Dhiman Chattopadhyay says one of the best gifts one can give is that of knowledge. Chattopadhyay is a doctoral candidate at the University and recently received the Mahatma Gandhi Award for dedication to service from the India Student Association. He denies the credit given to him for what he has given to Bowling Green and the University and gives recognition to everyone who has worked with him to help others.
“You need a good heart and a lot of friends; you cannot do things alone,” he said.
When ISA presented him the award back in November, he referred to his experience of witnessing the professors in his family give unconditionally to their students as a key influence in his desire to help others.
A former journalist and current instructor for several journalism courses, Chattopadhyay continues this giving in his classroom. His affinity for giving knowledge shows in his interactions with students as he works with them to help them bring their grades up with extra effort, he said. In return, he claims to receive helpful feedback that serves as an affirmation to him.
This focus on learning rather than strict grading comes from his own schooling. While most other schools in India had an emphasis on exams and gave students the opportunity to either pass or fail from their first day of school, Chattopadhyay went to a school where exams were not a focus of education until sixth grade. This environment was less competitive and more cooperative, he said.
“As a result, we were told and taught and we appreciated that we could help each other… Helping did not mean pass or fail; helping meant trying to get those who had fallen behind to catch up,” Chattopadhyay said.
His education experience was not the only inspiration for his willingness to help others, but his experience in Bowling Green has also led to involvement in other forms of service.
“Just to see how unselfishly people give is an eye-opener here… I saw what people were doing; I merely followed,” Chattopadhyay said.
Seeing organizations helping international students by providing transportation, the town and University putting on cultural events, professors building welcoming relationships with students and churches collecting food for those who are struggling in Bowling Green inspired him to give.
When he was president of the India Student Association a few years ago, fourteen students came to the ISA leadership team asking for help to organize aid for the people of Nepal after a devastating earthquake. Within just two days, ISA raised $2,500 with the help of students and faculty who saw Chattopadhyay and other ISA representatives at their table in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union and gave whatever they could. The check went to the American Red Cross teams in Nepal where one dollar would feed and clothe a homeless Nepali person for a day in the wake of the earthquake. Things as simple as students of the University emptying pockets of change or donating money that was meant to buy lunch that day continued to motivate Chattopadhyay to help those around him.
Chattopadhyay admits that he is not a perfect example of selfless giving, but that should not stop anyone from giving to others.
“We are all selfish… One can argue one does things to feel good about yourself; that’s fine as long as that makes somebody else feel good too,” he said.
Learning about and celebrating cultural differences through ISA events is one way Chattopadhyay shares the gift of knowledge with students and community members in a way that he says allows him to learn as well. Another example of this is his involvement on the organizing committee of the Bowling Green Community Interfaith Breakfast, where representatives from different faiths come together over food to have conversations about their beliefs.
“We’re different… and we should celebrate that by learning about our differences,” he said.
