The Tribune – Festivities minus the youth: As the young Punjabis migrate in hordes, their absence is visible in weddings and other social events

Overseas migration trends from rural Punjab

Mohit Khanna

Navroop Singh, who belongs to Fatehgarh Churian in Gurdaspur district, recently came from Canada to attend a cousin’s wedding. What struck him the most was the absence of younger family members in the baraat (wedding party).

As the wedding season kicks off in Punjab, a noticeable shift can be seen in the composition of the baraat. A significant number of youngsters are missing from the festivities since most of them have moved abroad, either on study visa or to settle permanently.

Amarjit Singh Bhullar, former Professor, Department of Economics, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, has done extensive research on the migration patterns of youngsters from Punjab to Canada.

Starting with Partition in 1947, he says, Punjab has witnessed sweeping migration over the past 75 years. The numbers, which picked up in the 1960s, have been steadily growing since the pandemic. More than 1.42 lakh students left the country in 2022 and close to 87,000 bid adieu to Punjab in 2023, he adds.

Bhullar says the Canadian economy has benefited immensely from the inflow of international students. In 2022, they contributed an estimated $22 billion to Canada’s GDP.

According to him, the increasing number of young individuals pursuing studies abroad is reshaping the dynamics of traditional celebrations. He predicts that the time is not far when weddings will start taking place overseas.

According to Bhullar, the hike in rentals, interest rates and paucity of jobs in Canada have led to youngsters looking for other options like studying in the United Kingdom and Australia.

But the rate at which the Canadian population is ageing, policymakers would continue to invite younger immigrants through Canada’s multiple immigration pathways, including granting permanent residency (PR), he says.

“The high cost of living in Canada is making survival tough. Many Punjabis have taken huge loans to go abroad. They find it difficult to return to India to attend a wedding as it would mean extra expenditure. Instead, the weddings are streamed live on YouTube and Facebook for them,” says Navroop.

Besides weddings, this change is visible in sports melas and cultural events, which are struggling to maintain the lively atmosphere that youth participation brings. Jagroop Singh Jarkhar has been organising youth sports events for the past 25 years at Jarkhar village in Ludhiana.

Voicing concern over the challenges he has been facing lately in organising such events, he says the dwindling participation of youth has impacted the vibrancy of large-scale sports melas in the region.

“I urged my son to visit the village from the US to host the tournament, but he expressed reluctance due to his tight schedule. In the surrounding villages, a considerable exodus of youngsters in pursuit of a more promising future has left a void in the community’s social fabric,” says Jarkhar.

Meanwhile, many are finding it simpler and financially viable to marry their children abroad instead of having them come back for the wedding. Lakhwinder Singh, a resident of Amritsar, returned recently from Canada after conducting his daughter’s wedding ceremony in Brampton.

Both his sons had migrated to Canada five years back while his daughter left the country two years back.

“Similar to my situation, the children of my friends and relatives are now settled abroad. The essence of marriage is to commemorate youthfulness. With only the elderly left here and many facing medical complications, I decided to plan my daughter’s wedding in Canada.

If we had chosen to celebrate the wedding in Punjab, a significant number of youngsters in the family would have missed the event, since besides my children, many of their cousins would have had to make a special trip back home.

Spending a considerable amount on air tickets, shopping and travel seemed unnecessary. Therefore, the groom’s parents and my family decided to solemnise the wedding in Canada itself,” explains Lakhwinder Singh.

Barjesh Kumar, who manages a store specialising in wedding dress material in Ludhiana, has expanded his business with establishments in Surrey and Brampton. “Since a lot of youngsters are moving to Canada, we have established our presence there too. Our two stores there are managed by my daughters.

The elder one is overseeing the operations in Surrey while the younger one attends to customers in Brampton.” The entrepreneur adds, “We also provide shipping services for suits, sarees and dress material from India.”

Writer, poet and cultural activist Gurbhajan Singh Gill has a different take on Punjabi weddings losing sheen. He sees it as more of a cultural issue because of the influence of social media and commercialisation.

“Children in urban as well as rural areas are reluctant to participate in family wedding functions alongside their parents. They prefer visiting malls, nightclubs and to engross themselves in managing their social media accounts,”he says.

