Atithi Devo Bhava

Vastrapur

Zawu

Liberia

Gujarat

Gujarati

Narendra Modi

Madagascar

SD School of Commerce

Rabearison Maypiovanirina Marie Sylvia

Sariaka Toanina

Fazlay Rabby

Bangladesh

Panjrapol

Dilip Patel

Ghanshyam Patel

Suryavanshi Towers

Indian Council for Cultural Relations

ICCR

In a disturbing trend, foreign nationals have been finding themselves at the receiving end of hostility in a city that is known for its generosity. The city is being perceived as racist with residential societies shutting doors on foreigners, irrespective of their nationality or colour. Posh localities view inhabiting with foreigners as cultural invasion; they fear that non-vegetarianism and western lifestyle may disturb their quiet sedate lives and misguide their impressionable children.Amdavadis are usually known to exude warmth and friendliness in keeping with the tradition of. However, all of these seem to be true only if the visits are short and not if the foreigners plan to stay in the city for six months or a year. For the past 10 years, a flat inhad been offering accommodation to foreigners, mostly Germans working on projects at an institute for the disabled located nearby. Recently, the owner of the flat was asked to stop renting it out to foreigners.Reason: They bathed in skimpy clothes in makeshift pools built in the balcony, held late-night barbecue parties, smoke and drank, had guests visiting at odd hours and kept their premises dirty. However, the residents also say that the foreigners were friendly with them, did not create a law and order problem and even joined them for garba during Navratri. Their parties were also not noisy and they kept to themselves, they added. Princess(26) of, in city to pursue Masters in Communication System Engineering, feels that not just Amdavadis, but people acrossare “inhospitable and racist”.“It is Ahmedabad that taught me the meaning of the word kaliya (black). I have been to Pune and Mumbai but nowhere have the stares and abuses been this loud. “I do not wish to stay here because I don’t like the city. Every city has its good and bad but the bad here outweighs the good. I am waiting for my course to end and go back to Liberia.” Princess spoke of how residents in the previous apartments she stayed had problems with her friends coming over for Christmas.“At one of the places, the flat owner raised his rent from Rs 15,000 (promised by the broker) to Rs 17,000 when he saw that coloured people dropped in. When we agreed to pay Rs 17,000, he hiked it further to Rs 18,000. My friends and I agreed to that as well, forcing him to let out.”“We came to this city after watching Hindi movies and seeing how Indians are shown as warm and friendly. These movies are fake and the reality in Ahmedabad is different. People laugh at you on road and pass comments in, which we find do not understand.” Princess said she saw the welcome that Prime Ministerwas accorded when he visited African countries. “The way he was welcomed, I wish you would welcome us here,” she told Mirror.Ralamboniaina Tsirivololona (23) fromwho studies atsaid, “Professors at the college teach in Gujarati. When we ask them to speak in English, they do so for five minutes and then switch to Gujarati again.”(28) said, “In my country it is not polite to touch people’s hair. Yet women in my college try to touch my hair and ask me if my curls are for real. Even teachers made me open my braids once and asked a lot of questions.”(18), a second year BBA student from Madagascar, has now been staying at the girls’ hostel on GU premises. She said, “While I have personally not faced any resentment, I have coloured friends who told me people have spit on the road on seeing them.”(22), a Muslim student from, has been staying in a Hindu locality atfor the past two years. “I have not faced any problem because I look like an Indian and speak Hindi. But I have to be careful about my eating habits as I cannot have non-vegetarian food in the house I share with others. Of course, my landlord does not know that I am a Muslim.”Real estate agent(42), who has his office in Vastrapur, said, “Nearly 80 per cent of societies in Ahmedabad do not allow bachelors, unmarried women and students to rent apartments. This makes it further difficult for foreigners to get a rented or a paying guest accommodation.” He claimed that he had problems where residents have not only complained of their food but also cleanliness of their flats and liquor consumption among other problems., secretary ofin Vastrapur says, “Their language and culture do not match ours. They drink and wear clothes in a manner that our society perceives as vulgar. They themselves will prefer not to stay here as they would not like to be stared at by men and women.” Makrand Shukla, Gujarat head ofsaid, “Gujarat has the fourth largest office ofin the country after Pune, Hyderabad and Bangalore. We have 800 plus international students in 13 Universities and about 400 students in Ahmedabad. But we are a metropolitan city without a metropolitan mindset.”He added, “Students from Muslim countries are forced to stay in Muslim pockets in Navrangpura, Jamalpur, Khanpur and Juhapura, The plight of Afghan students is worse. Even Muslims do not accept them. We have students from 59 countries. They not only come to study here but are given a brief to imbibe our culture, make friends and take back fond memories. But we just do not accept them.”Professors at the college teach in Gujarati. When we ask them to speak in English, they do so for five minutes and then switch to Gujarati againIn my country it is not polite to touch people’s hair. Yet women in my college try to touch my hair and ask me if my curls are for real. Even teachers made me open my braids onceThey drink and wear clothes in a manner that our society perceives as vulgar. They themselves will prefer not to stay here as they would not like to be stared at by men and women.