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Charm of studying abroad not marred by Oz attacks
New
Delhi: The brutal attacks on Indian students in Australia has not hampered
the spirit of those who are all set to fly to the United States for higher studies.
At least 81 students and scholars, selected by various US universities, participated
in an orientation programme that was organized by the US Embassy at New Delhi
on Thursday. All the students seemed quite excited about their visit to America.
"I don't think we need to generalize in terms of Australia and America. So far
all the scholars who have gone there, they have been fully protected. Dangerous
things can happen to anybody. I don't think I need to feel insecure about what
happened in Australia," said Gitanjali Natarajan, a research scholar selected
by the Columbia University. In the course of the orientation lectures, the Executive
Director of United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) Adam J Grotsky
assured that the Indian students are quite safe in the university campuses of
the United States. "My general sense is that things are quite safe on US campuses.
After some of the horrendous events that took place in some of our campuses, things
have become safer. There is campus security in addition to the local municipal
police officers," Grotsky noted. He also mentioned that those students who are
going abroad for further studies should participate in their pre-departure orientation
programme because it concerns the health, safety and security of the students
in foreign countries. USA, Australia and UK are the major destinations for Indian
students for studying abroad. A series of racial attacks have been occurring for
more than a year in Australia, which came into light only when a student named
Sravan Kumar Theerthala was left fighting for his life after being stabbed with
a screwdriver in Melbourne. However, Australian Police has repeatedly denied that
racial hatred was a factor in the attacks on Indian students. He claimed that
Indian students traveled late at night with items such as mobile phones and Ipods,
which invited miscreants.
