster houses the British Parliament The Palace lies on the Middlesex bank of the River Thames in the City of Westminster, in central London. Its name, which derives from the neighbouring Westminster Abbey, may refer to either of two structures: the Old Palace, a medieval building complex that was destroyed by fire in 1834, and its replacement New Palace that stands today. For ceremonial purposes, the palace retains its original style and status as a royal residence. Its a great architectural marvel.

Trafalgar Square is a public space and tourist attraction in central London.It is, built around the area formerly known as Charing Cross.. At its centre is Nelson's Column, which is guarded by four lion statues at its base. There are a number of statues and sculptures in the square, with one plinth displaying changing pieces of contemporary art. The square is also used for political demonstrations and community gatherings, such as the celebration of New Year's Eve.The name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar in which British navy defeated the Napoleonic Wars.

Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street. We visited primark super store on the oxford street. Although primark is good place for shopping because of the low prices , I did not find it very attractive as there was nothing that one can say is typical of London .Most of the stuff seen there is available in India and may be at cheaper price.

Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner. It is an area where open-air public speaking, debate and discussion are allowed. Speakers there may speak on any subject, as long as the police consider their speeches lawful. It occupies a part of Hyde Park where, in the mid-nineteenth century, mass protests were held against the suppression of the rights of working people, including the right of assembly, and the Reform League organized huge rallies to demand the widening of the franchise.

The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom. Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, the traditional British red telephone box can still be seen in many places throughout the London. The colour red was chosen to make them easy to spot.

Red double-decker buses are used for mass transit in London. It continues to be widely recognised symbol of the city .