Mind your manners while abroad

Nothing can justify the spate of reported racist attacks against the Indian community across the world, but ask Indian students in these countries and they point out that “it’s not always the foreigners who are at fault”.
From working without permits to playing music loudly in public places, venturing out alone to bad neighbourhoods and being “anti-social with the natives”, Indian students have always been known to attract unnecessary attention for the wrong reasons. It’s we who are “inviting trouble”, students say.
“As clichéd as it may sound, when in Rome, do as the Romans do,” exclaims Karthik Magra, a Hyderabadi student studying in the University of Pheonix, USA. “During my first few months there, I used to hang out with a group of Indian students. These guys put on an exaggerated Indian accent and almost asked to be mocked. They flouted University rules, took semester breaks and did everything to irk people around them. One day, they got into a fight with some students and were beaten up mercilessly. Overnight, the issue became a “racist attack,” he says.
Some feel it’s the Indian students themselves who are actually racist. Manisha Gupta, a graduate from the University of Michigan, says, “Indian students here call themselves desis and refer to Americans as amrus, dark-skinned people as kallus and people from China as chinkies, quite openly in public. In the UK too, I have friends who refer to the locals as goras. And these are educated people who go to the prestigious schools. yet, we like to believe that Indians are targeted,” she says.
While Australia has lately become notorious for racism against Indians — what is being termed as “curry bashing” — it is also a well-known fact in the continent that Indian students are considered “rude”.
Sandeep Jujja, who finished his masters from La Trobe University says, “It’s common to see Indian students playing loud music on public trains and talking loudly in their native tongue. Other commuters find this disrespectful. They drink and drive and even get fresh with girls. The locals don’t appreciate this behaviour. And it is the same Indians who often get into trouble. What is acceptable in India is definitely not acceptable elsewhere.”
These incidents have also thrown light on the need for Indians to know their legal standing as students. Ravi Lothumalla, the CEO of an educational agency, US Admissions, says, “In a bid to save on a few dollars, many students don’t even apply for insurance. Most of them work illegally, so when there is any attack or any issue concerning them, the cops point fingers at them as they don’t have the right documents. There is a need for orientation sessions for Indian students, not just about the courses, but also about acceptable behaviour,” he says.

courtesy:Deccan Chronicle