The subcontinent of India, with its rich culture, diversified people and regions, is geographically large and demographically numerous. From a nation which housed centres of learning such as Takshila and Nalanda to the globally acclaimed Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), India was, is and will continue to be the powerhouse of knowledge. India is in the forefront of almost all disciplines that one can think of; be it healthcare, information technology, software development, oil exploration, pharmaceuticals, literature, philosophy, biochemistry, aeronautics and space exploration, astronomy, banking, automotive manufacturing, telecommunication, textiles, film productions and BPOs to name a few.

Politically, India is the world's largest democracy with the highest percentage of young productive population in the world making it highly vibrant and dynamic as against the ageing populations in many mature economies.

Economically, India has shown great resilience in times of global economic downturns recovering smartly to reach a projected growth rate of an astonishing eight per cent by 2011. The economic reforms that were introduced in the 1990s made India outward-looking and more export-oriented. It is remarkable that within a span of two decades, India has attained a position of a world economic power engaged in mergers with and acquisitions of some of the western corporate giants of yesteryear. She has turned the flow of foreign direct investments, replacing multinational corporations (MNCs) of the west, with Indian MNCs investing enormously in other countries including Sri Lanka.

India is said to be on its way to achieving the status of a developed country much before 2020 and become a Super Power by 2050. All this will be in good stead for the neighbouring countries such as Sri Lanka who could reap immense benefits by way of trade and employment opportunities; provided we have the education and qualifications the Indian corporate sector demands. This is yet another reason why our youth should reconsider and reorient towards the future by seeking admission to Indian universities which offer high quality modern and employment oriented academic programmes. Among these universities that offer quality academic programmes in Sri Lanka is KARNATAKA STATE OPEN UNIVERSITY (KSOU) of India which is affiliated to the HORIZON CAMPUS in Malabe.

India has maintained a high standard of diplomacy and carefully nurtures her close ties with friendly nations globally, while extending her warm and cordial relations to her immediate neighbour Sri Lanka with whom she shares a very long historical, cultural, religious and traditional relationship.
The aim of this article is to bring greater awareness regarding the potential India possesses in the field of education, particularly at tertiary and postgraduate levels.

One has only to get to the bottom of the broad and rich knowledge base which India has acquired, developed, and nurtured over centuries while benevolently disseminating it to the rest of the world. The solid base by which India operates in maintaining cutting-edge in-depth knowledge creation resides deep within the layers upon layers of cultural, spiritual and social `evolutions` that India has had the good fortune to experience.

In a short article it never would do justice to telescope events extending over 4000 years sans spirit and essence of those great moments in the history of India. The very study of the Indus civilisation that flourished about 2500 BC to 1700 BC, the life and social organisation in the cities of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, arrival of the Indo-European speaking Aryans, the Rig Vedas, establishment of Sanskrit as a means of communication, the lofty intellectual contents of the `Bhagawat Gita`, are but a few spokes in the `maha chakra` that lead India on a unique path of progressive development to make such an amazing wonderland for the knowledge seekers the world over.

HORIZON CAMPUS together with KSOU of India wishes to facilitate the depth and scope of knowledge which will invariably bear the stamp of high intellectual value in all the disciplines taught at HORIZON CAMPUS. India has a magnificently proven record of achievements which amply justify that education in India is enriching and will be more sought after than ever before, particularly by the younger generations.
If one considers the academic achievements, India can be proud of many Nobel Prize winners.

abindranath Tagore (Literature in 1913), Sir C.V. Raman (Physics in 1930), Dr H. Khorana (Medicine and Physiology in 1968), Dr. Subramanium Chandrasekar (Physics in 1983), Dr Amartya Sen (for Economics in 1998) and V.S. Naipal (British writer of Indian origin, Literature 2001). This list per se does not indicate all the academic achievements, path breaking inventions and innovations which undoubtedly include an incredible array of patents, indicating the penchant Indians have for creativity and inventions through research.

It is believed that this inborn curiosity and research orientation have their roots in the values, beliefs, life experiences and wealth of literature that Indians have inherited from diverse steams of knowledge passed down over the millennia. For example, India is credited with the invention and use of "Zero" (0) in Mathematics and it was also used by Arab mathematicians who created a new form of writing numbers - the Arabic numerals which we still use today. It is with this insight and deep analysis of the future that HORIZON CAMPUS ventured to offer our students in Sri Lanka - academic programmes of high quality from a reputed Indian University such as KSOU which is recognised by University Grants Commissions (UGC) of both India and Sri Lanka.

A cursory overview of the Indian corporate excellence shows the silent but rapid engulfment of the west dominated businesses both in the manufacturing and services sectors by Indian companies. Among the 2000 listed companies in the Forbes global 2000 ranking for 2009, 47 Indian companies have found their place among the world of corporate giants. The diversification of these leading world- class Indian companies cut across an array of industries as mentioned above. Some of the following companies have already attained the top most positions in the world in their respective fields while others are on their way upward.

• Reliance Petroleum - Operates as the world's largest refinery.
• Kingfisher Airlines - One of six airlines in the world to have a five-star rating.
• Moser Baer - World's second largest optical media manufacturer.
• Tata Elxsi - World's largest embedded system company.
• Tata Steel - World's fifth largest steel producer.
• Tata Tea - World's second largest tea manufacturer.
• Suzlon Energy - World's largest integrated wind-power company.
• Raymond Group - One of the world's largest textile companies.
• Hero Honda Motors Limited - World's largest two-wheeler company.
• Bharat Forge - One of the largest forging companies.
• Lakshmi Machine Works - One among the three in the world to produce an entire range of Spinning Machinery.
  And…
• Indian Film Industry - World's largest film industry.

Viewed in its entirety, the magnitudes of Indian corporate successes are enormous. By implication, the demand for a highly skilled and qualified workforce would grow to unpredictable levels. KSOU is one such university in India that is conscious of these developments and constantly monitors the current employment opportunities and future trends for demand driven programmes while curriculum reforms play an important role towards this end.

HORIZON CAMPUS, a BOI approved institute, is pleased to collaborate with leading reputed foreign institutes such as KSOU to provide education at globally recognized standards.