Valid point, perhaps, but no one can deny the stark reality that Punjab’s youth brigade is leaving for good in hordes.

https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/features/festivities-minus-the-youth-as-the-young-punjabis-migrate-in-hordes-their-absence-is-visible-in-weddings-and-other-social-events-583105

Panjab Times – Transnational Licence to Kill?

After Canadian allegations regarding Indian hand behind the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, indictment by Southern District of New York, of Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, for attempted murder of a Sikh activist, has not come as any surprise.

Gurmukh Singh

London UK – 07 December 2023. Unlike Canada, the US agencies have at least sufficient evidence for the court to issue an indictment. The plot is linked to an official of the Indian Government intelligence agency.

However, when discussing this sensitive topic, it must be remembered that nothing has been proven against the Indian state through the law courts. The earlier allegation by Canada against India was premature and ill-advised without proof.

It is time to reflect much more seriously about the multi-dimensional implications for the global image and internal unity of India. Community relations in diaspora countries can be affected. Let us focus on one or two important aspects from a Sikh viewpoint.

If this is a political gamble to win over extreme right nationalist votes in India in 2024 elections, then this would be a very short-sighted tactic. Indian politicians need to keep in mind that the unity of the diverse Indian communities and states, especially northern and south divides, can only be based on consensus.

Unity cannot be forced. Democratic institutional checks and balances must not be tampered with. When force is used, that will give rise to revolts. That is the historical lesson for ultra-right nationalist elements in India. More recent is the international dimension.

Killing Sikh activists abroad under whatever pretext, can only do longer-term damage to the image and interests of India even if its agencies become more sophisticated and do not get caught!

If the BJP Government is involved in the targeted killing of Sikh activists abroad as alleged by the US with prima facie evidence, then that will certainly weaken the position of the moderate Sikhs abroad.

That will not be in Indian interest. That is the repeated Sikh experience after 1984 because of continual provocations.

Otherwise, unfortunately, there is nothing new about extra-judicial killings in most countries including India. Covert operations by the US CIA readily come to mind. Panjab is accustomed to false encounters by the police. Late Jaswant Singh Khalra uncovered the illegal killings and cremations of 25,000 Sikhs.

Allegedly, even some police officers unwilling to co-operate were not spared. So, there is nothing new in extrajudicial killings in India. If such killings are now transnational then there is bound to be a reaction from other governments mindful of impact on own law and order.

Sikhs have experienced ten years of genocide which started in June 1984 with the invasion of Darbar Sahib and dozens of historical gurdwaras by own Indian Army. Victim families still await justice.

So, killing of Sikh activists abroad will not stop lawful Sikh activism but fuel it. Responsible community leaders and law enforcement agencies can only hope that any reaction will continue to be within the law.

In percentage terms diaspora Sikhs numbers are significant. By far, most Sikhs are law-abiding as other Indian communities. However, it is not always possible for community mentors to stop next generations to react to the killing of Sikh activists at home and abroad, allegedly, by Indian state agents.

Otherwise, as a senior Sikh Indian colleague observed recently, Sikh history and aspirations may be unique but so is the Sikh demonstrated sense of belonging and contribution for the well-being of this land, India.

Gurmukh Singh OBE

Principal Civil Servant retd (UK)
Panjab Times – London UK

New India Express – ‘Go home Indian’: Sikh restaurateur racially targeted in Australia

Jarnail ‘Jimmy’ Singh, who runs ‘Dawat – The Invitation’ restaurant in Hobart, Tasmania, said he has been continuously targeted for over the last two, three months.

A Sikh restaurateur living in Australia for 15 years, has been left shaken after he found excrement smeared on his car for several days in a row and racist letters that told him, “go home, Indian”.

Melbourne – Australia. A Sikh restaurateur living in Australia for 15 years, has been left shaken after he found excrement smeared on his car for several days in a row and racist letters that told him – “go home, Indian”.

Jarnail ‘Jimmy’ Singh, who runs ‘Dawat – The Invitation’ restaurant in Hobart, Tasmania, said he has been continuously targeted for over the last two, three months.

“It’s mentally very stressful when it comes to your house, and particularly (being targeted) with your name on it… It’s too much mental stress. Something has to be done,” Singh told ABC News on Tuesday.

