GaramChai Desis in Europa
Bollywood discovered Switzerland as an exotic place for its movies in the 1990s. At least since then well-off 'Indian' tourists travel there on their trip to Europe. But the picturesque country attracts not only tourists, but also migrants from 'South Asia'. In fact, it has one of the highest proportions of 'Indians' and 'Pakistanis' per head of population in the 'European' comparison, and the absolute number of 'Tamils' is even higher. The former figures might be due to the restrictive naturalisation rules, which make it very difficult to obtain the Swiss citizenship, the latter are the signs of the major 'Tamil' residence of asylum in 'Europe' .
Like in Germany and Austria the first 'South Asians' to come to Switzerland were students and freedom fighters. Günther and Rehmer (1999, 54-55) refer to a Pro India Committee and a magazine “Pro India” which existed in Zürich in 1912. This early presence of 'Indians' in Switzerland might explain that among the 'Indians' living in the country some are older than 65 years. Most of the 'South Asians' migrants are, however, in the working age of 20 to 39 years, and increasingly there are small children below 14 years. The single largest communities are 'Sri Lankans', who are predominantly 'Tamil' Hindus . |
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Immigrant Hinduism in Switzerland: Tamils from Sri Lanka and Their Temples: Hinduism in Switzerland consists of a diversity of different groups and traditions. As in India and elsewhere none can claim to speak out for "the Hindus".
Viewpoints on Indians in Europe
- Indian Firms Train Workers to Handle Continental Clients: On the campus of Infosys Technologies Ltd. here, a group of engineers recently learned the basics of French dining etiquette: Always stand when a woman enters the room, never put your elbows on the table and, most important, don't discuss business during the meal. ... As a result, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., India's largest outsourcing company by sales, generates just 10% of its $5.8 billion in revenue from continental Europe, mostly from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the Nordic countries. Wipro Ltd. puts the Continent's contribution to its revenue at 15%. By contrast, both companies get more than 50% of their revenue from North America. .... "They're a little more rigid" in Europe, says Ayan Mukeherji, head of European operations at Wipro. "Laws can't change overnight, and we understand that." He adds, "I think, over time, they will develop more trust with us." - (Wall Street Journal)
- Europe's fear of pinstriped Indian: Polish plumber, step aside. The new archetype of the threat to Europe is the Indian in pinstripes. Or so it seemed this week, as French political and corporate elites shaped Mittal Steel's hostile bid of E18.6 billion, or $22.5 billion, for its European rival Arcelor into nothing less than a corporate clash of civilizations. ( the International Herald Tribune)
- Portugal attracting skilled Indian immigrants: An interesting statistic about Indian immigrants in Europe is that Portugal has among the largest numbers of people of Indian origin. According to the report of the high level committee on the Indian diaspora, Portugal has about 70,000 PIOs and NRIs. “Indian immigration to Portugal has happened in different waves from the 16th Century onwards. The first wave was the Portuguese ships which carried craftsmen, tailors and others with specialised skills from India to Portugal. They have had a distinct influence on the architecture and culture of our country. The second wave was of Goan intellectuals who went to Portugal to study and then settled down and the third and most significant wave was in 1961, when the people of Goa were given the choice of opting for Portuguese citizenship. Economic Times
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