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Low cost of living , easy - to -obtain visas, and
cultural similarities attract Afghans to Indian
universities.
New Delhi - Upon arriving in India , the first
place Arif Ahmady visited was the Taj Mahal.
But it was hope for a better future that enticed
Ahmady to leave his home in Kabul,
Afghanistan last February . The second place
he visted was Delhi University. Now he is
busy scouting graduate schools to study
computer science, checking out housing
options , and connecting with other Afghan
students in India .
" I want to study in a peaceful space , get an
Indian degree because it has a great
reputation in Afghanistan, go back and build a
career," says the 23 -year -old , wearing a black
cotton tunic , baggy pants, and a traditional
Afghan scarf wrapped around his neck .
Indian cities such as New Delhi , Mumbai ,
Pune, Bangalore and Bhubaneswar attract
thousands of Afghan youth to study . About
5 ,500 Afghan students are currently in the
country, says Shaida Mohammad Abdali ,
Afghanistan's ambassador to India , of whom
about 300 are women .
" We call this area Afghan Nagar ' and anyone
coming from Afghanistan knows this is the
go -to place . "
- Arif Ahmady , Afghan student
Low cost of living , scholarships , familiarity
with the country's culture and language , good
relations between governments , easy -to -
obtain visas, and the use of English in the
classroom are some of the main reasons
Afghans like to study in India , Ahmady
explains .
On a recent evening , he walked into an Afghan
bakery in South Delhi 's bustling Lajpat Nagar
market. Three -wheel rickshaws are lined on
the street . Cars honk. Hawkers sell coconut
water and spicy street food , calling out to the
evening crowd hopping between upscale
stores and open stalls .
" We call this area Afghan Nagar' and anyone
coming from Afghanistan knows this is the
go -to place ," Ahmady says . There are two
such bakeries and three restaurants , and
many guesthouses and apartments housing
Afghan students, guests, medical refugees and
asylum seekers .
The tiny bakery is more like a shed , its walls
black with soot. One of the bakers is kneading
dough , the other is scaling and shaping it.
Another , whose face is covered with a thin ,
coarse cotton towel , sticks the dough into the
interior wall of the oven .
Ahmady gingerly picks up six pieces of bread
for 30 cents each and wraps them in a
newspaper. " Three decades of unending war
and a crippled education system have forced
those with aspirations out ," he says , raising
his voice to be heard above the street noise.
Top destination
Those who can afford to go to Europe and the
United States to study . Some choose
Uzbekistan , Tajikistan and Turkey. Pakistan
and Iran were once top destinations, but that
is no longer the case, says Ahmady .
Visa rules for Iran have become stringent in
recent years , while Pakistan has become
unpopular among students and the state . "The
Afghan government feels those who went to
Pakistan returned as terrorists , so we are
discouraged to go there ," says Ahmady ,
adding those with Pakistani degrees don 't find
jobs easily . India is a cheap and quality
option.
Each year , the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations gives 2 ,325 scholarships to
international students. Six- hundred and
seventy -five are reserved for Afghans , the
largest of any nationality. In recent years , a
number of agencies have sprouted up in India
and Afghanistan to aid in the application
process .
Some people think that Afghan people are
terrorists - and this hurts me too much.
Ahmed Reshad Mongry , Afghan student at
Pune University
" Afghanistan is still coming out of a deeply
troubled recent history of terrorism , militancy
and a civil war . They have great need to train
and educate personnel to put their economy
on track ," explains Suresh Kumar Goel ,
director general of the Indian Council for
Cultural Relations .
" The increase of the number of scholarships
for Afghanistan is part of India s partnership
with Afghanistan in that process. "
The largest concentration of Afghan students
is in Pune , in Maharashtra state , says
Ambassador Abdali .
Ahmed Reshad Mongry , who is pursuing a
master's degree in political science from Pune
University , chose Pune for its weather and
relaxed environment . In Afghanistan peace
and safety are fragile , he says .
" The main problem , which I faced in India , is
that some people think that Afghan people are
terrorists - and this hurts me too much,"
Mongry says , adding sometimes landlords
refuse to rent rooms to Afghan students.
Mohammad Safa Sarwary , 25 , earned his
bachelor 's degree at Delhi University . He says
his Indian degree and English-language
proficiency helped him clinch a job at the
Afghanistan Independent Bar Association in
Kabul. He fondly recalls his student day . " I
still laugh when I remember how I ate only
bananas for two days when I first arrived in
India because the food was so hot . "
Afghanistan beckons
India is also attracting Afghan women such as
A Horyan , who asked that her full name not
be used . "My parents fully supported my
decision to come to India . But not all girls are
so lucky," says the 26 -year- old student , who
recently completed her master's in zoology
from Pune University. Culturally , it is more
acceptable to go abroad for studies if family
members accompany you, she adds .
Horyan says the quality of education,
particularly science and technical courses , is a
major hook. Horyan first applied for a
scholarship in 2008 . She didn 't get it, but a
year after her marriage both she and her
husband came to India . He enrolled in a
doctorate programme and she chose a
postgraduate course at the same university.
She says women 's education took a backseat
during Taliban rule, when they were not
allowed to go to university and were wrapped
in burqas . " Things are changing , some
families are encouraging their daughters to
study , go abroad and work. "
Indian soap operas are part of daily life in
Afghanistan, so she did not experience culture
shock , she says. There is a close bond among
the Afghans here; she personally knows about
100 Afghan women students.
But Horyan is sure she wants to return home.
" Maybe I will teach . The war has taken a toll .
There are so few professors and experts left in
Afghanistan. "
http://m.aljazeera.com/story/201342211228401708
cultural similarities attract Afghans to Indian
universities.
