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Journalism of Courage
(This letter is part of a series by The Indian Express where we bring to you the experiences of students at different foreign universities. From scholarships and loans to food and cultural experiences — students tell us how life is different in those countries and things they are learning other than academics)
— Farhan Siddique
I stepped out of my home in Muzaffarpur (Bihar) at the age of 15. My parents sent me to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). I studied there from Class 11 till graduation and attained a BA LLB degree. It was only when I moved out of Bihar I got to know what people think of my state and my people. Coming from a marginalised community, there is an added layer of biases that I had to deal with as well. I really wanted to change that narrative. I know that it’s difficult to change the world but I thought at least I can change the way people look at me.
I decided to study law as I had a keen interest in social sciences and wanted to make a career in Human rights. After graduation, I started looking for places to specialise in human rights. I zeroed down to Geneva and Leiden and got through both of them. I decided to go with Leiden University as Geneva (Switzerland) was very expensive.
Applying to the course, research and more
Before applying to the course, I read through the course structure and what it offered. Human rights is a very wide topic and this is an advanced course. I had earlier done an online certificate course on terrorism and counter terrorism from Leiden University during my graduation. That’s when I first came across the University and also found out that it was one of the best universities to study human rights.
To apply for the course, I sent my transcripts of the five years of BA LLB, submitted a provisional degree, wrote a statement of purpose and also sent two letters of recommendation.
Hailing from a farming family in Bihar, this wasn’t something I had dreamt of. So, when it finally came true, I couldn’t believe any part of it. However, my dream is yet to be fulfilled, this is just the first step. I came to the Netherlands in September 2022, my first time abroad.
The Netherlands is very different from India
When I came here, I got too many cultural shocks, literally everything was new — culture, food habits, weather and teaching practices. Everything here is very different from India. The sun sets at 9 pm during summers and in the winters, there is no sunlight for days. People here eat bread all the time and like their food cold.
Academically speaking, the teaching practice here is very practical. Here people prefer both open and closed book exams, while in India we have only closed book exams. The approach here is practical. There is also a lot of diversity. Most of my classmates have prior experience and since for many of us English is our second language, it is difficult to compete with those whose first language is English.
I live in a student housing facility provided by the university, it is a studio apartment. I cook my own food as eating out is expensive and I can’t afford to make it a daily habit. Plus, my food preferences are different from the people here.
There are 29 people in my class from 14 different nationalities. There are three more people from India — one from Coorg, one from Lucknow and one from Jaipur. My closest friends here are from Lebanon, Switzerland, the US and Austria.
Human rights and why I chose Leiden University
One of the reasons I opted to study Human rights from abroad is because it does not have much scope in India. I plan to work in areas where my degree can help me. I can make use of my degree in advanced human rights in places like the African nations, Myanmar, South Africa, Afghanistan and more.
To study here, I obtained a loan from HDFC Bank. The loan process was difficult as they had asked for a lot of documents and it was a very bureaucratic process. However, I had to avail the load as I hail from a middle class family of farmers.
My father was a ramp officer at Kolkata airport till 2018 and then left the job and became a full time farmer. My ammi (mother) is a housewife. I have an elder brother and an elder sister. We are a part of a huge joint family.
As for my future plans, I haven’t decided much right now, but I am sure of one thing and that is I will come back to India eventually. The hiring has started, I have applied to the United Nations, Amnesty.
Message for students who wish to study abroad
My personal interests include reading and keeping up with current affairs. I read news about whatever is happening around the world from the New Yorker and Al Jazeera. In India, I follow The Indian Express.
I met my parents last September before coming here so that is one thing that I miss a lot but I want to come back to India with my own money so it would take some more time. For students who are planning to study abroad, I want to tell them to be mentally prepared and begin preparations on your own. The world out here is very different and you will be on your own, people will be nice but it is very different from the world you have grown up in.
