The life of Indian students
On Thursday I had the opportunity to sit on a
panel that interviewed twenty Indian undergraduates who were finalists in a
program that sends students from developing countries to the U.S. to complete
their degrees.
As an American Fulbright scholar in India, I
guess I was asked to sit on the panel to provide some American input. There was
another American from the U.S. Embassy, but he actually would have appeared
Indian to the students we were interviewing since he had Indian parents and dark
skin. I happened to choose the seat right next to where the students sat as they
entered the room for their 15 minute interviews. What was interesting about this
is was that much of the interview had to do with why they wanted to study in
America, what they knew about America, how they would adapt, etc., and the
closest many of them had ever been to an American was right then during the
interview.
In India, the focus is in
selecting students, who then go into a pool with students from other South Asian
countries before getting selected by some other committee in Washington, is on
underprivileged students. This meant we saw a lot of students from Jammu and
Kashmir (J and K), which is the most troubled state in India/Pakistan (since it
is seasonally part of India, the other part of the year it is part of Pakistan).
In particular there were several students from Srinigar. These students live in
the constant fear of being the victims of the violence that defines their
region. One student even wrote in his essay about developing an interest in
studying psychology after seeing how people became devastated by losing loved
ones to the "freedom fighters." Meanwhile, I was assigned to ask the students
how they would handle a roommate who stays up late talking on the telephone.
Many students laughed, I'm assuming at the flippancy of this question. Certainly
they would deal with a minor nuisance such as this for the opportunity to study
in the U.S. Many also instantly said, "No problem, I grew up in a one-room house
with 5 brothers and sisters."
As for
their hopes and plans for the future, many students wrote about how they would
like to change the corruption in their country's government. One wrote about
wanting to study ecotourism in the U.S., and then returning to India to develop
ecotourism here. One student wanted to study filmmaking in the U.S. in order to
return to India and make documentaries about the everyday life of Indians.
Many of these students, and others we
interviewed were Muslim. The chair of the panel was fond of asking students how
they would handle the stereotypes they'd be subject to in the United States as
Muslims, and how they would explain the difference between Indian Muslims and
Muslims in other parts of the world. For many of the students being interviewed,
it was their first time in Delhi. For a few, it was their first time out of
their village. Some were raised in farming families, or by single mothers who
worked as seamstresses, or in other basic labor-type jobs.
I really wanted for everyone of the
students to receive one of the scholarships. Often in the U.S., affirmative
action programs are utilized by minorities who in every other way are already
privileged (e.g., educated parents of moderate or great wealth). Almost all of
the students we interviewed, however, were truly underprivileged. Every single
one of them would experience a profound transformation in their life chances if
given one of these scholarships. My guess is also that students who receive
these scholarships are the best form of diplomacy. I guess that's the aim of the
Fulbright program across the board, but in this instance in particular it seems
that these students would return to their homes with positive regard for the
U.S., or at least gratitude for the opportunity given them. What a powerful way
of spreading goodwill, and much cheaper than funding a military to impose our
policies.
Posted: Sat
- December
3, 2005 at 06:37 AM