Hong Kong girl picks in Nalanda university for spiritual studies

Touched by the spirituality in India, Alice enrolled in Buddhism studies in one of the oldest universities


India has been a land of spirituality for long and that is what brought Hong Kong-born Alice to India. Moved to France at the age of 15 and having lived in different countries such as Mexico, Columbia, Brazil and South Africa, Alice’s love story with India began in 2017 when she set foot on the Jagriti Yatra –a 15 day-long train journey that took 480 Indians and 20 foreigners track 8000 km across India to meet social and business entrepreneurs.

“I returned to France feeling both moved and inspired. Indians have great resilience despite hardships and struggles, their generosity, helpfulness, team spirit, as well as their optimistic and relaxed attitude, attracted me. Most importantly I was touched by their spirituality and humanism,” says Alice, who felt a connection with the ruins of Nalanda during her visit to India.

Despite completing her MBA degree from EDHEC Business School in France, Alice was inherently drawn towards religion, spirituality and happiness.

“I have been particularly interested in Buddhism and narrowed down on Nalanda University as this is one of the oldest universities that extensively promoted Buddhist teachings across many countries in East Asia,” says Alice, who joined in the Master’s course in Buddhism, philosophy and comparative religion in 2018. Getting through the initial rounds was a grind so was getting a visa.

Two sides of a coin

While she got a chance to meet students from different parts of India and learn about India’s diversity, she has her own set of challenges to face. “In the first two months, I could not adapt to food habits and was extremely sick. The extremely hot weather was troublesome, but gradually I got used to it,” she says.

The biggest challenge, says Alice, is to deal with the cultural difference. “Many Indians are not used to the notion of personal space, which is emphasised in the West. Close-knit human relations are the foundation of Indian culture, but sometimes, it gets a bit overwhelming,” she adds.

Takeaways for life

“I plan to pursue Hindi in future, because I am drawn to the language, watching Hindi movies and songs. I would also like to deepen my knowledge about different spiritual practices in India,” says Alice.