Seventh recipient of Pemanda Monappa Scholarship announced
Joseph Kalyanraj Isaac has become the seventh recipient of the prestigious Pemanda Monappa Scholarship, available to applicants from Southern India who wish to undertake their higher education at the University of Cambridge.
Joseph, who grew up in Chennai and graduated from Anna University with a Bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering, will arrive in Cambridge later this month to undertake a Master’s degree in Nuclear Energy at the University’s Department of Engineering.
In his application to the University, Joseph stated “it had always been my ambition to be an astronaut. But growing up in such a diverse country as India has helped me to realise that I have a responsibility in the community in which I live; that systematic and focused research can transform the life of another”.
At a ceremony in Chennai last month, Joseph’s scholarship was formally awarded by the Honourable Mr Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, who commented “education is an important instrument in the economic empowerment of youngsters. There is a need to encourage young people who are keen on quality education”.
Also in attendance was Helen Pennant, Director of the Cambridge Trust, and Mr P.M. Belliappa who generously established the Pemanda Monappa Scholarship Fund back in 2010 in memory of his father, Pemanda Monappa, a distinguished and highly-decorated officer of the Indian Police.
In her address, Helen Pennant outlined the significance of the scholarship programme and its impact on the education of international students. Helen said she was “delighted that Joseph’s application was successful, and that his hard work has been recognised and rewarded by his selection as the Pemanda Monappa Scholar for 2016”.
The Pemanda Monappa Scholarship, co-funded by the Cambridge Trust, is available to outstanding Masters applicants from the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala or Tamil Nadu wishing to undertake courses in Biological Sciences (excluding medicine and veterinary medicine), Computer Science, Economics, English Literature, Law, Physical Sciences or Technology.
