In Search Of A Better Life

The magical number "Eighteen" is said to be very important in the scheme of "Mahabharata". The epic is composed in 18 Parvas. The Kurukshetra war was fought between 18 Akshohini armies. War went on for 18 days. "Bhagavad-Gita" is an 18 chapters discourse. There are many other aspects that show importance of the number 18. Like our Cricket statisticians who can find a record on every ball bowled on a cricket field, for example the bowler who bowled the one millionth dot ball in ODI Cricket or the batsman who scored the 100th duck, present statisticians are still finding some important 18 number development in the epic. 

The seventeenth parva in Mahabharata is named as "Mahaprasthanika Parva". Eighteenth one is named as "Swargarohana Parva". These two describe the final days of the Pandavas on the earth and their journey to 'Swarga" or heaven. It explains how the five brothers and their wife Draupadi traveled in the upper Himalayas to reach heaven. They also describe how each of them fell to their end one by one, leaving only the eldest brother Yudhishtira surviving the journey and reached heaven alone. There is also a mention of a dog following him, how and why he had to pass through hell on the way, and forced to see the sufferings of those in hell.  

Why did the others fall and fail in reaching the heaven? Justifications are given therein for the fall of each one of them. The journey was not at all easy and indeed very difficult. Only one reached heaven and was admitted there. The rest fell on the way. Of course, none of them were sent back to the same place from which they started. They started towards heaven at the end of their life period. But the joruney was nevertheless towards heaven.

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The events playing out in the city of Amritsar in India in the last few days are similar to the above in many ways. Of course, there are some differences as well. But the biggest difference is that many of those who undertook a journey to cross the borders and reach the heaven they thought was reachable by crossing the borders, were sent back to the places from where they started several months or even years ago. They had a difficult and often treacherous onward journey. They saw their fellow travellers fall by the way to their death. There were many who were seriously injured. Many had sleepless nights. Missing food and water was the least of the punishments. Death chose some, but fear of death haunted all. The return journey was difficult as well. 

The lure of a better life elsewhere was the bait. Once we reach there somehow, we will be assured of a better life, they believed. They made eloberate plans to achieve this one coveted goal. Knowing well that the normal routes were difficult to traverse, they sought comfort in the assurance of agents and middlemen who promised alternate routes. They pooled all their savings, savings of close family members and friends. Many borrowed heavy amounts at very high interest rates. They are all well educated and it is difficult to accept that they were cheated on the way. Even if some of them did not not know at the start of the journey, they would have come to know once they were taken to the "Donkey Route". It is said that this term has its origin in the word "Dunki", which means hopping from place to place. 

There was an English movie of 1965 by name "Conquerers of the Golden City", narrating the story of a poor village family migrating to the Golden City of Istanbul, formerly known as Constantinople. There were similar films made in Indian languages subsequently. "Nagarame Nandi" in Tamil and "Mayor Muttanna" in Kannada were among those. They all dealt with lives of people moving out to an unknown place for a better future. Please click here to read about them.  

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Why this great urge to somehow reach the USA? Some five or six decades ago, there were many who migrated to the USA from India, for education first and working and earning there later on. There are many success stories that made more and more persons to think of migrating due to better opportunities. Things have changed a lot at home as well now. There are an equal number or even more success stories of people making great future by staying there and working hard. Indian Universities are attracting many students from other countries. Even with all that, the dreams of making a great future and fortune in USA still beckons people to somehow reach there. 

Why take the donkey route? The difficulty in getting Visas for education and work drives many over ambitious candidates to somehow cross the border and reach there. There are many agents and middlemen who promise all support against payment of hefty amounts. Gullible ones or greedy ones are pushed across the porous borders from the south. There is no guarantee of reaching there till the journey ends. Even after reaching there, there is threat of action against illegal immigration. 

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This type of purging of illegal immigrants has been happening from time to time. It is making big headlines in the light of change of administration after the recent elections in the USA. The population of USA is about 347 million people. About 245 million people were eligible to vote in the last election and some 156 million actually voted. Estimates say that there are another 13 million Permanent Residents (PR) there. A few million comprising tourists, business travellers etc. are also in the country at any given time. The estimates also show that there are actually another 12 million illegal immigrants ("undocumented persons" is the term used). Another estimate says that the number went up by about 2 million in the last two years.

