Travel

The Medical College, Kolkata, originally known as Medical College, Bengal, was founded in 1835. It is not only the first medical college in India but also the first institution in Asia to offer formal education in Western medicine.

The college is located on College Street, the city's intellectual axis. It was founded when colonial Calcutta was facing public health crises. The city was grappling with malaria, cholera, kala azar, and different waves of fever. Hence, modern, evidence, based healthcare was an immediate need of the city and not just an abstract ideal.

Last Wednesday a heritage walk on the old campus of Calcutta Medical College brought back that long and layered history to life. The event marked the 192nd foundation year of the institution. The heritage walk explored the contributions of the college over the past two centuries not only to medicine and public health but also to social reform and nation building.

The legendary urologist Dr. Amit Ghose was the chief guest at the event, which was organized by the Medical College Ex, Students' Association in collaboration with Purono Kolkatar Golpo, Indi Setu and the Indo, British Scholars Association.

The initiative was aimed at connecting the college's physical structures with its major role in the development of medical education and healthcare in India.

Participants were taken through the formative years of the college, which evolved amid epidemics and famine in late 18th- and early 19th-century Bengal. After the Battle of Plassey in 1757, rapid population influx, environmental change and poor sanitation made Calcutta acutely vulnerable to disease. Epidemics in 1757, 1762 and 1770 reportedly claimed tens of thousands of lives, followed by the catastrophic Bengal famine of 1770 in which nearly 10 million people are believed to have perished.

These crises prompted early attempts at institutional medical training. In 1822, the British government established the School for Native Doctors, the very first medical school of British India.

Nevertheless, displeasure with the curriculum and practical anatomy shortage brought a decisive change. By government order dated January 28, 1835, medical education was transformed into a secular, science, based discipline leading to the establishment of Medical College, Bengal under Lord William Bentinck, which is generally considered as a milestone in the history of medical education in India.

Most likely, the first batch at the present location took off on 17 March 1836.

The walk revisited those landmark events that made the institution a meeting point of medicine and social reform. It was in 1836 that Pandit Madhusudan Gupta broke the ground of first human cadaver dissection by an Indian under Dr. Henry Goodeve's guidance, thus directly confronting deeply rooted social taboos and heralding the advent of modern medical science in India. Several decades after that, in 1884, Kadambini Ganguly set a new record by being one of the first women in India to get admitted to formal medical education at the college.

Through its existence, the college has been home to a very distinguished alumni of Bidhan Chandra Roy, Upendranath Brahmachari and Sushila Nayar, whose contributions deeply influenced public health policy, medical research and healthcare delivery both in India and internationally, such as the UK National Health Service.

The carefully planned walking route took the visitors through some of the most historically and architecturally significant buildings of the campus. These included the main Medical College Hospital building, inaugurated in 1852 and central to the evolution of bedside learning in India; Eden Hospital, a pioneering centre for women's and maternity care; and the Carmichael Hospital for Tropical Diseases, closely associated with early research on cholera and tropical medicine under Sir Leonard Rogers.

Other stops included the Sir John Anderson casualty block, highlighting the development of emergency medicine, and the David Hare Block, formerly the Prince of Wales Hospital, reflecting the growth of modern surgical care. The walk also highlighted how philanthropy played a major role in the institution's growth, thus mentioning the contributions of Maharani Swarnamoyee, among other Bengal Renaissance benefactors, whose support to women medical education was made possible by her donations.

The heritage walk ended with a panel discussion entitled "Medical College and Kolkata's Living Heritage", which focused on how the historical, educational and social significance of the institution has always been and still is, as well as its relevance in the present day city shaped by an ever changing urban and cultural landscape.

Mudhar Patherya, communications consultant and heritage activist; Partha Ranjan Das, architect and President of The Bengal Club; Iftekhar Ahsan, entrepreneur and founder of Calcutta Walks; and Rajita Banerjee, academician.Dr. Andrew Fleming, British Deputy High Commissioner to East and North East India was the chief guest at the session, whereas Reetasri Ghosh, President of the Indo, British Scholars' Association, was the guest of honour.

The Medical College Ex, Students' Association, with Dr. Abhijit Chaudhuri as President, Dr. Abhik Ghosh as Vice President, Dr. Anjan Das as Secretary, Dr. Anirban Dalui as Treasurer, Dr. Sanjib Kumar Bandyopadhyay as Joint Secretary, and Dr. Partha Mondol as Assistant Secretary, was the sponsor of the event.

By linking buildings to ideas and milestones to lived experience, the walk offered participants not just a tour of a historic campus, but a deeper understanding of how Medical College, Kolkata has shaped-and been shaped by-the making of modern India.

During the Budget 2026, 27 event, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced the initiative of establishing five medical tourism hubs and rolling out a 'Biopharma Shakti programme' with funds of Rs 10, 000 crore over the next five years.

Sitharaman said, “To promote India as a hub for medical tourism services, I propose to launch a scheme to support states in establishing five regional medical hubs in partnership with the private sector.

