Indians are not friendly: foreign students
Mid-day: Over 40 per cent of the student population in the city comprises foreigners from 74 countries, including Sudan, Iran, UK, USA, China, Korea and Saudi Arabia. Students only to find that they feel Punekars tend to keep them at an arm’s distance.
Dorcas Okindoh, an African student who is pursuing a BBA programme at Spicer College, said, “Indians are not very welcoming. I am more comfortable in the company of other foreign students.”
MBA student Mohoza Eugene from Rwanda says while Indian students did interact with students like him on the campus, they did not invite them home.
“I find this behaviour weird. More so, because I would love to know more about the culture in the homes here. However, I am not invited, so there is nothing I can do about it,” said Eugene.
Ani, a resident of Shiraz, Iran, who is studying Physics at Pune University, feels lay Indians tend to club all Muslim foreigners with Pakistanis.
“We do not blame anyone. They have a certain mindset about Muslim countries. People here do not even know the difference between the cultures of Saudi Arabia, Iran and Pakistan.
This makes us suspect in their eyes and it is not just students but landlords and even rikshaw walas who harbour such prejudices,” said Ani.
Sreynech Sambath, a student from China prefers to mingle with fellow Chinese students. “That way, I can speak in my language and have food we like. This helps us connect at a deeper level.”
A Cambodian student at Spicer College admitted that his initial days were difficult, but said in his case, things have improved.
“Apart from the language barrier, we dress differently and are more open minded about a lot of things.
Pople were very cold in the beginning. However, I have lived here for over a year now, and I have made some good Indian friends,” he said.
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It is appaling to note the cold and negative attitudes that many Indian citizenry give foreigners in general in this country…it is so serious that some of us who have all along related on a civilized note in our countries in regards to relating to foreigners including INDIANS who most often are excelling in business and other careers back in our countries were almost beginning to be tempted to to go back home and advocate seriously for a tit-for-tat in our relations with these fellows who are many times seemingly insensitive to the fact that we are keeping and feeding their brothers and sisters back in our homes…I think the Indian government needs to do something about such behaviours otherwise it will surely jeopardise its relationships with other countries…what these fellows who behave barbarically ought to know is that you never know who is the person you are acting negatively to…when some of us get back home and get on to the political leadership echelons of our countries how much good will the Indian citizenry in diaspora expect from those of us who were treated badly and meanly on their soils? How can the Indian government expect good relations with a potentially ‘President-elect’ of a certain country who was abused on their soils? I guess this is very serious….Some Indians ought to be civilised and behave as civilised mortals….We love India…we love the people…but they should not play a cold shoulder because they never know who will pull them out from the next pit…. CONCERNED VICTIM