Afghans at home in Kozhikode

KOZHIKODE: For 41 Afghan students exploring studies in various colleges in the city, Malabar is a friendly region. Majority students are at Farook College and St Joseph's Devagiri. Living away from the war-torn homeland, for most of them college days are filled with fond memories to take home.

When DC met Abdulla Akhan Zada, a computer science student, and his friends at their rented apartment near the Farook College, the room was filled with Afghan music, the smell of kebabs and was noisy with Pashto. A native of Jalalabad in Eastern Afghanistan, Mr Zada has completed his graduation and is waiting for results.

“Indian education has a huge reputation in our country. Our parents are interested in sending us to India than any other country,” he says. “Moreover, education in India is affordable compared to Europe or the US.”

Some 1,000 Afghans are pursuing studies in India. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) offers 700 full-time scholarship programs for them.
Language is one of the main issues that they face. “We speak Urdu, which is similar to Hindi. But here people don't speak Hindi,” says Fardeen Mohammed, a BBA student.   “Language is a hurdle in academics as well. Sometimes I feel difficulty in following classes.”

Food is another trouble to cope up. “Kerala cuisine is very spicy,” says Ali Wafayi, a business administration student. “Afghani food like Naan and Pulao is available in good restaurants in town, and those are quite expensive too.” For most of them, it was a different experience to live in a multi-religious society. They get to know the lessons of harmony and divergent rituals.

A former sociology student of Farook College, Mansoor Rehman Ziya, was killed a year ago by Taliban terrorists in Afghanistan. He was a social worker attached to an NGO.