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The
Other Indian Americans .....By
Lavina Melwani
A
stone’s throw away from the American border, a million
Indians call it home.
It’s
so near and yet so far. It’s a country spanning 5,514
kms and six time zones from east to west. Its land area,
third only after Russia and China, could contain 18
countries the size of France or 40 United Kingdoms.
Oceans on three sides surround it and its maritime boundary
could circle the earth more than six times. And nearly
a million people of Indian origin call it home. The
country? Canada, of course! It’s America’s closest neighbor,
that perennially forgotten cousin. Canada and America
are both nations in North America, yet the Land of the
Maple Leaf is overshadowed by its flashier sibling.
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It’s
within shouting distance of New York. In fact,
stand on the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls
and you can see, almost like a mirror image, American
tourists waving from across the border. Yet few
Indian Americans have connected with their desi
biradri across the border — socially, culturally
or economically.
Indians have been coming to Canada since the 1890’s
and though Lake Ontario may not have Lady Liberty
holding up her lamp, this country is one of the
most immigrant-friendly nations in the world and
quite partial to Indians.
Indeed,
at a time when America is turning increasingly
paranoid and inward-looking, closing its doors
to anyone who’s brown or has a strange-sounding
last name, Canada is spreading out the welcome
mat and turning on the porch light.
“We
need immigrants. We cannot survive without immigration,”
says Chantal Ramsay, manager, Business Immigration
Section, Ministry of Economic Development and
Trade in Toronto, in what would surely sound like
music to would-be immigrants’ ears. “By the year
2013, a 100 percent of our labor market growth
will come from immigration. There is no question
in anybody’s mind that we as a country are in
the business of attracting immigrants.”
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The
Indian community in Canada traces its origins to Vancouver
in the 1890’s when Sikhs worked on the Canadian National
Railroad, alongside Chinese laborers. While Vancouver
has a large Sikh and Ismaili community, Toronto has
drawn people from practically every part of India.
“Today the Indian origin community in the Greater Toronto
Area (GTA) is truly diverse, coming from India, East
Africa and the Gulf and are from backgrounds from all
over India,” says Divyabh Manchanda, Consul General
of India in Toronto. “Their professions are also very
wide ranging: business, professors, engineers, doctors,
taxi and lorry drivers and consultants.”
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to Manchanda, in the late 1960’s there were only
about 500 people of Indian origin in Toronto; by
the early 1970s their numbers rose to about 5,000
and in 2004, their number is estimated at almost
500,000. He says, “It is the probably the largest
population of Indian-origin people in one area in
the world.”
The
2001 Census recorded a South Asian population
of 917,000 and projections are that the population
has tipped well over a million by now. Over half
the Indian population is concentrated in the Toronto
Metro. The 500,000 South Asians in the city constitute
fully 10 percent of the metro’s population and
are the single largest minority group in the city,
larger than even the Chinese and the Black population.
The
next largest Indian concentration is in Vancouver,
which recorded a South Asian population in 2001
of 164,000. Other major Indian concentrations
are found in Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa.
As
we journeyed to Toronto from New York by Amtrak,
we encountered several Indian families on the
train, headed to meet relatives for the summer.
And yes, the very first Indian we saw as we emerged
out of Union Square Station in the heart of downtown
Toronto was a desi taxi driver.
New York or Toronto, some things never change!
Indeed,
walk through Toronto or drive through its suburbs,
and you cannot fail to see the Indian presence.
The beautiful city with its skyscrapers, its CN
Tower, the world’s largest structure, and the
lush Harborfront Center, is like a cooler, calmer
version of New York with an almost relaxed, European
feel to it.
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Ten
percent of Toronto’s population is South
Asian, the highest proportion outside India.
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At
the downtown hotel where we stayed, the Novotel, the
manager happened to be Indian. A Pakistani owned the
small gift shop in the hotel, and he became our instant
guide and advisor. In the lobby we met a young Bangladeshi
couple, both academics with new jobs at the university,
who had emigrated just a few days earlier and were putting
up at the hotel while they hunted for an apartment.
