Experiences in international living

Gopal Bhattacharyya

Gopal Bhattacharyya arrived in Australia from India in 1956 to study education at the University of Melbourne. He arrived at IH in 1957. This is an edited version of an article he wrote for the first issue of Satadal in 1959.

It was January, 1956, the year I arrived in Australia. As I wandered through the city streets a man on the street winked at me. I regarded it as impudent; because that is how I would have felt in my country. It took quite a while before I could realise that winking is a form of recognition between people in a European society. This is how misunderstanding originates. It starts from ignorance and is supported by baser instincts.

It is very easy to say that nowadays international understanding is absolutely necessary. But there are too many obstacles in the way. There are variations – variations of different sorts – physiological, social, political, cultural, ethnological, economic, religious and so forth. We put them together and name them racial differences, and from this position we tend to drift into prejudice.

If we analyse the problem, we find that differences are not limited to races or nations. There are differences between individuals. No two faces are alike, and yet how often do we say ‘so-and-so belongs to a particular race; therefore he must be of such and such a character’. This type of generalization disregards individual differences.

I have been fortunate enough, thanks to the Commonwealth Officer of Education, to visit different parts of Australia both city and country. Wherever I went, the people were very hospitable to me. In particular, the school children liked me, as they like any other foreign visitor, I believe. Everywhere they gave me a hearty welcome. Some of them even published kind things about me. Going about the schools was a wonderful experience for me: one could sense the warmth of the children’s feelings. Australian school children, beyond doubt, are internationally minded. Again, I am very grateful to the departmental officers, heads of institutions, and other teachers who were so co-operative, and I was often overwhelmed by their generosity.

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During my stay in Australia, I have come into contact with Australian people who have accepted me just as a member of their family, irrespective of my colour, race, religion and peculiar manners. My living at International House has nourished the same feeling. Here the students of different countries – Australian and Asian – have the feeling that we belong to the same house, a house of one mankind. My teachers in the University of Melbourne [and] the Colombo plan officers have nurtured the same spirit.

Gopal Bhattacharyya

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An Indian friend of mine, after living in Australia for five years, returned home. His parents came to receive him at the airport. As soon as he came out of the plane, he extended his right hand towards his parents to shake hands with them, instead of bowing down before them and touching their feet, which is the usual custom. The parents were stunned. My friend wrote to me that he was very sorry for the mistake. But what is a mistake there is the right thing here. I wonder how many of our respected older friends in Australia would appreciate the gesture, without feeling embarrassed, if we greeted them in the same way as we do the elders in our country. And yet we make mistakes frequently. How often we fail to say ‘Thank you’ just at the right moment, and to reply to the guests who would say ‘It’s cold’ by saying ‘It’s freezing’.

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These are the thoughts I am privileged to indulge in, thanks to the University of Melbourne, thanks to International House, thanks to the Colombo Plan, and thanks to my friends who have made me bold enough to express my views.