[ Bengia Ajum ]
ITANAGAR, 3 Sep: In a hugely inspiring story, Manta Wangsu, hailing from insurgency infested Longding district, has been selected as a visiting overseas research fellow at the prestigious University of Edinburgh (UoE), Scotland.
Hailing from Chanu village in Longding, Wangsu did his schooling from JNV Khapcho and Lakhimpur. Later he earned a bachelor of social work degree from the Don Bosco College Maram (Manipur) and an MA degree in social work in livelihoods and social entrepreneurship from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati, Assam.
At present he is pursuing PhD in sociology and social anthropology at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi.
Talking to this daily from Edinburgh, Wangsu expressed hope that his achievement would have a positive impact on the students of Longding district in particular.
“Hard work can defeat challenges. That’s one of the important messages I want to convey,” he said.
After reaching Edinburgh, he has been busy with paperwork.
“My university has a provision for PhD students to apply for overseas research fellowship anywhere in the world. It is like an exchange programme. Also, the host supervisor or university abroad should accept our research proposal. This is how I landed in University of Edinburgh,” said Wangsu.
Now he will have to go through a rigorous research proposal.
“The university will bear our expenses for the period of six months,” he added.
His achievement has been hailed on social media by people ranging from politicians to student leaders of Longding district.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein congratulated Wangsu on being selected as a visiting overseas research fellow. Taking to social media, the DCM expressed confidence that under the guidance of Dr Rahul Ranjan at the School of GeoSciences, Manta’s dedication and hard work would shine through.
“As a PhD scholar from Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology Delhi, his achievement is a testament to the talent and ambition of our youth,” he added.
