Although it may sound rude, with only a few left, all of us Punjabi would like to settle in any of Canada, Europe, England, or the USA.
It is not that we are less than patriotic. It’s just that we all want to live a decent life and most of the time Punjab does not have many opportunities other than Agriculture, Government administration, and singing for a select few. Many Punjabi people are living in Canada. And often the Punjabi are naturally helpful. So if someone is going to move to another area, be sure that they will also be helping 10 others to come and live in other countries. Just because the Punjabi want to live in their communities but with the best available resources that Canada is properly providing, is that they all want to go to Canada.
I have all my relatives living in Punjab. They want to marry their daughters to NRIs so that when the daughter-in-law becomes settled, she can help her brother settle down and the brother can take his parents abroad. Not that I condone this but I hate this opportunity, but this depends on normal growth. Few of them marry foreign girls with paper just by giving a total of 5 to 10 lac which allows them to come and settle in the Land and separate easily. People just dreamed of going to Canada from childhood. For some reason, they believe that there is not much opportunity for them in India.
And the best thing about Canada is that the State welcomes the Punjabis and allows them to practice their beliefs and gives them ample opportunity to be part of the common people.
Although unemployment is the reason why Punjabi go to Canada. Students who study hard in Punjab if they do not get job opportunities prefer to go to a well-established country where there is a promising future for their hard work compared to a country like India.
But I hope most of the people who go to Canada are educated. They go to Canada either based on marriage or just by doing I’lets and go to the country just to do extraordinary activities. Although they have good land in India. And they can, in their youth, improve the agricultural situation of Punjab. At least it’s better than struggling in Canada you live away from family. This does not mean in every case but in hindsight, this is the case with most. That is going to Canada is now the first and last decision for students. They do not want to get on their donkeys for 18 to 20 years and when they see that there is no future they decide to go to a country as stable as Canada.
In Punjab, it has become a concept that going to Canada means good health and stability. Although you have a well-known job in India if you do not go to Canada you have done nothing. Students do not bother to study because they tell themselves that they are healthy as they are going abroad.
I have an older brother who is +2 and he went abroad after doing the I’lets. They all say she is fine in life. But the case is that he has 9 acres in India (he left it in India). You only get 5-6 hours every day. Being away from family sometimes misses home. He has not yet got the PR he should go to college with her health is deteriorating.
In my case, I am studying hard to become a doctor, an Indian Doctor! but if someone asks me about my future without listening to me he says must be going to Canada. Haan! (As my aunt is in Canada). Your life is very simple. What do I mean? I study hard day and night. I do not sleep at night like an owl. I feel so down at the moment. I want to live here in India, in Punjab. I want to contribute to the economy of my country. If India lags behind it is our responsibility to bring it forward and not run like a loser.
But that is not the case with all NRIs or IndoCanadians. No offense! I know the hard work and the Punjabi struggle in Canada.
magnify my debate over the Punjabi, just look at their business acumen and the great success they have achieved overseas. Not only that, they re-entered the political and social spheres where they excelled. Today, we have MPs in the UK and Scotland, members of Congress in the USA and legislators in Canada and Australia. We have a large team of ministers in Canada, some in the UK and we have government officials in the USA authorized by the Senate. We have captains of leading international industries, and we have renowned scholars and researchers in many fields.
In public, will give only one example that captures the imagination of Western people – the Sikh concept of ‘langar’: free food served to all visitors at gurdwaras; moreover during emergencies, it could be a plane crash in Belgium, a train wreck elsewhere, famine, earthquakes, floods and now Covid. These Sikh organizations, such as Khalsa Aid, etc. they are like the first responders. After joining the search and rescue operation, they set up one ‘langars’ and so on – healthy, easy, adequate food. This is the kind of social service, ‘sewa’, our young men doing abroad – their adoptions that they owe loyalty to. Now if we were to help them get into the various realms of Punjab, think of the contribution they could make. If the Punjab had a number of enthusiasts who were keenly interested in serving the Punjab, they should have reached out to outsiders.
Even today, foreign governments and the private sector consider the Punjabis to be an excellent source of people who can adapt and make a significant contribution to society. So, it’s still “Go West, young man” and just don’t come back. Our children are leaving the country after Plus Two to go to higher education and most will get a job there or become entrepreneurs as it pays to do well in their honor. Today, our villages are flooded with youth, our towns and villages are full of old couples from the next two generations. They gaze intently at the outer shore where their loved ones live. Yes, the men who ruled this country for decades – their children did not have to go out and look for work, to establish great sources of ‘benami’ money. They do not have to bear the brunt of the loneliness that others feel. They are stewards, and we are ministers, and our meeting place comes once every five years when we anoint them again.