The father cradled a little boy in his arms, and looking
at these new migrants, you could feel a sense of movement,
of being in the midst of a churning sea of immigration.
When
we turned on the radio at random, we caught a Punjabi
station, a lively call-in show for drivers; another
time on another channel, it was very catchy Tamil bhajans
set to Bollywood music. Canada has a significant Tamil
population, not only from India, but also refugees from
the civil war in Sri Lanka, who have found a welcoming
home in Canada. The
Indian population in Greater Toronto tops 500,000, the
largest in any metro outside India.
In
fact, the Greater Toronto area boasts of nearly 30 South
Asian ethnic publications, including 16 Punjabi newspapers,
six in English, two Urdu papers as well as a few in
Hindi and Gujarati. One radio station, CMR, Canadian
Multicultural Radio, has been designated exclusively
for ethnic communities, and Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu
programs are all a large part of it. There are also
an estimated 30–40 South Asian radio programs, most
of which have bought time on mainstream stations and
some of these are very interactive call-in programs
in Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu and Hindi.
Walk down colorful Gerard Street in Toronto and you
see hundreds of sari boutiques, gold jewelry shops,
eateries and grocery stores and no fewer than five paan
shops! This continues to be the strongest Little India.
You will see a microcosm of South Asia — Sikhs in turbans,
women with hijabs, Sri Lankans, Muslims from many different
countries besides Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshi,s
as well as Arabs and Afghans.
Traveling
to the suburbs, to the towns of Mississauga, Brampton,
and Scarborough was even more of an eye-opener. Indians
have settled in large numbers in Missisauga, and driving
through the town you could see signs that told the story
of a nation in change: Nader Hallal Meat, Pakwanchi,
Royal Jewelers, Tandoor.
We ate lunch at Brar Sweets, a small restaurant franchise
in a strip mall, whose owners belong to the Radhaswami
sect and are strict vegetarians. The huge buffet boasted
many meatless delicacies that we had not tasted even
in New York, such as chutney and paneer fritters with
a dab of chili ketchup hidden inside the fried center.
We were told the food was cooked by elderly Sikh women
and no wonder it had such wholesome, home-cooked taste.
In all these towns, Little Indias have sprung up in
strip malls, and Little Sri Lankas too. You could call
them Little South Asias, because almost all the regions
are represented. In many places the enclaves juxtapose
so that it’s possible to purchase Hindu temple accessories,
Sri Lankan curries or hoppers, hallal meat and five
samosas for $1 — all in the same mall.
America
may have many thriving Indian communities, but nowhere
does one see the scores of temples, gurudwaras, churches,
mosques and jamat khanas for Ismailis, who are the followers
of the Aga Khan. The Toronto area alone has over 20
gurudwaras and over 50 temples, as well as 100 mosques,
which cater to Muslims from many different countries.
While
the Indian population in New York or California is large,
neither holds a candle to Toronto, both in size, but
even more significantly in proportion of the total city
population. Consequently, the different religious institutions
have a strong following. Visit one of the temples on
a festival day and you see thousands of devotees and
the sheer energy they bring. While some of these houses
of worship are grand structures, others are makeshift
ones in old houses or industrial complexes, some next
to auto shops and Kung Fu Centers.
“Toronto
is unique in the way of preserved culture with more
than 250 organizations which vary from cultural, language,
religion to community based,” says Arti Chandaria, an
arts activist who has been in Toronto since the 80’s.
“Living far away from home this helps in celebrating
festivals and religious events, and to showcase artistes
within the community.” She points out that individuals
belong to multiple organizations, based on their language,
religion, community group and cultural interests.
