“A Home Away from Home“ Indian Students’ Association founded

TU students Sanjivani Rajput and Simran Mallar have founded the first Indian Students’ Association at TU Braunschweig. Their aim is to offer Indian students a taste of home and make Indian culture accessible to anyone interested.

Simran Mallar (left) and Sanjivani Rajput founded the Indian Student Association. Picture credits: Simone Fürst/TU Braunschweig

For many students, the first semester is a particular challenge: they must find their bearings at university, sort out various administrative matters, make connections and familiarise themselves with new material. For international students, moving to a new country and tackling a different language add extra hurdles. Sanjivani Rajput and Simran Mallar from India also faced these challenges when they began their Master’s studies in Data Science at TU Braunschweig in April this year. Both had arrived in Braunschweig only shortly beforehand, having completed their bachelor’s degrees at ITM SLS Baroda University and the University of Mumbai. However, the host of new tasks did not deter them from embracing yet another challenge in their first semester of the Master’s programme: founding a student association.

Heading to Germany for their Master’s Studies

The decision to pursue their Master’s degree abroad was not an easy one for Rajput and Mallar. Ultimately it was the Data Science course content and TU Braunschweig’s strong research orientation that won them over. “Of course, the financial aspect also played a role,” says Sanjivani Rajput. “Studying in Germany is very affordable in a global comparison, and the country is regarded as exceptionally student-friendly,” she explains. They discovered TU Braunschweig and their chosen programme through the DAAD’s course database. “We’re both considering embarking on a PhD after our Master’s,” adds Simran Mallar. For that reason, the profile of TU Braunschweig was a perfect match. They quickly realised upon arrival that Braunschweig is not only a place to study but also a great place to live: “Braunschweig is a truly lovely city where you can feel at home,” says Mallar. “There were a few teething problems – for example, our visas arrived very late, and my suitcase got lost on the way to Braunschweig – but once we’d arrived, these issues felt secondary.”

Welcome Week as a Starting Point

Even before the semester began, both students took part in the Welcome Week for international students at the International House and discovered that, while there was already a Chinese student association, no Indian one existed. That was the spark for taking matters into their own hands and founding their own group. “Indian students make up one of the largest cohorts among the international student body at TU Braunschweig, so it made perfect sense to strengthen our community,” Rajput recalls. “Thanks to Welcome Week, we’d already made contact with the International Student Support Team, who welcomed our idea with open arms,” she adds. “The process itself was surprisingly straightforward,” she continues. “The International Student Support Team helped us complete the necessary form and set up an email address. We also received a great deal of support from the AStA. Within just two weeks, everything was in place and the Indian Student Community was officially established.”

A Cricket Match to Kick Things Off

In future, the Indian Student Community is to be a home away from home for many students. Picture credit: Simone Fürst/TU Braunschweig

In the following weeks, Rajput and Mallar considered what the Indian Student Community should stand for and began planning their first events. They also exchanged ideas with the Association of Chinese Scientists and Students and received advice from the International Affairs unit of the AStA. From these initial discussions a clear vision emerged: “We want to create a home away from home,” explains Rajput. “It’s all about supporting each other in the community—whether that’s enrolling for modules and lectures or handling everyday queries. We hope our student initiative will become a go-to resource so our fellow students feel less alone.” Mallar adds: “We also want to bring a piece of our Indian culture and traditions to TU Braunschweig and open it up to anyone interested.” Membership of the Indian Student Community is open to everyone—regardless of nationality. Their first event is already in the diary: on 14 September, a cricket match will be held on the grounds of the University Sports Centre on Beethovenstraße. Cricket was first played in India in 1721 and has since become the nation’s most popular sport. At this event, organised jointly with the AStA, TU students and staff can either try out the game for themselves or cheer on the players.

The Indian Student Community will present itself during Welcome Week for new international students, which takes place from 13 to 18 October. Plans are also underway for a Diwali celebration – the Festival of Lights, celebrated in India and many other Hinduism-influenced countries on 30 and 31 October.

Get Involved

If you’d like to learn more about the Indian Student Community or get involved, you can email Sanjivani Rajput and Simran Mallar. The association currently has around 50 members and is working on setting up its internal organisational structure. In addition to Rajput and Mallar as presidents, there are plans to establish subject-specific working groups, and an Instagram account is in preparation.

Rajput and Mallar are looking forward to the coming weeks and many new faces: “A student association is the perfect place to meet new people and achieve things together. We benefited greatly from this in India and are excited to build another fantastic community here at TU Braunschweig,” says Rajput.