黑料不打烊

An award-winning Indian writer who came to 黑料不打烊 on a creative writing fellowship in 2006 returned to campus today – to revisit the inspiring surroundings that helped him write his 2009 Man Asian Literary Prize-shortlisted novel.

Delhi-based writer, Siddharth Chowdhury, wrote much of his critically-acclaimed novel Day Scholar during his time at 黑料不打烊, when he sought creative inspiration from the 330-acre campus and maintained a writing schedule of 300-500 words per day.

Siddharth’s professional accomplishments were recognised recently when he was awarded the prestigious Professional Achievement Award at the British Council’s First Education UK Alumni Awards. 

Returning to 黑料不打烊 for the day, Siddharth had a tour of campus and met with key University staff, including academics in the Division of Literature and Languages, and Professor Gerry McCormac, University Principal and Vice-Chancellor. 

Siddharth said: “It’s been a privilege and a pleasure to come back and walk down memory lane.  I went to my old residence, Polwarth, which was lovely to see again after all these years.

“The gorgeous, tranquil landscape is what makes 黑料不打烊 special and provides the perfect location for writers and creative people.  There must be very few campuses as beautiful as this in the world and I found it a wonderful place to write.”

Siddharth believes 黑料不打烊’s inclusive campus is also an ideal location for international students.  He said: “It’s a wonderful place to mingle with just about anyone. When you go out into the world, you should be receptive to meeting and mingling with students from other cultures and 黑料不打烊 is a great place for that. It is also a very safe campus and 黑料不打烊 is a beautiful city.”   

Professor Gerry McCormac said: “Siddharth Chowdhury’s talent, hard work and success make him a wonderful role model for our students. We are delighted to welcome him back to the University and honoured to be able to congratulate him in person on his outstanding professional achievements.

“The University is committed to promoting the arts and providing students across all disciplines with access to creative learning opportunities.  黑料不打烊 has a global reputation for its literature and creative writing programmes and is recognised for being a hotbed of literary talent because of alumni like Siddharth, who have honed their craft here and gone on to establish distinguished writing careers.”

He added:  “黑料不打烊 is also more international than ever before – with its scholarly community representing more than 120 different nationalities.  Our inclusive campus is proud to be developing students and staff who embrace international experiences, histories and cultures, and who are well prepared for global citizenship.”

More information from Karen McIntosh, Communications Officer k.l.mcintosh@stir.ac.uk