She adds, “Today the most amazing and promising cultural
renaissance is happening in the community as the next
generation has grown up and are at the age where they
are involved in the fabric of Canada and are growing
up as Canadians of Indian origin rather than as Indians
living in Canada.”
| Pradeep
Sood, president of the Indian Chamber of Commerce,
a national body with business councils in Ottawa
and Montreal, which celebrated its 27th anniversary
this year, has been in Toronto since 1990, moving
from Delhi via Kenya and Tanzania.
He
says many Indians came to Canada from Africa with
Kenyan or Tanzania passports, not necessarily
as Indian nationals. Says Sood, who is himself
an Indian citizen: “In Kenya it was very common
for a family to have one son in Canada and another
in London. Sort of hedging their bets.”
Indians
are the second largest immigrant population in
Canada, after the Chinese. India is also the second
largest source of new immigration to Canada, after
China. In 2003, almost 25,000 Indians and another
12,000 Pakistanis immigrated to Canada.
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Gerard
Street boasts no fewer than five paan shops.
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“Unlike
earlier, now they are more educated — 75 percent are
skilled workers,” Sood says, pointing out that the Indian
community is young and vibrant, constantly growing,
with over a third of the population under the age of
24. The average household income of Indians in Canada
at $54291 (US$41,748), is almost 16 percent higher than
the national median household income of $46,752 (US$35,966).
Says Sood, “Most come from India with zero income base,
they literally start from scratch and because every
year 20,000 are coming, the averages move down. Yet,
there are many making six figure incomes too.”
Surjit
Babra, whose company SkyLink began operating over 20
years ago with a single travel agency, has grown to
include several operating companies and joint ventures,
including a network of worldwide travel offices representing
over 30 major airlines. It also has its own fleet of
aircraft to provide international charter flights
For those living in Canada, it’s a good place to be.
Sood says Indian Canadians have blended well, partly
also because the country is so adapting and accommodating:
“The community here is very well knit, and accessing
or meeting people here is very easy as compared to the
U.S. Here everything’s much closer — even though Indians
are spread out. There are really no ghettos.”
Indians
are well entrenched in the transportations sector, as
truck drivers and taxi drivers. Many others have ventured
into small businesses and franchises like Tim Horton,
Second Cup, Pizza Hut and Burger King, as well as the
hotel and motel business, like in the United States.
Sood says it’s difficult to fully gauge the economic
muscle of the community, “You’ve got to understand our
community is one of those who keep quiet about what
they’re doing. They downplay what they have so very
often you don’t know the size of the person.”
| Ajit
Adophia, a community activist and journalist who
has written for The Toronto Star, has lived in Mississauga
for many years. He observes about the strong, close-knit
Sikh community: “Because of their demographic strength
they are able to exert quite a bit of political
clout, both federally and provincially, and they
have elected eight members of parliament in Canada
because of their numbers and concentration.”
Canada
also has a large community of Ismailis from Africa,
who chose to re-emigrate all over the world, especially
Canada and the United States.
There’s
also a significant population of people of Indian
origin from the West Indies, from Trinidad and
Guyana. Many of them, in fact, had journeyed from
Goa to the West Indies and one encounters many
Fernandezs and De Silvas.
“Another
interesting phenomenon is that we have a lot of
Indian and Pakistani nationals coming in but they
don’t come in from their home countries, they
come in from the Middle East or they come in from
Africa,” says Ramsey. “ It’s a very complex thing
and we track less by ethnicity as by nationality.”
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In
many areas, the enclaves juxtapose, so that
it’s possible to purchase Hindu temple accessories,
Sri Lankan curries, hallal meat, or five
samosas for $1 — all in the same mall.
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Yet no matter where the sea of immigrants of Indian
origin comes from, they generally come into Canada as
skilled workers, rather than through the business immigration
category, which has largely been used by the Chinese
community, who often were bootstrap entrepreneurs.
