The Oxford and Cambridge Society of India (OCSI) is an organization consisting of over 750 alumni from both universities based in India from various professions including law, banking, consulting, arts and literature, history, architecture etc. The Society’s activities include promoting Scholarships, Fellowship and Social interactions among its members.
Membership of the Society is open to those who have been to the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge and are any one of the following:
Undergraduate degree holders from either University
Postgraduate degree holders from either University
Matriculation from either University (Matriculation marks the formal admission of a student to the membership of the University. A person is deemed to be matriculated from the beginning of the term in which a completed Matriculation Registration Form and satisfactory evidence of his or her qualification to matriculate is known by the College.)
OCSI offers several scholarships each year to students for study at either university and to pursue any subject. The Society receives more than 75 applications each year and follows a rigorous process to shortlist and interview candidates. In 2021, 7 students were awarded scholarships to pursue study in subjects such as Chemistry, Public Policy, Environmental Governance and Computer Science.
In 2022 OCSI has GBP 14,500 in Scholarship funding, including permanent scholarships. Permanent scholarships are funded by the OCSI Scholarship Corpus Fund, established in 2018. OCSI disburses GBP 6,200 for its 3 permanent scholarships each year: The OCSI K.K. Luthra Memorial Scholarship, The OCSI Anita Banerji Memorial Scholarship and The OCSI Nirmal Luthra Memorial Scholarship.
To further fellowship, OCSI organizes discussions and talks by distinguished speakers on a range of subjects from Politics, Science to Law and Public Health. In the past year distinguished speakers have included Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian and Professor Nicola Padfield from Cambridge and Professor Faisal Devji from Oxford.
In 2021, OCSI established the annual Vikram Lall Memorial Lecture to honor former President, Vikram Lall who passed in 2020. Vikram was both an architect and passionate about Buddhist art and architecture and so the inaugural lecture last year was delivered by Dr Himanshu Prabha Ray, a prominent historian aptly on the topic “Borobodur: The Multilayered Buddhist Temple in Central Java”.
OCSI regularly organizes social and cultural events for members to enjoy arts and entertainment or to meet and interact in a relaxed setting, The Annual boat race dinner is organized at New Delhi to coincide with the Oxford vs Cambridge Boat race every year. Monthly drinks and Christmas Cocktails are some other events for OCSI’s members. OCSI has also organized musical events and exclusive access to art events in India.’
The main objects of the Society include:
To bring together and promote fellowship amongst those who are/were connected with the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge with a view to providing unity of action in the common cause of the promotion of education and learning
To promote and diffuse useful knowledge and advancement of education and learning
To undertake, organise and facilitate conferences, seminars, lectures and research in matters relating to different cultural patterns of international society
To arrange meetings, discussions, seminars, exhibitions, displays, concerts, films, sports and other cultural and social get-together programmes
To issue appeals and applications or otherwise solicit funds in furtherance of the said objects