“Videshi” : An Indian Perspective on Immigration and Emigration
March 20th, 2010
For centuries, India has taken pride in its ability to assimilate foreigners that immigrate to its territory. The videshi (foreigner), allured by the many charms of India becomes a deshi, someone native to the desh (country). A historical example of this comes in the legendary story of the arrival to India of the Parsi people, of Zoroastrian faith, who were fleeing forced conversion to Islam in Persia sometime between the eighth and the tenth century. When they first asked for the local ruler’s permission to settle on his land, they received a negative response. They were told: “India is a glass of milk filled to the brim” and that there was no room. The Parsis’ response was equally poetic and so spiritual that the king, delighted, reconsidered and ultimately welcomed them to his land. The Parsis’ replied that they would be “like a spoonful of sugar in milk”, and their presence would make life in the kingdom even more pleasant for all its inhabitants.
During India’s struggle for independence, Gandhi insisted that a clear distinction be made between two imperatives: driving out the British civilization, with its imperialist, capitalist and militaristic tenets and getting rid of the English. For Gandhi, an Englishman who was ready to live in India as an Indian was welcome as an equal. But all were not of that opinion… Today, the concept of homeland is very strong among Indians. Even when they migrate to America, Europe or elsewhere, they remain deshi.
Many Indians today benefit from relocation as they can easily find work by offering a more affordable work force. In India however, some are uncomfortable with the large influx in Chinese workers which are there for the same reason: they offer businesses a competitive edge. Although the Chinese are more expensive, they have a reputation of being able to complete projects in record times. Simultaneously, millions of Indians are jobless, but India needs to progress and develop fast. New Delhi has made it a priority that the new airport and public transport network be ready for the Commonwealth Games in October 2010. The image, visitors should take away is that of a modern desh, even if this image is shaped by the work of foreigners.
-Michael Harroch
Entry Filed under: 2010 Student Blogs, India, Misc.
1 Comment Add your own
1. Jordan Wente | April 10th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Personally if I were an Indian I would be a little uncomfortable with Chinese workers immigrating to India. India has a vast workforce that can be utilized to accomplish these projects. Chinese workers in a sense are in direct competition with Indian workers for these jobs. Chinese workers may be more efficient but they are also more expensive. It just seems to me that the extra money spent on the Chinese workers would be better used to train Indian workers to perform more efficiently thus strengthening the Indian workforce. I do believe that the native people and immigrants can complement each other however fortifying your own workforce can be more beneficial in the long term. In the US we experience many of the benefits of immigration especially from Mexico. While some believe that immigrants are taking away American jobs, I don’t really believe that Mexican labors are in direct competition with the majority of the American population thus we are stronger together. However in India, Chinese labors would be taking jobs that can be preformed by Indians. As a result many Indians who could benefit from these projects remain unemployed. The projects embarked on by China in an effort to modernize gave many Chinese citizens opportunities for employment and pulled many people out of poverty. It just seems like India should be relaying the benefits to its citizens similar to how the Chinese did to theirs. This is just my opinion on a very complex subject but I do think that it is an important consideration.
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed