Athithi Devo Bhava

Aboud Suleiman Jumbe hails from the spice island of Zanzibar, Tanzania and a recipient of the ICCR scholarship. Being in India, or to be precise, Bangalore, Aboud is quite pleased to find a home away from home. Pursuing his doctoral studies in Environment Science from the Bangalore University, he is the President of the Federation of International Student Associations, Bangalore (FISA-B), a welfare organization of International students studying and living in Mysore and Bangalore and was one of the students honoured by GCC on the occasion of Gardenia Internationale- Confluence 2007. GCC World caught up with the student leader. Excerpts from the Interview:

Q. How would you describe your country?
A. Zanzibar, unlike India is a small place hardly covering 640sq.miles. However, it's an island bursting with the national richness of landscapes and a lot of wildlife. Surrounded by global lakes such as Victoria and Tanganyika, the island is a paradise on earth.

Q. You say you nurture hopes of teaching environmental science back in Zanzibar. Any specific reasons?
A. I have a background in science and desire to create awareness regarding the various forms of pollution affecting the island. And then, forest degradation, that is, national level deforestation has given way to poverty. I feel the need to be part of the crusaders back home fighting against all these.

Q. Having stayed in the city for the past six years, what are the changes you have experienced?
A. Initially, when I came to the IT hub of India, I found it a very beautiful and a cool city. Gradually, due to the expansion and globalisation, the natural greenery has been cut off. Air pollution and raising temperature are all because of insufficient trees that help in absorbing heat. This has resulted in global warming. Buildings have taken the place of trees and they cannot transform the heat into different energies.

Q. As the President of FISA-B, how is the association helping international students?
A. The main objective of FISA-B is to bring them together and create mutual understanding. I think to large extent we have achieved the same.

Q. What do you think about Gardenia Internationale?
A. GCC is the only place wherein one gets the opportunity to celebrate international students' day in the true sense. The numbers, the fun, unbridled joy and the myriad colours and rhythms- it is a reminder of the presence of international students in the country.

Q. Talking about the leisure activities, what interests you?
A. I love traveling. I have been to Zambia. Zimbabwe, Kenya, Middle East, Oman, Emirates amongst other places. Just for the mere reason that I am fond of meeting different people which helps in understanding the basics tenets of human relationships. Apart from travel, I do write opinion letters for various magazines. It gives me immense satisfaction.

Q. Secret of life?
A. Belief in hard work and faith in God.Milestones

4 Worked as a consultant in Gender and Environment field
4 Captain of school debate team.
4 Awarded Best Sports person at the National Sports Youth for football in Goalkeeper of the National football school.
4 Won several awards in essay writing at the national level.