According to Ramsay, for Indians, the business immigration
category, as a whole, accounts for 6 to 10 percent of
the overall immigration in any one given year. She says,
“It’s a relatively small portion, but you don’t have
to have a huge movement for it to be successful. And
there are lots of immigrants who come under other categories,
such as family or professional, who end up going into
business anyway.”
Ramsay adds, “The three big cities, Toronto, Vancouver
and Montreal, are draws for our immigrants because there
is the infrastructure, both cultural and social.”
America
and Canada may be neighbors, but the immigration policies
seem worlds apart. “You don’t have quotas in Canada
and we have an active program to attract skilled workers
to Canada,” says Ramsay. “The U.S. program is largely
family-based and quota based, so it might take you 20
years to bring over your relative in the U.S. There
is an independent movement, but it’s so elitist that
it’s very hard to qualify for it.”
In Canada, immigration is structured on merit, with
a point system based on age, profession, education,
adaptability and language skills. In Canada, unlike
the United States, immigration is a shared jurisdiction
between the federal and provincial government. The provinces
are interested in attracting people to their areas so
immigration fairs are held in different parts of the
world.
Says
Ramsay, “It’s like doing any kind of trade show. You
set up booths and you try to sell them on the idea of
coming to Canada first, and then the provinces have
friendly competition in saying ‘Pick me, pick me.’”
There has clearly been a change in the American attitude
to the immigration movement, post 9/11, which has impacted
South Asian immigrant groups in the United States disproportionately.
Has that meant greater interest in Canada? Says Ramsay,
“I certainly receive more phone calls from South Asians
who are concerned about their tenuous status.”
And what may be useful for Indians in America to know
is that Canada is particularly attracted to Indians
on H1-B visas, many of whom are forced to return home
when their visa runs out and they can’t find employment
in the United States.
| “From
a Canadian standpoint, these individuals make fabulous
potential immigrants, because they have North American
work experience, they are usually working in hi-tech
industry and they are motivated to remain in the
North American context, and they speak English.
How great is that?” says Ramsay. The Canadian government
has conducted seminars in the United States targeting
H1-B visa holders, working with TiE Tri-State in
New York.
Says
Ramsay, “Without appearing to be a poacher, I
believe there are opportunities for us to look
to the United States for many third country nationals
that are there who may wish to avail themselves
of a country that is not only perceived to be,
but I believe, is, more immigrant friendly.”
While
Indian Americans and Indian Canadians have not
usually been big business partners, Canada is
trying to build those bridges by working with
TiE to jump start collaborations to expand to
Canada. In fact two TiE companies actually ultimately
made a business decision to set up operations
in Canada. Others, like Satyam Computers, are
multinational, with offices in both Canada and
the U.S.
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Kiran
Ahluwalia receiving the World Music Album
on the Year.
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Sood,
of the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, acknowledges
the lack of Indian Canadian and Indian American businesses
linkups with a few notable exceptions. Robin Hood, a
mainstream Canadian company, is the largest supplier
of atta flour and produces Golden Temple atta, which
is exported to America. Since Canada is a rich source
of Durham wheat, several mills cater to the Indian food
industry. Rubicon is one of the largest companies dealing
in processed foods and juices. Several other Indian
Canadian grocery suppliers have also entered the U.S.
market.
Dr. Sen Gelda, who’s originally from Rajasthan, came
in 1954 to the United States for further studies in
dairy science and secured his PhD from the University
of Minnesota. After teaching in the United States he
was hired by Borden in Canada. On retiring he started
Gelda Foods and his sons joined him in the business,
which has four divisions — pharmaceuticals, cosmetics,
research lab and food manufacturing and distributing.
The company, now in its 27th year is now run by his
two sons.
Gelda shared his observations as a businessman in Canada
for 40 years: “We call it more of a friendly country.
People who’ve been to the U.S. find that country a little
bit rough, not that friendly and there’s more prejudice
there they think. Since 9/11 a lot of these situations
are more, especially the Sikh community in the U.S.
finds it more — if you have turbans or beards — more
prejudice is automatically there.” He says that even
some Indians from the Middle East are leaving the United
States and moving to Canada for the same reasons.