Sitharaman said that these hubs will serve as integrated healthcare complexes that combine medical, educational, and research facilities.

These medical tourism hubs will have AYUSH centres, medical value tourism facilitation centres, and infrastructure for diagnostics, post-care, and rehabilitation. She added that these hubs will provide diverse job opportunities for health professionals, including doctors and allied health professionals (ALPs).

Sitharaman also proposed to set up three new All India Institute of Ayurveda.

Sitharaman further proposed the Biopharma Shakti with an outlay of Rs 10,000 crore over the next five years to build the ecosystem for domestic production of biologics and biosimilars.

The strategy will include a biopharma-focused network with three new National Institutes of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, popularly known as NIPERS, and upgrading seven existing ones, Sitharaman said.

“It will also create a network of 1,000 accredited India clinical trials sites. We propose to strengthen the central drug standard control organisation to meet global standards and approve timeframes, through an approval time frames through a dedicated scientific review cadre, and specialists,” Sitharaman further said.

This is a developing story.

The Economic Survey 202526 has brandished India to the world as a primary "education tourism" hub and hence, is a strategic push that opens the doors to higher education alongside the country's yoga, Ayurveda, heritage studies, and rural immersion, all of which are international student attractions.

The Survey accentuates India's disappointing participation in the international education market, revealing that India only attracts about 49, 000 foreign students, a mere 0.10 per cent of its total higher education enrolment which is quite insignificant over the globe. In fact, around 28 Indian students study abroad for every foreign student coming to India, which leads to an estimated foreign exchange outflow of USD 3.4 billion in FY24.

In order to solve this problem, the Survey suggests fast-tracking student visas, facilitating expansion of post, study internships, and encouraging joint degree programmes and academic exchanges mainly with BRICS and Global South countries.In addition, it refers to the entry of 15 foreign higher education institutions in the near future and the University Grants Commissions (UGC) 2022 regulations as major facilitators of internationalisation.

One of the main proposals is to create quick, duration academic delivery such as summer schools, semester, abroad modules, and certificate programmes allowing a blend of classroom learning and tourism experiences.

Such offerings may even include issuing certifications in yoga and wellness, healthcare studies based on Ayurveda, Indian philosophy, heritage conservation, and sustainability projects at the village level sectors where India naturally has a comparative advantage.

Moreover, the Survey points out that if western countries further restrict their visa policies, and considering that India's education ecosystem is relatively cheap, the country could become a preferred study destination for students mainly from South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia.

However, the document flags significant challenges. It cautions against over, commercialisation of education and points to a drastic shortage of faculty where the vacancies are estimated to be at 56.2 per cent in higher education institutions. There have also been apprehensions about safeguarding the purity of indigenous knowledge systems such as yoga and Ayurveda from being diluted or misrepresented.

Besides, the Survey highlights that almost 75 per cent of Indian higher education institutions are not ready for industry at the moment, thus restricting the employability outcomes for international students.

The Economic Survey concludes that while education tourism presents a major opportunity to enhance India’s soft power and global academic footprint, its success will depend on regulatory clarity, investment in faculty and infrastructure, and careful balancing of tradition with academic rigour.

The geography of Uttar Pradesh's schoolbooks for the upcoming academic year is distinctly local, with familiar names, sounds, symbols, and stories taking the place of far-off allusions. The revamped State Class IV Textbooks are essentially a Cultural Tour Guide for Students, starting from the Streets of Ayodhya and ending up in the Courtyards of a Village’s Home.

More than one lakh Council Managed Primary Schools in Uttar Pradesh will begin using these modified NCERT Textbooks in the school year 2026-2027. The modifications will appropriate the socio-economic environment and cultural background of the local area into the Treasuries of Students. The math book Ganit Mela contains one of the most notable changes. Ayodhya's Shri Ram Temple, a landmark now essential to the State's modern identity, has replaced an example of a Jain temple in Karnataka in a chapter about numbers all around us. The visible anchor is now closer to home, but the math is still the same.

In other places, the textbooks resemble a leisurely stroll through the towns and farms of Uttar Pradesh. Southern Indian names and settings have been subtly substituted in Hindi environmental studies and art: Gudappa becomes Ganesh, Muniamma becomes Meena, and aonla trees replace coconut palms. Narratives have also been redirected. Tales of resiliency and morality, such as Hausla and Satya Ki Jeet, which are based on the story of Satyavadi Harishchandra, have taken the role of lessons like Aasman Gira and Golgappa.

The art textbook Bansuri has been exalted now as an artwork that embodies the State's creative traditions. The students can visualise Chauk Purana rangolis (from Uttar Pradesh) not just as patterns that are typically found in kolams in other parts of India, but as actual images; and some of the pictures showcase the Banaras gharana through the images of Pandit Chhannulal Mishra and Girija Devi. In addition to being symbols of the region, Kajri, Barahmasa and Ganga Geet serve to replace the more westernised styles of music that students might have otherwise listened to.