Many countries in the world, including Europe and India as well, are facing the problem of influx of illegal entrants from neighbouring countries. Some enter the countries with valid documents, but stay beyond the permitted periods in anticipation of renewal of expired visas. Then there are also several others who enter through unauthorised means taking advantage of porus borders on the land side or long coastal lines. The natural citizen find that these illegal entrants are occupying the available jobs as well as creating stress on available resources. Last two decades have also brought in the problem of security and safety of citizen to sharp focus. 

Serious concerns have naturally been raised on this front in the various countries. India is one country which is caught on both sides of this problem. There are millions of illegal immigrants living in India, having moved in from neighbouring countries, especially on the eastern side. Many of them have been able to get Aadhar cards due to collusion by some domestic elements. There are also an estimated 2.8 million Indians in USA living as "Undocumented Immigrants". This type of illegal immigration is a major concern for many countries on security front as well as erosion of available resources.

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Though undocumented immigrants have been sent out from USA periodically, the present situation has made lot of headlines. Three military aircrafts loads of them have been sent out to India and the aircrafts have arrived in Amritsar already, bringing in 332 persons. Many more are on the way. Most of the persons so brought in come from four or five states of the country. The manner in which they have been sent is being seriously questioned. Men have been handcuffed and feet shackled, though women and children have been spared. Questions are asked as to why Indian government has not been able to get them out using civilian aircrafts like it did in Ukraine and middle east countries torn by wars. 

The right of immigration authorities in dealing with such people as per established protocols and accepted international norms is already there. The US authorities have explained that the handcuffs and restraints are done in the interest of the concerned persons, which is of little consolation. There is some merit in this statement since all of them are in depression and serious mentally disturbed state and may create difficulty for themselves and other passengers by erratic behaviour while on the aircraft. Long trans-Atlantic flights are a difficult journey even for normal passengers on a civilian aircraft. Imagining their plight with handcuffs and shackles is indeed disturbing. 

Some political leaders in India have gone even further in questioning the government's failures in dealing with the situation. Starting from not providing civilian aircrafts to landing all flights in Amritsar, some have even demanded compensation for these landing illegal immigrants. One leader suggested that the Prime Minister should present a golden handchffs to the President of USA. A 100 year old respected Tamil magazine "Ananda Vikatan" has come out with a cartoon showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi in chains sitting alongside a triumphant President Donald Trump. Those who violated international law and ended up as felons are projected as victims of some scheming agents.

Imagine this situation. You are living in your house with your family. Outsiders want to come and live with you because they feel it is more comfortable for them to live there. you are screening them and allowing some of them. Someone from among those who could not get entry breaks your window and enters the house. He is injured in the process. Some of your family members want him to be accommodated. A few of them even want to reward him by giving compensation. Then there are others who argue about their human rights, though the principles of equity state that "He who seeks equity should come with clean hands" (Please click here to read more about this).

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The present situation presents a complex legal, diplomatic and human problem. Viewing it from only one angle would be inappropriate. A united effort for resolving the involved issues without taking sides is required. Handling of the persons is certainly to be with a human approach, but without compromising on the rights of all others involved in the mess. The existing protocols may even be modified so that there is no feeling of victimisation or humiliation in any quarters. Transferring illegal immigrants to the embassies of the country of citizenship of the concerned persons with responsibility for their evacuation given to them may also be considered. Handcuffing and restraining can be avoided using this approach. 

A firm approach to prevent such situations arising in future is also need of the day. Overall goal should be one to prevent illegal outward immigration as well as inward influx of such elements.

Resilience and Triumph

Sales and Marketing experts use a term "FMA" or "First Mover Advantage", that refers to the benefits gained by the early movers into a market segment who can capitalize on the prevailing situation and establish themselves as a market leader. Early movers have no competition and stay as monarchs till the later players come in. In many other walks of life, early movers have a distinct disadvantage as they have to wade through unchartered waters. They have no idea as to what to expect and what may happen next. Each situation is a new challenge and calls for an immediate and spontaneous response. There are no precedents or advisors; each issue has to be dealt and learnt through one's own experiences. Such learning through own experiences are invaluable, but often extract a heavy price from the persons put through them. But these experiences are the ones that steel and temper human beings and make the quest for a better life that much more enjoyable despite the pain that they bring. They suffer from "Early Mover Disadvantage" and yet emerge as people who lay the road for the successors to travel much more comfortably.