He feels even the climate for business is discouraging.
Any sample of food going to a customer has to be registered
with the FDA first, and the customer has to be registered
with the FDA to be allowed to receive the sample now.
A box of rotis he sent to a client in Dallas was destroyed
and the empty box taped and sent to the client.
“A lot of Americans are very high strung about America:
how big and almighty they are, but they think very little
of Canada itself. It’s just a small country up north.
They have very little knowledge of Canada itself, how
big it is, how beautiful it is, which we find. Even
Indians who live in America become Americanized — all
they talk about is America.”
| At
the same time, Gelda admits that the opportunities
are greater in America, with more risk taking. He
says, “Here in Canada we have an overflow of too
many doctors and professionals from India who are
working at jobs which are not utilizing their talents.
Any professionals who come here, it takes them at
least two years to get into their own field, because
Canada doesn’t recognize the degrees that you have
from India.”
While
many of these degrees are not recognized in the
United States either, Gelda says that because
of greater opportunities, professionals find it
easier in the United States. Some people in Canada,
he says, have to move away from their own field
and go into business even though they are doctors
or lawyers.
While
new immigrants take some time to settle down,
he says the ones who came in the 70’s have done
exceedingly well.
In
this breathtaking global world, businesses are
interlinked in strange ways. Diamonds have become
a major industry in Canada and almost $750 million
worth of diamonds go to Gujarat in India for cutting.
Sood
says, “They don’t go directly, but via Amsterdam,
so it gets recorded as Amsterdam trade and not
Indian. But it’s a trade that has started from
here and gone and helped the economy in India,
because the cutting is done there and then is
sent out all over the world. So there are a lot
of these things that don’t get recorded.”
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You’ve
got to understand our community is one of
those who keep quiet about what they’re
doing. They downplay what they have, so
very often you don’t know the size of the
person.”
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But
perhaps the greatest distinction between the Indian
community across the border is in the political arena.
Indian Canadians have penetrated the glass ceiling of
some of the highest political offices in the country,
which seems so remote for most Indian Americans, who
are still at the fundraising and photo ops stage, with
very few actually running for office.
Ujjal
Dosanjh, who served as premier and attorney general
of British Columbia, serves as minister for health in
Prime Minister Paul Martin’s government. Ten Indian
serve as members in the federal parliament, including
Dr. Ruby Dhalla, the first Indian woman to be ever elected
to this position.
The Indian Canadian community is also entrenched in
the cultural and social life of Canada, both with its
own organizations as well as mainstream ones. Arti Chandaria,
publisher of artsNow, an email newsletter that promotes
South Asian art and artists, says, “People say in Canada
the multiculturalism is a mosaic,” she says. “I find
that the mosaic is important, because it helps people
to co-exist, but I would like to see people integrate
and interact with each other more.” She sees this interaction
strengthening with the younger generation.
Pamela Arora, a second generation Indian Canadian whose
parents emigrated from Amritsar is the editor of Anokhi
Vibe, a glossy magazine aimed at young Indian Canadians,
which celebrates their success in music, arts, medicine
and technology.
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“Canada
is a hotbed for successful and creative Indo-Canadians,”
she says. ҼThey are so many bright, second gen
South Asians who are choosing non-traditional
and traditional paths as career options. There
also is a great entrepreneurial spirit that exists
here.”
Chat
with Arora and you see the range of ventures this
young, vibrant generation is engaged in: There’s
Nisha Pahuja, whose lively documentary Bollywood
Bound is about young Indian Canadians yearning
to make it big in Bollywood;
Mitra
Sen, who produced and directed the very empathic
short film Little Red Dot about cultural understanding;
Sen also plays a big role in the ReelWorld Film
Festival where many South Asian films that make
their debut appearance.
