Growing up in India

Growing up in Punjab in northwest India, Ketan was an only child, but his household was an amazing mix of extended family, including grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins; at one stage, a total of twelve people lived there!

“I have wonderful memories of a childhood filled with family … and lots of food. Punjab is a crowded city and has some famous markets. Usually, when someone visited our home, my mum used to cook special dishes. My favourite was Pav Bhaji. It’s a vegetable curry full of spices, and you eat it with bread rolls. I love it so much, I actually cooked it in my student residence yesterday.” (Google it - it’s delicious).

Ketan didn’t come from a wealthy family, so he was grateful for the opportunity to study at university after he finished school. He attended the SCD Government College in Ludhiana, where he did a Bachelor of Science, majoring in microbiology.

“My bachelor’s degree took three years, but I could still live with my family as my college was quite close, and I travelled there on a bicycle. I then decided to do a Master of Human Genetics. It was at the Central University of Punjab, and I was there for two years. But it was a long journey from home – around four hours – so I lived in hostels on campus and went home to see my family once a month.”

Then, in March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. And, like many across the globe, it had a profound effect on Ketan, his family and his future.

“How I came to live in Australia is an interesting story. The thing is, I was not even thinking about moving abroad at all. COVID hit after the first year of my degree. It did impact how I studied. I had to go back home and for two years, my studies were online, and there was no chance for me to do any practical work. It was a challenge

“It was also a challenge for my father because he taught Hindi at a school in Ludhiana. We were all in lockdown in the same place. We couldn’t go outside. My father had to teach classes from home. So I was there all the time to help him. I was shifting between my studies and helping my father. A lot of people found it hard to earn money. But we were lucky because we applied for an internet connection and then my dad and I could work off our mobile phones and laptops.”

Getting the Chancellor's International Scholarship and coming to Australia

“I was about to finish off the theory side of my studies and realised I hadn’t learnt as much as I had wanted regarding scientific knowledge, because all I had learned was online. I thought about applying for a second master’s degree, and I did some tests in India and scored some good marks, but then I thought studying something else in another part of the world might be a better option.”

Ketan researched universities across the globe, from Canada, the UK and Europe to New Zealand and Australia. He read about their credentials and what courses they offered and decided he wanted to apply to Australian universities to explore exactly the type of medical degree he was passionate about.

“In late 2021, I applied to the major universities in Australia and had offers from most of them, and within a short time, from ANU. But the problem was they couldn’t offer me a scholarship even though I had an excellent GPA. But other universities didn’t offer the same benefits in terms of financial help, so I thought, what do I do?

“That night, I was about to apply to another university, but I thought I would just be patient, and then in the morning, I got approval from ANU to do my second master’s. It was so great – they offered me the Chancellor’s International Scholarship to help with my tuition fees. I truly believe it was meant to be this way.”

Ketan was offered the opportunity to do an advanced version of a Master of Science in Biological Science. After the move to Australia, he initially lived on campus in Wamburun Hall, an inclusive, supportive and culturally diverse student residence. This year, he moved to Toad Hall, the perfect place to celebrate his love of food and participate in the University’s annual multicultural festival. He also got to know many friends, including his Australian friend, Campbell.

Friends and temples

“At Toad Hall, we cook together, we eat together, and it was there that I met Campbell. We became very close, and he and his girlfriend returned to India with me last year and stayed with my family. It was such an experience to share that with them.”

Ketan practices Hinduism – the largest religion in India – and growing up he had loved to visit the temples early in the morning.

“I am a religious person and when I was young I visited a temple at least once daily. This wasn’t difficult, as where I lived, there are temples on nearly every street. So I used to visit the temple, go to school and often go back to the temple after school. In Canberra, there are various temples I like to visit like the Florey Hindu temple, the Iskkon temple and the Sri Vishnu Shiva Mandir temple.

“During certain times of the year, I get together with friends and we all go to a temple together. Whenever I mention a visit to a temple, Campbell always says that he loves to go to temples. But the main reason for him is there is sometimes free food. Campbell says food is just food, but I know it means more to him than that. Food is a thing that connects us as friends”.

In terms of his studies, Ketan is currently working on a research project in Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) and biology and, after almost two years, will finish his course in November. So, what’s in store for the future? Ketan is hoping for a position in the lab he is currently working in, but he is open to opportunities, particularly in obtaining a PhD.

“My future could be in Australia or somewhere else around the world. But either way, it is looking positive. I guess all that I have experienced so far is fate. I like to call it opportunity. It’s up to me, and I can’t wait.”