History is the study of the past events and told to us by someone, who record and document the events. The history we have on any aspect of human life is based on visual and written evidence of the past and their present interpretation. Such recorded history suffers from two infirmities: the limitations of the historians themselves and impact of their own likes, dislikes and prejudices. Historians living at the time of recording events in the past were naturally beholden to their benefactors and tended to glorify them while putting down their opponents. Historians of today who record past events are many times guilty of viewing the age-old events with the eyeglasses of the present times. The official history we have, therefore, is history with many distortions.  The true history gets buried somewhere in the volumes of the official versions. The story of the lives of the common man is relegated to the background and glossed over.

This is even truer in the context of the history of immigrations and movement of people to newer destinations. Such movement was generally for higher education, job opportunities and search for better life elsewhere. Some fifty years ago, avenues for higher education and advanced professional jobs were not available in abundance in many parts of the world. North America, USA, and Canada, in particular, offered openings for all these reasons, and many young people moved there from various parts of the world. They were early movers in the sense of such migration. The atmosphere into which they walked in was much different than what it is today. Technology was not this advanced and communication facilities were not the same. Many places did not have electricity available freely. Air-conditioning or heating were not available at many centers to cushion the vagaries of severe summer or winter. Computers had not yet made their appearance, and they had to rely on public transportation as owning a car was not that easy. Many students migrated on the backing of small scholarships as bank loans were not available. Households did not have the financial strengths to sponsor higher education. Issues of obtaining visas and making travel arrangements were also not easy tasks. There were no direct flights from smaller centers in their home countries like today. Opportunities for earning while pursuing courses in the Universities were not many. Managing oneself on the limited financial resources added to the physical problems of stay, food and entertainment. Understanding the culture and living pattern of the regions was a major challenge. Achieving the acceptance of the immigrants by the local populations was a major task for those arrived at these destinations. The immigrants had to develop close bonds with other members of their groups. Sharing and caring were required in much larger measures then than today.

The situation was even more difficult for women. Their problems were complex due to their multiple roles as housewives or housekeepers, workers, and young mothers. In addition to their responsibilities as students or workers, they had to manage their chores like cooking, serving and raising kids. Adapting to the new living atmosphere was even more difficult for them given the cultural and physical environment in their countries of birth and growth. The only means of contact with those back home was through mail and writing letters or waiting for letters from loved ones in their country was a routine requirement. Visiting their countries required a lot of planning and was very expensive too. The perception of those back home about the immigrants and the reality was vastly different. Some of them were more fortunate to find understanding friends and colleagues. Others were not that fortunate and had to face hostile situations. They marched on with commitment and dedication towards the goals for which they migrated to new stations. Strong friendship and mutual co-operation from other immigrants formed the cornerstone of their journey. There were always a few understanding locals available in times of need and crisis.

The present generation of students and workers moving for education and job opportunities today has a much-improved atmosphere. Present times too have their complexities and challenges. It is not that everything is easy and simple today. But there is a marked difference in the two scenarios. Today’s students can obtain bank loans, and their households have better financial muscle to sponsor higher education abroad. Multinational companies with presence in their countries of birth and migration provide similar working conditions and set-ups. Communication facilities are excellent, and one can talk to their people back home many times a day. E-mail and Face Time enable continuous contact with friends and relatives. Contact and networking with other students or groups are possible for seeking and extending support. Students can find out someone who would receive them at the airport, put them up for a few days in temporary accommodation and provide initial support. Improved banking channels can ensure inward remittance within hours in an emergency. Practices and customs in the new country can be better-understood thanks to the advent of Television and Internet.

Is there a need for the present generation to understand the history of the immigrants of the previous generations? Are there any lessons for them available in the tales of the migrants of earlier generation? Many would dispute their need and relevance today. Nevertheless, such a record is necessary to complete the history as well as developing better perspective for present generation to understand where they stand now in comparison to the previous generation.

A group of enthusiasts of the previous generation of immigrants thought on these lines. To broad base the variety and authenticity of the effort, they reached out and requested their friends to contribute their experiences in the form of small articles and publish the collection as a book. More than 50 women immigrants from various parts of the world (who migrated to Canada in the 1960s and thereafter) responded to the request. They have contributed their experiences in the form of articles. A dedicated team has edited these articles and brought out a book titled "Resilience and Triumph". The Second Story Press, Ottawa, Canada on 3rd December 2015, has released the book. 

The book (ISBN 978-1-927583-85-2) makes for interesting reading and brings out the resolve of the determined women who overcame the challenges and emerged successfully. A reading of this book provides a wider perspective of time and life in those crucial years. There are many lessons to be learnt from these experiences. This bunch of contributors in bringing out this book deserves our congratulations and gratitude. They have indeed brought to surface, the buried history of the earliest immigrants!