Singh first assumed the letter had been written by a young person, and did his best to ignore it, according to the report.

Recounting the first incident, he said dog excrement was smeared on the door handles of his car for four or five days in a row, followed by a racist letter in his driveway, telling him “go home, Indian”.

While the incidents were brought to the notice of police and video cameras were installed at his property, the spiteful letters continued to arrive.

He told ABC News that the next letter was received about a month later, and it was even more offensive than the first — including comments like “you can **** off back to India”.

His car was also scratched outside his workplace.

“This kind of thing has to be stopped. Definitely, we do need a change,” Singh rued.

Tasmania Police Commander Jason Elmer said in a statement that the incidents had been reported to police and were being investigated.

He said current legislation allowed for courts to “consider that a motivation of racial hatred or prejudice can be an aggravating factor in sentencing”.

Commander Elmer said there was “no excuse for any form of verbal or physical harassment” in the community, and that people were encouraged to contact police immediately if they believe they have been the victim of a prejudice-related incident.

Aimen Jafri, the chair of the Multicultural Council of Tasmania, told ABC that incidents like those experienced by Singh were far too common – and increasing.

“It’s definitely getting worse at the moment,” she said.

Singh said he hoped speaking out about his experiences could help prevent others from facing anything similar.

After police opened the investigation, Singh took to his social media page and wrote that “there is no space for racism in our beautiful country, Australia”.

He also thanked his supporters and customers who “stood with him in hard times”.

“I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude for the incredible support I have received in many ways, phone calls, messages, and personal visits to our restaurant just to check on me,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2023/nov/16/go-home-indian-sikh-restaurateur-racially-targeted-in-australia-2633432.html

The Print – In a 1st, SGPC to print Guru Granth Sahib outside India, its only press outside India to come up in The USA

Decision taken Tuesday during Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s executive committee meeting in Amritsar. Gurdwara & religious preaching centre to also come up at America’s Tracy City.

Chitleen K Sethi

Amritsar – Panjab – India, 05 September 2023. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will be setting up its first printing press in the USA dedicated to the publishing of the saroops (scriptures) of Guru Granth Sahib.

This will also be the first centre outside India publishing the saroops of Guru Granth Sahib.

The decision was taken Tuesday during the SGPC executive committee’s meeting in Amritsar.

The press will be established in Tracy city of California, where the Dharam Prachar Kendra (religious preaching centre) of the SGPC will also be set up.

In India, there are only two centres – one at the Harmandr complex in Amritsar and another at Delhi – that can print the Guru Granth Sahib. The saroops are dispatched from Amritsar and Delhi to gurdwaras across the world. The transportation, too, has to be done following the Sikh maryada (code of conduct).

Created under the Sikh Gurdwaras Act of 1925, the SGPC is the sole body authorised to print and distribute the Guru Granth Sahib.

Considered to be a living Guru by the Sikhs, the printing of the Guru Granth Sahib has to be done following a strict code of conduct. No private or government entity can print the Guru Granth Sahib, nor is its copying or cyclostyling allowed.

Briefing the media after the meeting, SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami said an offer was made by Sikh NRIs Gian Singh Sandhu of Canada and eminent businessman Karnail Singh Sandhu of the USA, in Tracy City where a gurdwara will be set up along with the press and the religious preaching centre.

Dhami said the SGPC will soon be shipping 220 saroops to Australia as per maryada by sea. These decisions have been taken in view of the huge demand for saroops from the Sikh community across the globe, he added.

In another significant decision, Dhami said that the historical Sri Guru Ramdas Library situated in the complex of Golden Temple will be digitised.

“The library set up in 1927 contains a treasure of Sikh literature which will be digitised and will be available for access for readers and researchers through a separate website,” he said.

Special attention will be given to the re-publishing of old important books, under which, a new edition of the book ‘Sachi Sakhi’ by Sirdar Kapur Sahib has been published and released. Along with this, the list of Punjabi books available in Sri Guru Ramdas Library has also been published.

The Print – The Print – The Print

05 – 09 – 2023

The Spectator – Will India ever get back the Koh-i-Noor diamond?

