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Background – A Study of
Sikh Global Village:
In his spare time, Swarn wanted to contribute to
the field of Punjabi - Sikh Diaspora. He wanted to do something
out of the routine which could be more original and contribute
to the hitherto not-so-well known. A study of Sikhs in Northern
America, UK, S.E.A., and Australasia was ruled out as a lot
has been written about the Sikh presence in these areas. Furthermore,
it was thought that focus on “success” stories
alone would not be a true and total representation of Sikhs
settled overseas. So in order to complete the MAP OF SIKH
MIGRATION from Punjab and to fill in the gaps in Diaspora
knowledge, the following geographical areas were prioritized:
1. Latin America
2. Pacific Islands
3. CWE (Continental Western Europe)
Getting Started:
It was decided to make a start with Latin America. This was
to honour the “Farther the Better” spirit of early
migrants and accordingly Argentina was the first country to
be visited. The project was a hobby study for which both time
and money resources had to be mustered. It turned out to be
an expensive but very satisfying hobby! The most difficult
part was to locate the first few contacts in each country.
Besides desk survey of published literature, news items, articles
and books, extensive use was made of internet to ferret out
whatever information could be gleaned. Contact was also made
with the Indian Embassies. Some help was forthcoming but the
Embassies have their limitations. In these countries most
of the Sikh migrants have got totally assimilated. Visits
were also made to some of the villages in Punjab from where
the migrants had originally left. This was a useful experience.
One met some ‘returnees’ from these countries
specially Argentina who are now settled back in Punjab to
their comfort or otherwise.
Travel was not only expensive but had irritating elements
such as getting visas as a tourist. Up to now the author had
traveled on business where getting visas was comparatively
simple and easy because of the business contacts. However,
getting a ‘Tourist’ visa met with general suspicion
and disbelief-Latin American countries not being a popular
destination with the Indian tourists. Many Latin countries
require references to their Home Ministries for tourist visa
clearance which is time consuming. Embassies want to see confirmed
hotel bookings and airline tickets. Ecuador has a special
requirement of ‘Indian Police and Medical Clearance’.
All Sikhs even citizens of other countries need visa, an act
of discrimination no doubt. Travel to these far off countries
is not on the routine radar of Travel Agents in India.... |
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Article Published in The
Sikh Review |