Jaipur…->
Look at  the frenetic academic activity in and around a regal city

For many decades Jaipur has been famous as a place steeped in history and heritage, the focal point around which the tale of Indian tourism was scripted. But while the Pink City features among the hottest tourist spots in the country, it isn’t just a regal past that’s helping it march into the future. The city has a new catchword to cash in on — education.

Jaipur has re-invented itself as an educational hub. “It is a very student-friendly place and is thus an excellent study centre,” observes A.K. Mathur, registrar, Pearl Academy of Fashion, Jaipur.

Clearly, a new industry is in the making here as a quick look at the figures proves. Jaipur — including its suburbs and institutional areas — boasts of some two dozen engineering colleges, 10 law colleges and an almost equal number of institutes offering medical, paramedical and nursing courses.

The Sawai Man Singh Medical College is among the best places in India for medical education, ranging from graduate and postgraduate degrees to diplomas, doctorates and nursing programmes. That apart, there is the Mahatma Gandhi National Institute of Medical Sciences, a private institution recognised by the ministry of health and family welfare.

The National Institute of Ayurveda offers a five-and-a-half-year bachelor of ayurvedic medicine and surgery (BAMS) degree, as well as a three-year MD. The institute admits 60 for BAMS and 55 for its MD course every year.

The Jaipur Law College, affiliated to the University of Rajasthan, is a good place to pick up a law degree. So is the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Law College, Sikar, which has 160 seats under a three-year LLB programme. The National Law University, which offers integrated five-year programmes, is located at Jodhpur.

Notable engineering and technological colleges include the Malaviya National Institute of Technology and Jaipur Engineering College, which is located in Kukas and offers BTech, MTech and MBA programmes under the Kota-based Rajasthan Technical University. There is also the L.N. Mittal Institute of Information Technology that offers BTech in communications, and electronics and computer engineering.

That apart, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Rajasthan, will soon have its own campus, probably in Jaipur. The second choice in terms of the IIT’s location happens to be Kota, which is around 240 km away.

Kota, incidentally, enjoys a reputation for being home to some of the most sought-after coaching classes aimed at the IIT joint entrance examinations (IIT-JEE). Some of these — such as Bansal Classes, Resonance and Career Point — have become a rage among IIT aspirants. And not without reason. Last year, Bansal Classes alone helped 1,609 students crack the exam. “The results are enough publicity to attract more students,” says A.K. Tiwari of Bansal Classes.

Kota sees some 30,000 higher secondary students from across India pitch tent every year. The total expenses range between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.5 lakh a year. “Kota offers a safe and insular environment, has plenty of decent paying guest accommodations and above all, promotes an academic culture which helps students give their best shot,” says Tiwari.

No discussion on education opportunities in and around Jaipur would be complete without mention of the legendary Mayo College, started in 1875 to “make British gentlemen out of Indian princes”. Located in Ajmer, just 125 km away, it is one of the finest schools for boys in India. It boasts of many famous ex-students — from politician Jaswant Singh to writer Vikram Chandra.
WHAT’S HOT
▪ Innovation in learning
methods, affordable costs, great food
WHAT’S NOT
▪ Limited industry interaction

“Our strength lies both in our heritage and demands of academic and extra-curricular excellence,” says Samar Bhaduri, vice-principal, Mayo College. However, getting admission to the school is difficult, and could cost as much as Rs 2 lakh a year.

Within Jaipur itself, fashion design aspirants have the Pearl Academy of Fashion to look up to. Set up in 2005, the institute scores high on the list of fashion colleges in northwestern India. It operates two hostels for women. “The men have endless paying guest options, and there are regular bus connections between Jaipur and the industrial area in Kukas, which houses many academic institutions,” says Mathur.

Those looking forward to a career in hotel management can also come to Jaipur — the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) runs one of its centres here. Interestingly, Jaipur is also home to the Jamea Tul Hidaya, a new-age madarsa that packs in Islamic teaching with computer education, and everything in between. It is reputed to be one of India’s most advanced madarsas that combines tradition with modernity to offer religious education of a superior quality.

Coming to infrastructure, insiders say that eastern Rajasthan is one of the best places to spend one’s academic years. The cuisine of the region, largely vegetarian, is known for delicacies such as dal bati churma and gatte ki sabzi. Non-vegetarian food, though limited, includes classics such as the fiery laal maas.

Throw in other USPs —such as friendly people (the result of interacting with Western tourists for years), relatively crime-free locales, and mushrooming shopping malls, multiplexes and coffee shops — and students from across the country instantly feel at home in Jaipur. No prizes for guessing then why more and more students are choosing Jaipur as the place to make the transition from adolescence to adulthood.

WHAT’S HOT:▪ Innovation in learning methods, affordable costs, great food
WHAT’S NOT: ▪ Limited industry interaction

AT A GLANCE

*Mayo College (www.mayocollege.com/Index.asp), Ajmer

*Malaviya National Institute of Technology (www.mnit.ac.in), Jaipur

*L.N. Mittal Institute of Information Technology (www.lnmiit.ac.in/index.html), Jaipur

*Jaipur Engineering College (www.jeckukas.org.in), Jaipur

*Birla Institute of Technology (www.bitmesra.ac.in/ext/jaipur.htm), Jaipur

*Pearl Academy of Fashion (jaipur.pearlacademy.com), Jaipur

*Jamea Tul Hidaya (www.jameatulhidaya.org), Jaipur

*Bansal Classes (www.bansaliitjee.com), Kota

*Resonance (www.resonance.ac.in), Kota

*National Institute of Ayurveda (http://nia.nic.in)

*National Law University (www.nlujodhpur.ac.in), Jodhpur

Source: The Telegraph (Kolkata, India)