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.
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