Concerned over the portrayal of Australia as "racist" in the wake of a series of attacks on Indians, a group of students from the community have decided to compile a DVD showcasing their host nation as a safe place.
Postgraduate students, whose stay has by and large been positive and free of such safety concerns here, have taken the unusual step of making their own DVD to be distributed in India.
The DVD is being made with an aim to reassure people back home that Victorian state of Australia, which has witnessed most of recent attacks on Indian students, is a safe place.
It will have five Indian students talking about their good and safe stay in Melbourne and about their enthusiasm for Australia, ABC channel reported.
These students believe that the portrayal of Australia as racist is "incorrect."
More From This Section
The idea to bring out a DVD was initiated by doctoral student Subatra Mukherjee, a resident of Geelong.
Mukherjee has been living in Australia for the last two years with his wife and said he never faced any safety issues.
"So when I came here I was really apprehensive about how the place will be and whether we'll be accepted there or not. But after coming here, truly speaking, it's the Australian people who made me comfortable and they accepted me, accepted us nicely. So, yeah, it's a pleasant experience for me," he said.
PHD student Ranjani Sudharshan told the TV channel that the attack hysteria had left her parents worried back home. However, after visiting this place, they were satisfied.
"I just took them (here parents) around Melbourne, Geelong and a lot of other places and they were very happy to be with me. And my mum particularly likes Geelong a lot."
"There've been phone calls from my parents every time they hear the news in India. Immediately I hear from them and they ask then, how safe are you? Is there anything happening around in your place?" she said.
Professor Peter Hodgon of Deakin University, who himself has travelled to India dozen times, is helping the students put the DVD together.
He said there was frustration among staff and students about how Australia was being portrayed.
"They feel it's a great place to live. I mean, I guess that they feel that it is being misrepresented and that there are some issues here.
"There's issues in every country. But ... The university students and the research students feel incredibly safe and really welcome the multicultural nature of Australia," Hodgson said.