Mohit
Rajhans has created Filmi, a South Asian film
festival that is attached to the Mehndi Masti
Masala Festival.
Then
there’s mybindi.com, a social organization that
is well known in Canada for its interaction with
second-generation Indian Canadians. Young South
Asians are also contributing their pulsating rhythms
to Canadian music, including such groups as Riksha
and Lal, both in Toronto and the Mantraboys in
Vancouver. Acclaimed Canadian ghazal artist Kiran
Ahluwalia won a 2004 Juno Award in the Best World
Music Album category for her latest release Beyond
Boundaries.
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Pamela
Arora, editor of Anokhi Vibe: “Canada is a
hotbed for successful and creative Indo-Canadians.” |
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“Yes,
the mainstream media has opened up to Indians simply
because they are sharp, talented young people that are
highly qualified for the job,” says Arora. “There are
a few role models for us. People like Ian Hanomansing,
Suhanna Merachand and Monika Deol broke into the industry
at a time when seeing an ethnic person on prime time
news was not likely. They are highly respected and recognized
for blazing a trail and making headway for the many
South Asian media personalities that are part of Canadian
media today.”
Then of course there are the big names, which are recognized
internationally and whom Canada has embraced as its
own. Director Deepa Mehta has made deeply moving films
from Fire and Earth to the comedy Bollywood/Hollywood,
which are viewed as Canadian movies, opening at the
Toronto Film Festival to critical acclaim.
Writer
Rohinton Mistry, who was born in Bombay, now lives near
Toronto, and received the Commonwealth Writers Prize
for Best Book of the Year for his first novel Such a
long Journey and the Giller Prize for A Fine Balance,
besides many other awards.
M.G. Vassanji, who was born in Kenya and raised in Tanzania,
came to Canada in 1978. He is the author of five acclaimed
novels, including The Gunny Sack, which won a regional
Commonwealth Prize, The Book of Secrets that won the
very first Giller Prize and The In-Between World of
Vikram Lall, the winner of the 2003 Giller Prize, which
awards $25,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian
novel or short story collection published in English.
| Vassanji,
whose multilayered, absorbing novels have been very
well received in Canada over the years, was awarded
the Harbourfront Festival Prize in 1994 as one of
12 Canadians on Maclean’s Honor Roll. This year
he was nominated for the Commonwealth Writers Prize
for Best Book. It’s hard to think of any Indian
American author who has been honored as much in
America.
º“In
the early 70’s there was a phobia in Canada about
the immigrants coming in from the newly independent
countries in Africa and Caribbean,” Vassanji says.
“The people were not really used to it, but now
it’s a place where it’s so comfortable for immigrants,
especially in the big cities.”
Nearly
a quarter of Canada’s population is foreign born.
Says Vassanji. “People everywhere just accept
differences whereas earlier it was seen as an
encroachment on their territory or on their country
or culture,” he says.
“Now
it is a part of Canadian culture and identity
to celebrate differences and diversity of society.
I believe — and I think many people believe that
— it is the identity of the country.”
He
travels to remote parts of Canada, to small towns
and big cities in New Brunswick or Alberta
for readings, to find attentive audiences. He
says, “I get to travel quite a bit through Canada
and really I feel very comfortable. Nobody questions
the fact that I was born elsewhere and I feel
proud to say I was born elsewhere.”
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Chandaria:
“Toronto is unique in the way of preserved
culture with more than 250 organizations.” |
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“The
Indians are not assimilated because that concept doesn’t
exist in Canada, fortunately,” says Vassanji. “ In England
or the U.S. assimilation is still a concept. People
are coming in all the time so Canada itself has changed.
Every culture is legitimate.”
| Vassanji’s
wife Nurjehan Aziz heads TSAR Publications, which
is dedicated to bringing the reading public fresh
writing which reflects the global influences, multicultural
works pertaining especially to Asia and Africa.
