The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for educational opportunities and cultural relations. The British Council creates international opportunities for the people of the UK and other countries and builds trust between them worldwide.
The iconic building in New Delhi was designed by renowned architect Charles Correa and was opened in 1993 displaying a unique mural by Howard Hodgkin on the façade symbolising the banyan tree – an enduring image of India -- along with a sculpture by Stephen Cox in the Charbagh called the Descent of the Ganges.
The British Council is recognised across India for its network of three libraries and cultural centres. We offer a range of specialised projects in arts, education, English language and society to audiences across India and more than 100,000 members. We also provide access to English language training and learning for both students and teachers and enable opportunities to study in the UK.
We also manage prestigious scholarships and training awards, including the GREAT scholarships, the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship, and the Charles Wallace India Trust, and Hornby scholarships.
Our Teaching Centres in Chennai, Kolkata and New Delhi provide a range of general and business English courses, specialised skills-based programmes, and courses for young learners.
We work with a wide range of Indian partners in cities all over India enabling British and Indian experts to meet and collaborate and to nurture mutually beneficial relationships.
In 2021, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns, we rapidly transitioned to digital delivery. The year was significant both in terms of the digital shift it necessitated and the reach and engagement of our programmes.
To know more about our work in 2020-21, download our annual report here