A debate was sparked by a social media post of an Indian-origin entrepreneur talking about what Indian students moving abroad for their education should be careful of.
Shreya Pattar CEO and Founder of Shreya Pattar Ventures, as per her bio said that students should avoid colleges that have a high number of Indian students since the community “comes with toxic Indian patterns”.
This led to a debate about whether Pattar was right in her words or not, while some disagreed and others agreed with her, many also advised her not to state such things as a fact as it can lead to generalisations and negatively impact the community on an international level.
What Did The Influencer Say?
On May 12th, 2024 Shreya Pattar wrote on her X/Twitter profile on what Indian students going abroad should look at, which is the number of Indian students the institute has.
She said, “Any Indian student planning to move abroad for higher education should check how many Indian students that university has. The more the number of Indian students, the lower that university should be on your list of places to join”.
Pattar claimed that a “big Indian community of students doesn’t come with a “homely” feeling. It comes with toxic Indian patterns”.
She listed these toxic patterns as being:
Too much drama,
lack of professionalism,
no good role models,
no leadership or responsibility towards juniors,
self-centred behaviour,
“group-ism”,
back bitching,
no seriousness towards the future
Concluding she said “If you plan to move out of the country, make sure you are also staying away from that mindset, attitude, and nature of people. You shouldn’t need such people around you to “feel at home”. And if you DO, then might as well just not move abroad”.
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When user @investabhishek commented, “I can not agree more with you. In 2011 I went to Australia to work in a hospital and there the most toxic people and most envious towards Indians were Indians only. It was a shock for me once I reached there and till the time I left Australia I could not come to terms with it,” Pattar replied “Yes! Jealous, envious, and won’t let you succeed either” referring to the Indian students abroad.
A lot defended against her words with one user writing, “I respectfully disagree. Having a community of Indian students can provide a sense of familiarity and support, especially in a new country. It’s about finding the right balance between comfort and exposure to diverse perspectives”.
Another wrote, “I spent about a decade studying & working abroad. There’s all sorts. Generalizing and avoiding South Asians is not helpful. Neither is only sticking to them outside of work. Take each one as an individual, regardless of origin, accent, appearance, income. That way I found friends”.
User @raygaurca also replied, “With due respect this comes from your lack of exposure to other cultures, choice of your company, environment and upbringing, and myopic mindset. To get into a Canadian or American university means grinding work that leaves no time for what you’re talking about. Your success will depend on your own individual efforts and not the ethnicity or background of other people enrolled in that school”.
User @fridaystan16 also commented “I would love to understand the data you have to support this claim, Shreya. Coz if it’s a personal anecdote, I don’t think you should be making such broad generalising statements. I hv a lot of issues with fellow Indians, but this post reeks of internalised racism.”
Another user @Ravi3pathi wrote, “I studied in Germany, UK, France besides teaching at universities from Turkey to France. As a student, I was mostly the only Indian student in most courses. This kind of self hating behaviour is a reflection of poor upbringing. As a teacher & Indian living abroad, i find it disturbing”.
Interestingly she did get some replies agreeing with her words with one user saying, “1000% true. I got to study abroad for high school and bachelor’s and it was in quite unconventional places. There were very few Indians and at first it was difficult but so worth it now. It makes the biggest difference in learning”.
Another user wrote, “On point. What’s the point of going abroad if you only hang out with your own people”.
When one user asked, “Acc to you, why are those patterns found disproportionately in Indians? Is there something that breeds those patterns more that’s not in other nations?” she said, “Overall, it’s just “in the blood. But also the environment/people breed this pattern. Parents, family, friends, teachers, society. This is why so many bright people want to get out of the country.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Feature image designed by Saudamini Seth
Sources: The Economic Times, Livemint, NDTV
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Indian Students, Indian Students abroad, Student Community, Viral post, viral, viral news, Shreya Pattar, Shreya Pattar ceo, Shreya Pattar twitter, indians living abroad, indians abroad, abroad, international universities, higher education abroad, toxic indian
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