The Hindu Business Line : Neighbour to neighbour

Munmun sits on her bag, which is bursting to the seams, and with a final effort straps it only to stare in dismay at all the things still lying around. And she had only a small kit bag left to pack them in. Mentally she tried to decide what she would leave behind, as she looked around her small three-seater room at the ladies hostel of Jadavpur University.

Classes will be closed for a month-and-a-half for preparatory leave before the semester exams and this would be Munmun's first visit home to Sylhet in Bangladesh since she came here 18 months ago to enrol for the four-year Bachelor's degree in pharmacy engineering.

Two rooms away, Anindita is similarly struggling to pack her things. She has to take something for all her friends and relatives, she explains, in between conversations with other hostel mates who drop in to check whether she has written down the colour of the Dhakai sari they want or a typical brand of soap. Her country is geographically a couple of hours away and enjoys far greater proximity in terms of language and culture with West Bengal than the latter does with a large part of India.

This is the only time in the last one year that they have felt they belong to a different country, says Anindita, her voice cracking imperceptibly as one of her floor-mates troops in for a hug before leaving on vacation. She can barely hide the slight despondency that laces her elation at the thought of meeting her parents and younger sister, who has been waiting eagerly for all the goodies.

It is a mini-Bangladesh out here at the Jadavpur University and at almost all colleges in the city. Thanks to the scholarship granted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), there has been a steady influx of plus-two pass-outs from Bangladesh seeking admission to various colleges in West Bengal. There are also students with national scholarships that are much more difficult to obtain than the ICCR scholarship and still others who are self-funded.

From under-graduate medical courses to engineering and even humanities stream, Bangladeshi students are found everywhere, but more so in engineering courses. As Mamun al Rashid, a second-year student of Jadavpur University's pharmacy department explains, the common linguistic and cultural moorings help them settle easily in the "foreign' milieu. The scholarship amount provided by ICCR — Rs 3,000 per month, besides a house rent allowance and the course fees, is more than enough to sustain themselves in the city. The fees in Kolkata at least — around 7,000 takas per annum for engineering course and slightly lesser for science or humanities stream — are almost at par with what leading universities in Bangladesh charge, says Rashid.

So why this flight to a foreign territory? Is it just the lure of greener pastures or something more?

Employment needs figure largely, says Rashid. An engineering graduate has little scope of getting a job because there are hardly any industries in Bangladesh. "We have to leave the country anyway in search of a job," he says. Besides intrinsic advantages such as campus interviews and gaining familiarity with the country before plunging into a job, an education in India also brings with it better library facilities, regular classes and, most importantly, a relatively tranquil political scenario. There is students' politics here as well, concedes Rashid but hastens to add that back home the student's political identity assumed disproportionate importance.

Hailing from Chittagong, this is Munmun's only urban experience, except for occasional visits to Dhaka. She had a taste of Kolkata's Durga puja and was overwhelmed by the grandeur of the celebrations. She wishes to stay back in the city but realises that getting a job would be no cakewalk for her. The foreigner label, which was of the greatest help in gaining college admissions, ironically stands in the way of a job, she says, as companies are apprehensive about appointing Bangladeshis.

Although a large percentage of the students stay back in the city or migrate elsewhere within India, most are able to stay on only if they marry Indian citizens, says Anindita. But even then the foreigner soubriquet persists.

Foreigner? The long silence and attempts to cover up with smiles and gratitude only serve to reveal the feeling of alienation brought on by even the most subtle differences. "I could feel my classmates' mistrust in the first few days. I can't point to anything specific but there was something in their inability to mingle freely with me. We were all unknown to each other. But towards me there was an added apprehension, even though it was only for a few days," says Rashid.

Says Anindita, "The way people react to situations is different here. Not bad... they are very friendly but they are different. The same Bengali language sounds so formal and different here, almost robbing the pleasures of a friendly chat." You would not sense the difference if you were to listen to any of their news bulletin, she says. "But that is the formal language which we don't use with friends. However, there is one positive side, which is enough to compensate for all this and that is the security that girls enjoy here. We roam about in the university campus at eleven in the night. But this is unthinkable back home," she says.

The Quest Features & Footage, Kochi

Picture by A. Roy Chowdhury

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