I am shocked. Why this hate and attack? Against poor Indian students who pursue their higher studies abroad? They bring only revenues to the respective countries in which they study.

We Indians are from the land of Buddha. The land of Mahatma Gandhi. We do not preach and practice racism. Even when we were ruled by British, our Mahatma Gandhi guided us to wage our war of Independence non-violently. He proved to the whole world the power of “Ahimsa” and “Satyagraha”.

The recent happenings in Australia do not augur well for Australia. There is every possibility in the coming years, our Indian students will not prefer to go to Australia for higher studies. And this will directly affect this country. To compensate the loss of revenue, the local government may have to go in for additional tax on its citizen. In this recession time, possibly things are going wrong locally in the law or order scene.

In the meantime, the students who pursue their studies abroad are advised to follow certain safety precautions like

- Do not venture out late night alone or in groups

- Do not venture out alone or in groups in unknown areas

- Do not use i-pods or cell phones while on the road as they may distract your attention

- Do not react to any abusive racial comments on you or on India

- Do not prefer to work late night particularly in restaurants or petrol pumps

- Do not rent out accommodation and live in areas known for crimes even if it is cheap

- Do not behave like a filmy hero even if you are a real hero

- Do not speak loudly in public places and in Indian languages

- Do not visit bars in the first place

- Do not visit bars in the late hours if you cannot control yourself

- Do not get drunk and make nuisance of yourself in public

- Do not open doors to let strangers in to your place of living at any time

- Do not litter around, do not throw wastes on the road or in public places

- Do not stretch your legs on the seats, do not step on the seats in public transports

- Do not crowd – two persons only to sit in a two seater

- Do not play music very loudly even in your place of living

- Do not host noisy parties in your place of living

- Do not speak loudly in a public place – over mobile or to another person

- Do not fight among yourself, at least in the open or in public

- Even if you have difference, sort out them early

- Do not stare at foreigners, strangers, women

- Do not get curious about things and start asking questions to strangers

- Do not show off your valuables in public

- Do not carry valuables if you don’t require them

Policy makers in India are making attempts to set up new or upgrade existing higher educational institutions to meet the growing demand of the local market place as the job opportunities are going up. The new government that has taken over now is positioning aggressively to meet the aspirations of the younger population. There may not be any need for our Indian students to go abroad for higher or quality education in future as they would be available locally in India at a much lower cost.

Now countries like United States of America are immensely benefited by such overseas Indian students. The Indian students have created a name for themselves in their studies and in their profession. They have also contributed by way of remarkable discoveries in their respective fields of study. In my humble view, in a couple of years from now, studious serious student Indians will hog the lime light and corner all the Nobel prizes. Mark my words.

In the meantime follow the above minimum precautions to safeguard your lives. We need you all back home safely after your successful studies.