Homeward bound

Ever since his college years, Gurjant Singh, like most Punjabi youngsters, wanted to go abroad in search of greener pastures. Though Gurjant who hails from a middle class family in Ropar district was once duped by a travel agent of Rs four lakh, he was still determined to settle abroad. Ultimately, his dream came true when his Italy-based cousin sent him a valid work permit. Gurjant flew to Italy.

But things were not as he had expected. Let's hear it from the horse's mouth: “I got to face reality there. There was no work for migrants like me. I saw a large number of Punjabi migrants moving to and fro in search for work. I came to know that my own cousin had deceived me. That was the first shock. I had shelled out Rs eight lakh for obtaining the work permit. But he kept Rs four lakh for himself. There was no work and affording food and lodging became a problem. I was forced to stay in a nearby gurudwara. I tried a lot to find work but there was nothing. I was almost driven to the point of committing suicide. After a year of misery, I came back to Punjab.”

Gurjant's is not an isolated instance. There are many Punjabi youngsters who have returned to their own land after wasting whopping amounts of money abroad.

Singh Ramowalia, former Central minister and president of Lok Bhalayi Party which takes up causes of Punjabis duped by travel agents, told TSI, “None other than the government is responsible for this. No government has ever taken any action against the unscrupulous travel agents. There are no jobs for Punjabis abroad. The situation is very grim there. The travel agents are duping Punjabi youths of lakhs of rupees by painting a rosy picture of life in foreign countries. Our girls are facing immense economic, mental and physical hardship there. But no government ever takes up their cause.” Balwant Singh had a word of advice for people that they should come to terms with reality and should not allow themselves to be duped and exploited. He also called on the intellectuals of the state to come forward and raise a voice against this. 

There are around 25 million Indians living abroad, Punjabis make up eight million of them. Most of the Punjabis go abroad illegally through travel agents after giving them large amounts of money. Many have lost their lives before reaching their destinations. Who has forgotten the Malta Boat tragedy that accounted for 400 lives? In spite of such tragedies, Punjabis have continued with their Operation “Go Abroad.” But things have changed drastically since the last few years as lack of work is forcing many Punjabis to return. Interestingly, there are some who have gone abroad after taking long leaves or tendering resignations from government jobs.

Surjeet Singh, 29, who has been living in Italy for the last six years, narrates the pitiable state of Punjabis there. “Things are worst for those who came in the last two to four years. There are some who have been without any employment for the last two years at a stretch. They move on bicycles to find jobs but there are nowhere to be found. In some cases, their parents have been sending them money. A large number is just killing time in gurudwaras,” he said. Surjeet had come to Italy in 2005 and spent one year without any work. It was due to his close friend that he got work. Today, he is married to an Italian and has two daughters. Although he lives happily and earns Euro 2000 per month, he has a strict warning for Punjabis willing to come to Italy. “We have settled here somehow but it is very difficult for newcomers. I advise Punjabi youths not to come here after spending Rs 10 to 15 lakh. Instead, they should start their own business in Punjab with that money.”

It costs Rs 10 to 12 lakh to go to Italy with valid papers while it costs more to go to countries like France, Germany and England even illegally. The picture in England is no more rosier too. Recently, the London-based Evening Standard published a report narrating the terrible living conditions of Punjabis in London. The report stated: “There are at least 200 rough sleepers currently trying to survive the cold nights in the London borough of Southall, also known as ‘Little India’, where almost 60,000 local residents are thought to be of Indian, Punjabi origin. In British English parlance these men (and some women) are known as rough sleepers, those who have no homes of their own and spend the cold London nights (last month was the coldest December since 1659) in empty garages, along the roads, inside dustbins and anywhere else they think will give them some shelter.”

London-based Punjabi poet Amarjit Chandan, who has been living in London for the last three decades, told TSI, “Here you can get a room on low rent in the shabby localities. Many Punjabis live in just one room and have free food in the gurudwaras. These undocumented migrants are called 'Faujis' here.Some of them have taken to drugs, some indulge in stealing and land in jails. The government takes them to de-addiction centres and they somehow flee from there. The condition of women is far worse than that of men. Here the official minimum wage is around six Pounds per hour but if they get two Pounds per hour, they consider themselves to be lucky. Every youngster reaches here after shelling out lakhs and lakhs of rupees. Many Punjabi youths are coming on student visas these days. Out of a hundred of them, you will find only five real students. Others come here just to earn, not to study.”
Jaswinder Singh, who has just returned from France after spending two years there, shares his story: “There is no food, no work for hapless people like us there. Punjabis are almost dying of hunger. No one cares for them, not even their relatives. They just beg for work. Only God and I know how I have survived the two years.”

The situation in the Gulf states is no better. Harpreet Singh of Mehal Kalan village in Nawanshehr district, has returned after spending five years in Dubai. He told TSI, “Now, you can't earn much in the Gulf countries. A migrant labourer hardly saves Rs 6,000 to 7,000 a month there. If you work hard in Punjab, you can earn that much money. If you can earn as much here, then why go abroad?”