The love for and importance of one’s country increases when a person lives abroad. Something similar happened with Suhail Lulaniya of Palghar, Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Lulania left for Melbourne, Australia in March 2013 for work and study. He works for the Urbanest Company as a part-timer while studying for the degree of Bachelor of Information Technology.

Suhail, 30, spoke with Awaz-the Voice from Mumbai where he has come for a break.

He said, “When I was in my country, I could see hundreds of evils and wrong things here. Many times I used to become very critical of some incidents and decisions of the government. Now that I have been living abroad for so long, I know the meaning of what Rakesh Sharma said, “India without a doubt looks like the best country from space.”

Suhail Lulaniya in Australia

It may be recalled that Indian Air Force Pilot Squadron leader Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space as a member of the India-Russia space expedition in 1984. When he was in the spaceship, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi spoke with from. She asked Sharma, how India looked from the space.

Sharma’s iconic reply was, “Mein bagair kisi jhijhak ke keh sakta hoon Saare jahan se achcha (with any hesitation I can say, (it looks) the best (Country) in the world).

Suhail Lulaniya shared his experiences of life in Australia in the conversation with this reporter He said that Indians living abroad have a distinct identity due to their behavior and lifestyle.

He says his pride in being Indian swells many time when he, as an Indian Muslim, is treated differently and with respect in comparison with Muslims of other countries. He says, “I am an Indian; This is our biggest identity abroad.”

He says his neighbourhood in Melbourne has people from many nationalities. However being an Indian, he stands out and many people told him that he is kinder, friendlier, and more social than others.

His job involves contacting and speaking with people from different countries and religions. Once, he says, while on the way home from Australia for a vacation, he had to change his flight from Malaysia for Mumbai when he chanced into meeting a Pakistani relative who was shifting to Australia at the airport.

India's first Austronaut Sq Ldr Rakesh Sharma (Now and then picture) Courtesy Twitter

Suhail says that after routine questioning at the immigration counter of the airport, he was allowed to board his plane, but his Pakistani relative was made to stand in a separate queue for verification.

After questioning, his relative was not allowed to proceed further and he had to return to Pakistan.

Making a point, Suhail says that at that time he felt even more proud of being an Indian. He says there are a large number of Muslims from other countries in Australia as well.

While traveling from Australia to other countries on the assignments of his company, he didn’t have any memorable experience of interacting with people of any particular nationality. He felt that Muslim citizens from Islamic countries are generally viewed with suspicion at the airports.

He said the situation is the same for Muslims in Australia but his company trusts him due to his performance and behavior. He is also made in charge of the girls working in the night shift.

Suhail says that his seniors are happy with his work.

Suhail says while he is a foodie, he missed good food in the initial days in Australia. For several weeks he felt bad for not getting tasty food.

However, soon some of his Indian friends came together and addressed this problem, he says. Though he has friends from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Syria, he doesn’t like their way of cooking.

Suhail Lulaniya in his apartment in Melbourne

He has come to realize that there are many Muslim countries in the world where infighting is going on. However, in India, it is not like that at all. He says there are some stray incidents, but generally, people of all religions - Hindus, Muslims, and Christians co-exist harmoniously in India.

Where is such an environment in any other country? he asks.Suhail says that when he went to Australia on a five-year assignment, initially it was difficult for him to face loneliness. These days, he says, “I am having a good time in the company of my big circle of Indian friends. The most important aspect of our group is that there is no consideration of who is a Hindu, a Muslim, or a Sikh. Religion doesn’t matter.”

Suhail Lulaniya says that in Australia the Indians have continued their Ganga-Jamuni (inclusive) culture. “While living in Australia we have developed a new perspective of our ways and traditions.”

He says the moment he thinks that he is an Indian fills his heart with a sense of pride. “I consider myself lucky to have been born in India.”

He says in a foreign land one misses all the festivals. “I remember how much fun we had on festivals like Eid or Diwali. All this does not happen in Australia, but we, Indians, gather in one place at all the festivals. On the festival of Rakshabandhan, I used to get a rakhi tied on my wrist by my neighborhood girls in Mumbai. This cannot happen in Australia.”

He says that it is on some occasions that he gets to relish Biriyani in Australia.

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He says, "You will laugh at me when I tell you that my Biriyani is famous among my Australian friends. It’s another matter that I always have to call my home in Mumbai to get the recipe each time.”

He says in a nutshell I can tell you that “my heart beats for India when I am abroad.”