Hello Everyone! I am Riddhish Mistry,

One of the two Indian Student Ambassador appointed this year.

I also cater to Indian students from Middle East as I have resided in Oman since I was 10 months old.

To introduce myself further, I am a student in the faculty of Music, studying Creative Music Technology, which is quite a booming degree in this generation with the advancement of technology in all fields of work. I would like to justify my decision to study Music is my unconditional passion in the same as i have played the piano and ‘tabla’ (indian percussion instrument) since the age of 4. After academically pursuing music till I achieved a degree in Piano Performance, I felt like i should take my passion further to acquiring knowledge in composition and production. So, here I am in Surrey studying this course, also because Surrey ranks in top 5 of various university ranking specially in the field of music degrees.

 

An interesting fact about me is that this is my Third Degree that I’m currently pursuing. I have lived the university life once before in Pune, India where i had completed my study in Architecture. Though having been independently living previously, it was a completely difference challenge to study in UK. I still remember my first day when i was completely clueless following herds of students as they went to various building completing their enrolment process. Don’t worry about it if you are uninformed about how things work here…Its completely natural !!

So, the first thing that came to my mind was would i find Indians or Asians in general, not that i wasn’t excited to meet British students and mingle with them. There is always a certain sense of homeliness to be around familiar ethnicities to keep you grounded and sane to be honest. It was to my surprise that I found a wonderful group of Masters students, with whom i clicked instantly and spent most of my first year partying. But everything here is definitely not about party, neither it is about academics completely.

What makes Surrey tick for me even today is the co-curricular activities and student bodies working towards so many different areas of development in the university, which is why this university functions so efficiently. I have had the privilege to be a part of the committee in the  Indian Student Association, which is a society amongst 200 more cultural and activity based societies. I also tried reviving back my skills in table tennis, as i joined the University’s Second Team, which i then lead as a Captain in my second year. It was a great turn of events in my first week of uni, when i found the perfect blend of individuals that wanted a form a band, which i still am i a part of after 2 years. I can list you tons of different opportunities that i had grabbed in my first and second year i.e, Course Rep, Freshers Angel etc., and many more opportunities that i was presented but I’d rather talk about what I’m working towards currently.

 

Well, speaking of Indian Student Association, our society hosts various events to enrich our culture as well as the one thing India is known worldwide for besides Mahatma Gandhi…BOLLYWOOD !!!

Just this week i am promoting a club night that has the DJ playing Bollywood songs with commercial english track in the mix. For a change, it is a Masquerade Themed Night and guests are allowed to wear either Black or Red outfit. And besides these events, we have successfully hosted Diwali Ball and Prayer ceremonies to enlighten Indian students as well as Non-Indian students about the vast heritage and culture we embody.

 

Here are some snippets of my week here at Surrey. See all the exciting opportunities…