Four Manchester Universities Join GREAT Scholarships for Indian Students as Holi Lights Up the North-West

Manchester's South Asian connections came into sharp focus this week through two distinct stories. Four Greater Manchester universities — Manchester Metropolitan University, the Royal Northern College of Music, the University of Manchester, and the University of Salford — joined the British Council's GREAT Scholarships 2027 programme, offering eligible Indian postgraduate students grants of £10,000 each. At the same time, Hindu communities across the north-west of England gathered to mark Holi, the festival of colours, with celebrations spanning dancing, music, and the vibrant explosion of coloured powders that give the festival its name.

🎓 British Council Announces Four Greater Manchester Universities in GREAT Scholarships 2027 for Indian Students

Four universities from Greater Manchester — Manchester Metropolitan University, Royal Northern College of Music, the University of Manchester, and the University of Salford — joined the British Council's GREAT Scholarships 2027 programme, the British Council announced in October 2026. The programme runs in partnership with the UK government's GREAT Britain campaign and offers eligible Indian students the opportunity to pursue postgraduate taught degrees in the United Kingdom from autumn 2027, with each participating institution providing a grant of £10,000 to qualifying applicants. For Indian students, the GREAT Scholarships programme represents one of the more direct mechanisms for accessing UK university education with financial support, particularly at a time when international tuition fees and cost of living in Britain have made studying abroad a significant financial commitment for many families. The inclusion of four Greater Manchester universities — spanning a major research-intensive institution, a specialist music conservatoire, a metropolitan university with strong links to professional industries, and a civic university with an international student community — reflects the breadth of academic options available to Indian students in the Manchester region. Greater Manchester has become an increasingly prominent destination for Indian postgraduate students in recent years, offering alternatives to London with strong graduate employment markets, diverse communities, and a relatively lower cost of living. The British Council noted that the scheme is part of its broader mission to build cultural and educational relationships between India and the United Kingdom across all regions of Britain. [2]

🪔 Holi Festival of Colours Brings Communities Together Across North-West England

Holi, the Hindu festival of colours, was marked across the north-west of England with a series of celebrations planned to run over ten days, with events centred on Manchester and surrounding communities in the region. The BBC reported on the spread of festivities as Hindu communities and the wider public gathered to observe the festival with its signature combination of coloured powders, coloured water, music, dancing, and singing. For Hindus, Holi carries a dual significance: it marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring while also commemorating the triumph of good over evil, rooted in the ancient story of Prahlada and Holika from Hindu scripture. Worshippers traditionally offer prayers and share sweets and ceremonial food, while the streets come alive with the vibrant spectacle of bright powder colours — typically magenta, turquoise, yellow, and red — that have made Holi one of the most visually recognisable festivals in the world. In the north-west of England, where South Asian diaspora communities have deep roots, particularly across Greater Manchester, Holi events have grown in scale and visibility over recent years. They draw participation not only from the established Hindu community but also from wider audiences drawn by the joyful, communal, and visually striking character of the celebrations. The festival's expansion across the north-west is a marker of the South Asian community's cultural confidence and its integration into the region's broader civic and social life. [4]

Sources: [2] Devdiscourse · [4] BBC