Why are Indian students dying abroad?

Many students leave the country behind yearly for better job opportunities, career or growth opportunities while millions of adults leave to find a better job, a higher-paying salary and better living conditions. According to the Lowy Institute’s 2024 Global Diplomacy Index, India comes 11th in the countries with the most diplomatic posts abroad indicating that embassies, permanent posts etc. are required in more and more countries due to the increasing Indian diaspora. With 7.9% of international migrants in 2000 to 17.9% in 2022, Indians have surely grabbed many opportunities overseas. Well, even today, going abroad is a dream of many, but it comes with many disadvantages. Going abroad might have become easy today with the help of student counsellors, travel agencies or even visa facilities, still, the safety and security we have in our homeland cannot be contested. A new place, a new beginning, and a new life sound incredible but security concerns, loneliness, belongingness issues and in some cases, even language barriers follow. Not having your family or friends leads to settling outside a difficult task. When we are at our parents' house, it's a comfortable place compared to what it's like to not have them around to help us even with the minutest of work. Not just the students, settling abroad is tough even for adults who go there to work. 35% of the UAE's population is Indian and yet the cases of racism tend to increase every day.

While the standard of living might be an upgrade from what you get in India, the risk of life on the construction site, where most Indians are employed, is relatively high. The reason for this is not just the dangerous jobs but also the fact that Gulf countries do not provide citizenship. An Indian working there will bear children of Indian citizenship no matter if they're born in the Gulf. The basic reason for this can be the liability that comes with making a person a citizen of the country. With the enormous number of migrant workers that these countries get, giving citizenship to anyone at all will become an additional burden for them. Even after knowing it all, Indians prefer these nations because it helps them get a better income and the country wants the people to move so that they can reduce disguised unemployment.

While the number of Indians might be growing, safety and security are still challenging. This is because of the cultural shock which includes adapting to new surroundings, making many new friends, and discovering customs in a foreign nation. It also includes the shock of being cut off from the people you care about, who support and guide you, and whom you rely on during uncertain times. The USA is known for hate crimes and gun laws which make weapons more accessible for people. While living abroad might sound fascinating, security is still a concern. One such case was of Vivek Saini who was pursuing an MBA and worked part-time at a convenience store. He was fatally attacked in Georgia state’s Lithonia city by a homeless man, who allegedly killed Saini with repeated blows from a hammer inside the store just because the student refused to give the man free food. There is no solid proof but Vivek's sister claimed that it was a hate crime since nobody came to the Indian student's rescue. This is one of the many incidents reported in January itself which was an equal shock to me as much as it will be to you. Not just the family, but everyone was shocked by the news. Indian students have started feeling the need to stay more alert and be more secure and why wouldn't they? Trusting someone, a random stranger from a bunch, is a risk one has to take after careful consideration. And it's not me but Mohan Nannapaneni, founder of volunteer-based nonprofit organization TEAM Aid who shared that every day they dealt with at least one death of an Indian.