The
company publishes 6-8 titles a year and Aziz emphasizes
that these works are well received, reviewed by
mainstream publications and the authors invited
on television programs.
Indian
writers who have bagged prizes in Canada include
Nalini Warriar who won the Quebec Writers’ Federation
prize for First Book for Blues from the Malabar
Coast, and Rajinderpal S Pal, author of Papaji
Wrote Poetry in a Language I Cannot Read, who
won the Alberta Prize for First Work.
The
noted poet Cyril Dabydeen, who was born in Guyana,
has written powerful poetry juxtaposing his life
in Canada and the Caribbean, often harking back
to his Indian origins. His books include My Brahmin
Days and Other stories and Hemisphere of Love.
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The
Sears Department Store featured an Indian
costume display in collaboration with the
Indian consulate.
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In
a review, the Toronto Star called him simply “A gifted
Canadian poet.” Not Indian, not Indian Canadian, not
West Indian Canadian. Simply Canadian.
And
that, perhaps, is the strength of Canada. You can be
any color or ethnicity, but in this country, which is
remaking itself every day in the mirror image of its
changing population, you can be every inch a Canadian.
So is this a real Utopia for immigrants – or just a
shimmering Shangri-La of the imagination? The opinions
are mixed. Binoy Thomas, the editor of The Weekly Voice,
an Indian weekly newspaper in Toronto, has seen the
gap between promise and actual results in the lives
of new immigrants.
He
insists that immigrants are doing much better in the
United States. Many people from India and Pakistan came
to Canada during the past few years on the assumption
that Canada wants skilled people, but in spite of their
qualifications, they did not find work and some even
returned home.
“It’s not a very open society. They need immigrants,
but their local systems are closed. It’s a very discriminatory
system with a regimented approach to employment,” he
says. “There is a big debate in Canada and many politicians
admit that this is a problem, but the debate is just
beginning.”
He
points out that there are over 2,500 doctors who are
unable to practice their calling and some are reduced
to delivering pizzas: “According to Health Canada Statistics
they have a huge deficit of 2,000-3,000 doctors but
the regulatory bodies are all powerful. And these foreign
qualified doctors are not being given a chance to practice.”
He
adds, “It’s ghettoization in the name of multiculturalism
and it’s not working.
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People
always look at you for your turban, they don’t
see that under the turban you could have a brain.
In
a job situation, they give you dignity in an ethnic
sense, but they don’t want to accept you as a
capable, perhaps even better person than they
are.”
The
problems stem in part from an anemic economy.
Says Thomas, “There are far too many immigrants
and too few opportunities.
There
was a time when Canada paid for your plane ticket
and brought you to your workplace the next day
after you landed. The good old times, you talk
about it. But now it’s a very different society.
Even politicians have realized it. If you don’t
or can’t use the talent then the country doesn’t
benefit.”
But
for many, Canada is a place to start over.
Rita
Sadhwani lost her husband just as they were set
to immigrate to Canada from Poona. As a young
widow with three little children, it seemed hard
to imagine any kind of a future. Yet she gathered
her courage and with few resources, left for this
unknown new country.
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Ruby
Dhalla, seen here with Prime Minister Paul
Martin, became the first Indian woman member
of the federal parliament. Another Indian
Ujjal Dosanjh has served as premier of a
Canadian province.
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On
arrival, she found a job as a substitute teacher
and in a few years became a full time teacher in
the Canadian school system. Today, she has a wonderful
success story to tell. She loves her job and her
three children are all grown and doing brilliantly
in university.
She
feels that the plane journey from India to Canada
was the best step she undertook, because it enabled
her to fulfill the family’s dreams and allowed
the children to reach their full potential. With
shining eyes, she showed us around the house she
has finally purchased, a cosy three-bedroom house
in North York with a small garden bursting with
roses, lilies and marigolds. She says simply,
“Canada has been very good to us.”
(Originally
published in
Little India)
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