Help Anirban get his Masters degree | Milaap
Help Anirban get his Masters degree
  • SC

    Created by

    Satyananda Chatterjee
  • AC

    This fundraiser will benefit

    Anirban Chakraborty

    from Kolkata, West Bengal

"He deserves this opportunity. He is brilliant, dedicated and very diligent. If Anirban does not get to chase his dreams and has to settle for an ordinary job instead just for financial reasons, I will never be able to forgive myself." - Sudip Chakraborty, Father of Anirban.  

Sudip works as a security guard at a private residential complex in Kolkata.
He and his wife, despite living paycheck to paycheck, made every effort to afford his son with quality education and a good standard of life. They sacrificed regularly to put their son through an English medium school and then, a good college.

And their son paid them back with his academic achievements. He scored 89.6% in his high school boards and went on to enroll in a Bachelor of Sciences degree from the University of Calcutta with honours in Physics.
He showed his mettle yet again when he went on to graduate with a First Class degree, scoring a stellar 74% in CU.

In physics, he had found his passion. Academia appealed to him. He dreamt of becoming a researcher who pushed the envelope of scientific endeavour. But his interests were not misplaced. He was as enthusiastic about his abstract research proposals as he was at the possibility of teaching and educating the next generation of physicists. And his dream was further fuelled by his professors who recognized the immense potential in him and encouraged him to do so.

But in realizing that dream, the first step for him was to get his masters. 

Time came to decide on a specialization and photonics appealed to his intellect. He got in touch with professors from the University of Jena and was encouraged by them to apply for a masters degree. He did, and was admitted to the competitive program.



               (Note: Personal details redacted for privacy concerns.)

Anirban, while in college had been working part time to save up for his masters but he realized that it wouldn't be enough and therefore decided to apply for an educational loan.

While there is no tuition fee in Germany, students are expected to pay for their accommodation and food. And since no tuition, there are no scholarships in place to offset this cost of residence. The embassy mandates a yearly budget of EUR 8640 to be shown in a blocked account before they can approve of the visa. That is around INR 8 Lakhs or $10,000.

The Reserve Bank of India mandates all banks operating in India to approve of education loans under 7 Lakhs without any collateral. Anirban and his family were optimistic that a loan of 7 lakhs from the bank, coupled with the savings Anirban had would be enough for him to pay for his Masters degree in Germany.

But he got a rude awakening when the banks straight up refused to lend him money. Mostly because banks were only familiar with the American education system since the bulk of the students went to USA.
The way the banks worked was that they would sanction the loan but not pay anything to the student. They would directly pay the institution where the student is enrolled.
But since German institutes did not have a tuition fee, and the regulation was to deposit the money to a blocked account, the banks in India refused to lend to Anirban.

Sudip, Anirban's father, is pushing 60. He has been working hard and working long to help his son be educated in hope for a better life. Now that he will retire in 5 months, if Anirban cannot arrange for the funds for his masters, he will have to join a meager job at a call center to support his family, thus ending what could have been a glorious future.

Anirban cannot get a loan because the Indian banks are painfully oblivious to world order. Sudip cannot get a loan on behalf of his son because he is almost 60 and no bank would lend to him. At this crucial juncture, his only hope is you.

Don't let him settle for mediocrity. 
He has only one dream - to be a world class scientist from India. And that will only be fulfilled when you stand by him.
Support the dream, support the man, support the family.

Please donate to this campaign. He has a month to get the funds and still apply for visa on time. It does not matter how much but please give to this cause.

Share the campaign on your social media. Spread the word.
Lets get him his dream!

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