5. Punjab Villages

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 especially Argentina and Bolivia who are now settled back in Punjab, to their comfort or otherwise.

6. Challenges

The project was a personal 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. From one or two initial contacts, some idea could be gleaned as to places needed to be visited and persons to be met. However, the real story unfolded only on arrival. Pre arrival contacts being limited, one had to improvise at all times to meet with as many immigrants as feasible. One got more leads from whosoever one met and stories got developed like the 'Panchtantra'. Logistics of contacting persons on arrival and setting up meetings was a challenge. Language was another barrier, both for interviewing people and for study of the limited documents and published literature. Spanish is the language of Latin America except for Portuguese in Brazil. 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 relatively 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. Because of the illegal migration, there seemed to be some kind of a racket expecting monetary incentive at embassies especially at the first level of contact employing Indian staff. Many Latin countries require references to their Home Ministries for tourist visa clearance which is time consuming. Ecuador has a special requirement of 'Indian Police and Medical Clearance' for all Indian visitors. 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 and the information available with them is somewhat rudimentary. Visa Issuing Embassies require confirmed tickets and hotel reservations at the time of putting in visa application. Considerable time and financial resources are needed to just get started. Let's face it, "No one wants the Indians". He must struggle at each step. This experience, however, did give me a glimpse of the plight of migrants who travelled with no language skills and meagre funds in the pocket and with nothing to fall back on. This study is, in a small measure, a salute to these heroes.