Q: Do you have any family members living with you in Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: I live with my wife and two sons.
Q: What do your sons do?
Mr Mukherjee: My first son has done Economics and is like a Charter Accountant and my second son is a medical doctor who has specialized as a General Practitioner.
Q: What does your wife do?
Mr. Mukherjee: My wife used to work when my first son was very young. She worked as a Data Typist.
Q: What was your first impression when you came to Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: There’s a great difference between India and Germany. Everything is very neat and clean here. Very disciplined, and that was perhaps my first impression.
Q: For what purpose did you come to Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: Originally, I came here to study Electrical Engineering.
Q: What do you miss in India the most?
Mr Mukherjee: Perhaps the Indian culture, my relatives, Indian food, Indian music and things like that.
Q: How did you find the food when you came here?
Mr Mukherjee: It wasn’t very pleasant. It didn’t matter because I was concentrating on my aim to study. So, I didn’t care too much about the food. I ate everything that I got.
Q: Did you have any expectations of Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: [After much thought] I have read about Germany in literature books and all that. I was very well informed and many people who had come to Germany gave me fairly good knowledge about what to expect.
Q: Did you face any challenges in Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: There were not many challenges I faced here. Everything is easier here compared to India. Getting into the university and getting a job is very easy here. Hence, there were not many challenges I faced here.
Q: What do you like most about Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: It is a very neat and clean country. The people here are friendly, honest and disciplined.
Q: Did you learn German before you came to Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: I just took some basic lessons on grammar. But I could not learn the language properly in India.
Q: What do you do in your free time?
Mr Mukherjee: In my free time, I listen to music, read literature, make journeys, go to my friends’ houses or invite them here.
Q: How often do you visit India?
Mr Mukherjee: I visit India after every 3-5 years.
Q: How did Germany influence you as a person?
Mr Mukherjee: Germany has made me much disciplined, very correct, and to be honest with everyone.
Q: If you had a chance, would you change anything in particular about Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: No, not really. I would not like to change anything. Maybe something political, but it is not possible to change anything here.
Q: In the beginning, when you came to Germany, were you ever racially discriminated?
Mr Mukherjee: Honestly, there were some very minor discriminations. As an example, I was looking for a flat, when I moved from Frankfurt to Munich. I tried to get a flat through an agent. I spoke to the agent over the phone and told him about the flat I wanted. The agent told me to meet him and he would give me the flat then. I went there, and when he saw me, he said – “I’m sorry, I can’t give you this flat, because the owner of the flat is an old lady and she had some superstitions about coloured people.”
Q: How did you handle the situation?
Mr Mukherjee: I accepted it. I can’t really do anything about it. It was a hard choice, but I had to accept it.
Q: Why did you choose Germany as a place you wanted to study in?
Mr Mukherjee: It was the economical factor. At first, I wanted to go to England. But, it was very costly. My father couldn’t afford it. So, I chose Germany because, compared to England, it was cheaper. The semesters here are 7 months per year and for 5 months, we have holidays. During those 5 months, we get to work in a factory. It was very easy to get a job at that time. We could work in the factory and earn money.
Q: What is your favourite food in Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: Frankly speaking, not much. I still prefer Indian food. But, other than Indian food, I like pizza.
Q: Will your sons stay in Germany or go back to India?
Mr Mukherjee: No, they will not go back. They will stay here, in Germany.
Q: When did you move to Germany?
Mr Mukherjee: I came to Germany in 1957.
Q: Do you have any plans to settle back in India?
Mr Mukherjee: No. I will stay here, in Germany.
