‘Made friends, loved food’: 86 international students awarded degrees
On Wednesday, graduates and current international students from across higher educational institutes of the city gathered with friends and family for the Students’ Convocation Ceremony at the Symbiosis Vishwabhavan auditorium.
Students at the Symbiosis Vishwabhavan auditorium on Wednesday. (Express photo by Arul Horizon) International students in the city have found friends, made memories, loved the food and weather, despite language barriers and house hunting woes.
It is during her college life in Pune that Makara Yan from Cambodia discovered freedom anew. “My experience in India has been absolutely life changing. Living in this city these past two years has taught me a lot about myself. I have also made lifelong friends from India and other countries,” said the student of International Business at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU).
On Wednesday, graduates and current international students from across higher educational institutes of the city gathered with friends and family for the Students’ Convocation Ceremony at the Symbiosis Vishwabhavan auditorium. Over 86 students from 32 countries were awarded their degrees. Pemba Lhan from Bhutan, studying at the Symbiosis College of Nursing, loves the weather but hates the traffic in the city. “Interaction with patients was very difficult due to language barriers,” said the third year student.
Parbata Chhetri, another Bhutanese student enrolled in the same course, chimed in.
“I knew Hindi but it was still difficult as a lot of patients only know Marathi here,” she said while distributing black graduation gowns to the students. “The food here is a different kind of spicy when compared to Nigerian food but it did not take me long to get used to it,” said 25-year-old Delight Peters, who is studying Culinary Arts at the Lavale campus of Symbiosis International. “Now, I can even cook several Indian dishes.”
Rahmatullah Bahaar (24) from Afghanistan has been studying in Pune since 2019 on a scholarship from the Ministry of Higher Education of his country. “It has been a great opportunity to come and study here but it bothers me that once I go back, I may not be able to come back again,” he continues after a short pause.
“Ever since the government has changed, new visas are not being issued for students. My visa was issued before the change in guard so I managed to get it extended,” said Bahaar, who is now completing his masters degree at SPPU.
“I love the city, especially the weather. Monsoon is my favourite season here!” Addressing the students as the chief guest, the Consul General of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Mumbai, Zakia Wardak, said, “Education is a catalyst for transformation. In a world often clogged with stereotypes and misconceptions, Afghan girls have shed barriers and proven that education knows no boundaries.”
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