My journey: from a small village in Bengal to the world

এই লেখাটি বাংলায় পড়ুন।

1. Galigram, Purba Bardhaman

   Galsi High School, Bengali medium, to Class 12

2. Narendrapur, Kolkata

   Ramakrishna Mission Residential College

3. Chennai

   MSc Chemistry, IIT Madras

4. Arizona, USA

   PhD begins, Arizona State University

5. Stockholm, Sweden

   PhD completed, Stockholm University

6. Edinburgh, Scotland

   Postdoctoral researcher, University of Edinburgh

7. Lincoln, England

   Permanent post, University of Lincoln (2022)

I was born in Galigram, a small village in the Bardhaman district of West Bengal, now known as Purba Bardhaman. I grew up in an ordinary family and studied at Galsi High School, a Bengali-medium village school, until Class 12. At that time, I had very little idea where my education would eventually take me.

After school, I moved to Kolkata to study at Ramakrishna Mission Residential College, Narendrapur. It was an important turning point in my life. My education, accommodation and food cost just ₹1,100 per month. That opportunity made higher education possible for someone from a modest background like mine.

From Narendrapur, I went to IIT Madras in Chennai for my MSc in Chemistry. Later, I took the GRE and TOEFL examinations and travelled to the United States to begin my PhD at Arizona State University. When my research supervisor moved to Stockholm University in Sweden, I followed him and completed my PhD there.

My journey continued to Scotland, where I joined the University of Edinburgh as a postdoctoral researcher. In 2022, I took up a permanent position at the University of Lincoln in England. Today, I have made the United Kingdom my home.

Looking back, it has been a remarkable journey from a small Bengali-medium village school to universities in India, the United States, Sweden and the United Kingdom. But I do not believe that my story is particularly extraordinary. There are countless children growing up in villages and small towns who are just as capable, curious and ambitious. What they often lack is access to information, guidance and people who can show them what is possible.

That is one of the main reasons I started BiswaPath (বিশ্বপাঠ).

I want students, particularly those from ordinary families and Bengali-medium backgrounds, to know that studying at a good university, conducting research or pursuing an education abroad is not beyond their reach. There are opportunities, scholarships and different pathways, but finding reliable information can be difficult when you do not know where to begin.

I also believe that education is not simply about leaving one's home and settling in another country. Some students may choose to return to India or Bangladesh and contribute to their local communities. Others may build their lives abroad, as I have. Both choices are equally valuable. What matters is how we use our education, knowledge and experience to make a difference.

Through BiswaPath, I hope to bring together students, teachers, researchers, academics and professionals from around the world. Many of us have travelled different paths, faced similar uncertainties and learned valuable lessons along the way. By sharing those experiences, we can make the journey a little easier for the next generation.

I cannot do this alone, and I do not want BiswaPath to be just my personal project. My hope is that it will gradually become a collective, collaborative educational initiative where people help one another, share reliable information and create opportunities for students who may otherwise never hear about them.

My journey began in a small village in Bengal. BiswaPath is my attempt to help others discover how far their own journeys can take them.

Dr Sumit Konar
Founder, BiswaPath (বিশ্বপাঠ)