New Delhi - Upon arriving in India , the first
place Arif Ahmady visited was the Taj Mahal.
But it was hope for a better future that enticed
Ahmady to leave his home in Kabul,
Afghanistan last February . The second place
he visted was Delhi University. Now he is
busy scouting graduate schools to study
computer science, checking out housing
options , and connecting with other Afghan
students in India .
" I want to study in a peaceful space , get an
Indian degree because it has a great
reputation in Afghanistan, go back and build a
career," says the 23 -year -old , wearing a black
cotton tunic , baggy pants, and a traditional
Afghan scarf wrapped around his neck .
Indian cities such as New Delhi , Mumbai ,
Pune, Bangalore and Bhubaneswar attract
thousands of Afghan youth to study . About
5 ,500 Afghan students are currently in the
country, says Shaida Mohammad Abdali ,
Afghanistan's ambassador to India , of whom
about 300 are women .
" We call this area Afghan Nagar ' and anyone
coming from Afghanistan knows this is the
go -to place . "
- Arif Ahmady , Afghan student
Low cost of living , scholarships , familiarity
with the country's culture and language , good
relations between governments , easy -to -
obtain visas, and the use of English in the
classroom are some of the main reasons
Afghans like to study in India , Ahmady
explains .
On a recent evening , he walked into an Afghan
bakery in South Delhi 's bustling Lajpat Nagar
market. Three -wheel rickshaws are lined on
the street . Cars honk. Hawkers sell coconut
water and spicy street food , calling out to the
evening crowd hopping between upscale
stores and open stalls .
" We call this area Afghan Nagar' and anyone
coming from Afghanistan knows this is the
go -to place ," Ahmady says . There are two
such bakeries and three restaurants , and
many guesthouses and apartments housing
Afghan students, guests, medical refugees and
asylum seekers .
The tiny bakery is more like a shed , its walls
black with soot. One of the bakers is kneading
dough , the other is scaling and shaping it.
Another , whose face is covered with a thin ,
coarse cotton towel , sticks the dough into the
interior wall of the oven .
Ahmady gingerly picks up six pieces of bread
for 30 cents each and wraps them in a
newspaper. " Three decades of unending war
and a crippled education system have forced
those with aspirations out ," he says , raising
his voice to be heard above the street noise.
Top destination
Those who can afford to go to Europe and the
United States to study . Some choose
Uzbekistan , Tajikistan and Turkey. Pakistan
and Iran were once top destinations, but that
is no longer the case, says Ahmady .
Visa rules for Iran have become stringent in
recent years , while Pakistan has become
unpopular among students and the state . "The
Afghan government feels those who went to
Pakistan returned as terrorists , so we are
discouraged to go there ," says Ahmady ,
adding those with Pakistani degrees don 't find
jobs easily . India is a cheap and quality
option.
Each year , the Indian Council for Cultural
Relations gives 2 ,325 scholarships to
international students. Six- hundred and
seventy -five are reserved for Afghans , the
largest of any nationality. In recent years , a
number of agencies have sprouted up in India
and Afghanistan to aid in the application
process .
Some people think that Afghan people are
terrorists - and this hurts me too much.
Ahmed Reshad Mongry , Afghan student at
Pune University
" Afghanistan is still coming out of a deeply
troubled recent history of terrorism , militancy
and a civil war . They have great need to train
and educate personnel to put their economy
on track ," explains Suresh Kumar Goel ,
director general of the Indian Council for
Cultural Relations .
" The increase of the number of scholarships
for Afghanistan is part of India s partnership
with Afghanistan in that process. "
The largest concentration of Afghan students
is in Pune , in Maharashtra state , says
Ambassador Abdali .
Ahmed Reshad Mongry , who is pursuing a
master's degree in political science from Pune
University , chose Pune for its weather and
relaxed environment . In Afghanistan peace
and safety are fragile , he says .
" The main problem , which I faced in India , is
that some people think that Afghan people are
terrorists - and this hurts me too much,"
Mongry says , adding sometimes landlords
refuse to rent rooms to Afghan students.
Mohammad Safa Sarwary , 25 , earned his
bachelor 's degree at Delhi University . He says
his Indian degree and English-language
proficiency helped him clinch a job at the
Afghanistan Independent Bar Association in
Kabul. He fondly recalls his student day . " I
still laugh when I remember how I ate only
bananas for two days when I first arrived in
India because the food was so hot . "
Afghanistan beckons
India is also attracting Afghan women such as
A Horyan , who asked that her full name not
be used . "My parents fully supported my
decision to come to India . But not all girls are
so lucky," says the 26 -year- old student , who
recently completed her master's in zoology
from Pune University. Culturally , it is more
acceptable to go abroad for studies if family
members accompany you, she adds .
Horyan says the quality of education,
particularly science and technical courses , is a
major hook. Horyan first applied for a
scholarship in 2008 . She didn 't get it, but a
year after her marriage both she and her
husband came to India . He enrolled in a
doctorate programme and she chose a
postgraduate course at the same university.
She says women 's education took a backseat
during Taliban rule, when they were not
allowed to go to university and were wrapped
in burqas . " Things are changing , some
families are encouraging their daughters to
study , go abroad and work. "
Indian soap operas are part of daily life in
Afghanistan, so she did not experience culture
shock , she says. There is a close bond among
the Afghans here; she personally knows about
100 Afghan women students.
But Horyan is sure she wants to return home.
" Maybe I will teach . The war has taken a toll .
There are so few professors and experts left in
Afghanistan. "
http://m.aljazeera.com/story/201342211228401708