Environmental studies take the journey to its final destination with the lessons about the State flower, traditional foods, and ecosystems that are already somewhat familiar. As Rajendra Pratap, the principal of the State Institute of Education, points out, the revisions are meant to provide an embedded learning experience with the local community—transforming textbooks into the windows of the world that children see just outside their classroom door.

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has warned Indian travellers going to Saudi Arabia to get permission first if they intend to bring medicines to the country. The alert came after Saudi Arabia launched a new electronic service platform to regulate the clearance of medicines for personal use by people coming to or going from the Kingdom.

NCB said that there are medicines which are fully legal in India, but they may be restricted or even prohibited under the drug control regulations in Saudi Arabia. If a traveller has such a medicine without prior approval and is found, he or she may be subjected to regulatory enforcement, including confiscation of the medicines, imposition of fines, or legal interrogation at the entry points.

The advisory message is mainly targeted at the Indian tourists, business travellers, and pilgrims going for Umrah or Hajj, who often carry prescription medicines for chronic diseases. NCB warned that having medicines in a quantity more than allowed or without proper documents could be punished according to the law in Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s newly launched electronic service platform allows travellers to apply in advance for permission to carry medicines for personal use. The system is aimed at enhancing border security while providing clarity to visitors regarding permissible pharmaceutical items. The NCB has advised travellers to familiarise themselves with the official list of restricted and prohibited medicines published by Saudi authorities before undertaking travel.

"Certain medicines that are commonly used in India may be classified as controlled substances in Saudi Arabia. Travellers should definitely ensure that they are compliant with the local regulations so that they do not face any inconveniences or legal complications, " the NCB said in its advisory.

Officials gave the instruction that travellers must have with them valid prescriptions, medical certificates, and approval documents when they are travelling. It is also advised that medicines be in their original packaging with clear labels indicating the composition and dosage.

The advisory is coming when traveling between India and Saudi Arabia has been increasing gradually, the reasons being religious tourism, employment, and bilateral engagement. With Saudi Arabia putting more regulations in place for pharmaceuticals, Indian travellers are being instructed to plan their trips early and finish all their formalities well before their journey.

The NCB also said that it is very important to be aware of drug regulations at the destination you are going to if you want to have safe and trouble- free international travel, especially to countries that have strict laws regarding narcotics and pharmaceuticals.

The road to Pithoragarh has a subtle effect on the mind of the traveler. With the mountains getting steeper, mobile signals disappearing and the dark sky gradually taking over its age, old reign, it dawns on you that you are venturing not only through geography but also through time.Here, in Uttarakhand’s easternmost district where darkness is still natural and silence still earned, the stars no longer remain distant spectators. They are now the destination.

Perched amid these Himalayan folds, a new astronomical observatory in Pithoragarh is rewriting how we think of travel in the mountains — not as an escape from the world, but as an encounter with the universe. Conceived by the District Tourism Department in partnership with astro-tourism pioneers Starscapes, the observatory marks Uttarakhand’s decisive step into science tourism, where wonder is measured not in selfies, but in constellations.

Just as the sun was setting and the sky was changing colors, the Tourism Minister of Uttarakhand, Satpal Maharaj, with district officials, was there to make the inaugural event successful. This was a dream that we had been nurturing for a long time, said Maharaj, reflecting the silent ambition of the project by his words. Astro, tourism is not just a science promotion tool. It generates jobs, money, and a new kind of bond between people and nature. More observatories, he promised, will follow — mapping the state not just by roads, but by stars.

What makes the Pithoragarh observatory exceptional is not only its telescopes or contemporary design, but its community-first philosophy. This is not a sealed scientific enclave. It breathes with the village around it. Starscapes has initiated an Astro Guide Training Programme where they have recruited and trained the local youth to not only operate the telescopes, but also conduct professional stargazing sessions and narrate the night sky in a confident and empathetic manner. The development of skills in this case is not something that has been added on; it is, in fact, the very core of the project.

“Pithoragarh has something increasingly rare — truly dark skies,” the District Tourism Development Officer explains. “Our goal is to make it a responsible astro-tourism destination where the community benefits directly.” In a time when tourism often extracts more than it gives, this model feels quietly radical.

As darkness deepens, the observatory comes alive. A telescope turns. A young local guide explains Saturn’s rings. A child gasps. In these moments, science sheds its intimidating cloak and becomes intimate again. Educational programmes, student sessions, and public astronomy nights ensure the observatory is as much a classroom as it is a travel experience.

Hem Sharma of Starscapes puts it simply: “Astro-tourism works when world-class infrastructure is matched with trained local talent.” The result, he believes, is not just better visitor experience, but sustainable livelihoods rooted in place.

In Pithoragarh, tourism is no longer only about reaching a viewpoint by day. It is about staying up at night. About slowing down. About remembering that long before borders, hotels and itineraries, humans travelled by the stars.

And now, thanks to this observatory, travellers can do that once again — not as explorers of land, but as witnesses to the cosmos.