The K.C. Mahindra Education Trust selects scholarship recipients based on their financial needs and academic achievements. This year, the trust received 664 applications from students who have obtained admission in several Ivy League universities both in the US and the UK. The three K.C. Mahindra Fellows – Ashrita Kotha, Gautam Chopra and Antariksh Bothale – hail from very diverse backgrounds and displayed remarkable grit and determination to rise above their challenging situations. They have secured admission into prestigious universities such as Oxford, Yale and Washington, epitomizing the Mahindra Group’s philosophy of Rise.
“Since 1956 the KCMET realized the potential of the Indian student and decided that it was time to celebrate the cerebral. It has been the trust’s constant endeavour to look at people with humble beginnings and make them realize their aspirations, recognising that money must never come in the way of achieving the true potential of an individual. KCMET firmly believes that there is no greater denial than the denial of opportunity. Its avowed vision is to Enable, Provide and Catalyze. In that context, over the last six decades there has been nothing but happiness when some of India’s finest minds irrespective of caste, creed and colour achieve their aspirations.” said Anand Mahindra, Trustee of K C Mahindra Education Trust and Chairman and Managing Director, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd.
The applicants will be pursuing their post graduation in a number of subjects ranging from Computer Science, Engineering, MBA, Law and Economics, in various universities including Harvard, Stanford and Georgia Institute of Technology in the USA, as well as the University of Cambridge and Oxford University in the UK.
An eminent selection panel comprising Mr. Keshub Mahindra, Chairman Emeritus, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Mr. Bharat Doshi, Executive Director and Group CFO, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Mr. Ulhas Yargop, President, IT Sector, Group CTO, Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd., Mrs. Leena Labroo, Trustee, K. C. Mahindra Education Trust, Dr. Indu Shahani, Principal, H R College, Dr. Nachiket Mor, Chairman, Sughavazhvu Healthcare and Mr. Ranjan Pant, Global Management Consultant, spent two full days interviewing 67 students in Mumbai. Given that the shortlisted candidates were high calibre performers, the panel had a difficult time selecting the final awardees.
The K.C. Mahindra Scholarship for Post Graduate Studies Abroad was the first scholarship to be set up at the K.C. Mahindra Education Trust in 1956 by the founder of the Trust, Mr. K.C. Mahindra. He along with his brother, Mr. J.C. Mahindra, also established the Mahindra Group in 1945. Since inception, the Trust has provided 1,123 scholarships to Indian students pursuing their post-graduate studies abroad. The K.C. Mahindra Education Trust awards over 50 scholarships every year, with the top 3 K.C. Mahindra Fellows receiving an interest free loan scholarship of Rs. 8 lakh each. The other awardees receive an interest free loan scholarship of a maximum of Rs. 2 lakh each. Students are selected based on their financial need and their academic achievements.
