Taipei, Aug. 15 (CNA) Misconceptions about India can be corrected if there are more exchanges between India and Taiwan, according to a couple of Indian students in a graduate program run by Academia Sinica, Taiwan's top research institute.
"In Taiwan, most information on India comes from English channels, but all they show is images of flood, drought, dying people, starving skinny kids. It's not the whole picture of India, " said Vikas Saxena, who is pursuing a doctoral degree in molecular and cell biology in one of eight programs offered by the Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP).
TIGP, a program established by Academia Sinica in 2002, is open to local and international students for Ph.D programs. Currently Academia Sinica administers eight such programs, with degrees issued by partner universities.
With more exchanges between India and Taiwan, Taiwanese people will be able to see "the better parts of India, which no-one has shown you before, " according to Saxena.
Gopi Kuppuraj, who is in the chemical biology and molecular biophysics program, agreed and encouraged Taiwanese people to visit India.
"Taiwanese need to know more about India. On the other hand, most people in India do not know much about Taiwan, " he said, adding that most of his friends did not even know where Taiwan is until he showed them photos the last time he went home.
Kuppuraj said he would also like to see more collaboration between India and Taiwan, which boasts strong competition in the software and hardware sectors.