Jawad Iqbal

New Delhi – India, 02 June 2023. India has not yet got its hands on the Koh-i-Noor, despite the county’s many efforts to retrieve the diamond from Britain’s crown jewels. But the ongoing controversy over the jewel has obscured the success of the country’s wider efforts to repatriate cultural and historical artefacts.

Since 2014 India’s leader Narendra Modi has made it his personal mission to secure the return of priceless treasures, including thousands of manuscripts taken during or after the colonial era.

The strategy has been an ingenious way of winning the moral argument for the return of the world’s most famous diamond, by securing the return of much less controversial treasures from Britain and other nations.

Modi has now succeeded in bringing back cultural artefacts from his trips to many countries including Canada, Australia and the United States.

India wants ‘cooperation in manuscripts in a manner consistent with existing international arrangements,’ an unnamed government representative told the news website Politico.

That what was stolen must be returned has an indisputably powerful resonance

It’s an approach that is paying big dividends. In 2021 Modi returned to India with 157 artefacts handed back during an official visit to the United States. Half of the collection consisted of figurines linked to Hinduism and Buddhism.

In July last year Modi thanked Australia for returning 29 Indian-origin artefacts that had been taken from the country illegally: the haul included sculptures, paintings, photographs and a scroll dating back to the ninth century.

Last year Glasgow Museums agreed to return seven stolen artefacts, the first repatriation to India from a UK museum.

Six of the items, including 14th century carvings and 11th century stone door jams, were stolen from shrines and temples in the 19th century. They were later gifted to Glasgow Museums.

Oxford’s Ashmolean Museum has reportedly been approached about returning a bronze idol taken from a temple in southern India. The British Museum and the V&A also face separate claims, as well as the National Trust.

Some larger museums are prevented by law from repatriating items but these restrictions do not apply to charities like the National Trust.

Often the items disputed by India include statues and paintings of Hindu and Buddhist deities, allowing a potent argument to be made that such treasures are of huge religious significance, sacred objects cherished through generations before being taken away and of great importance to the history, culture and character of a nation.

This very much fits in with Modi’s domestic political aim of presenting himself as the only true protector and guarantor of India’s culture and history.

At the same time, India’s battle to repatriate its stolen heritage increasingly chimes with changing attitudes in a number of European countries. In 2020 the Netherlands returned 1,500 looted treasures to Indonesia, a former colony.

Germany last year returned 21 Benin bronzes to Nigeria, helping to pile further pressure on the British Museum to return its collection of bronzes. France’s president Emanuel Macron has also kickstarted a debate about restituting colonial objects to Africa: France returned 26 historical objects to Benin in 2021.

That what was stolen must be returned has an indisputably powerful resonance. It is a sentiment that India has not been slow to exploit and it will do so again in its bid to secure the biggest prize of all: the return of the Koh-i-Noor diamond.

This is proving a much harder battle altogether though, because the diamond’s origins and ownership are fiercely disputed.

The Koh-i-Noor was given to Queen Victoria by the East Indian Company following the annexation of the Panjab, and is now part of the crown jewels. And India’s demands for its return are complicated by the rival claims of ownership from the respective governments of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

Meanwhile Britain insists it obtained the diamond legally in an 1846 treaty. The diamond is in the Queen Mother’s crown, which Queen Camilla did not wear at the coronation of Charles III to avoid upsetting India’s rulers, who claim it ‘brings back painful memories of the colonial past’.

More ground has been ceded in the official press release issued by Historic Royal Palaces ahead of a display next week of the crown jewels at the Tower of London. It refers to the diamond as ‘a symbol of conquest’. India will only feel encouraged by this.

Many will feel that India’s modern-day rulers are exploiting colonial era wrongdoing for their own cynical political ends. This may well be true. But the underlying case for restitution of cultural treasures is a powerful one. It deserves to be heard.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/will-india-ever-get-back-the-koh-i-noor-diamond/

9now.nine.com.au – Current Affair – Historian reveals why Indian Sikhs should be commemorated on Anzac Day

When the going got tough – these were the soldiers you wanted to protect your back.

The Indian Sikhs make up just two per cent of the Indian population, “but in both world wars they represented more than a quarter of the Indian commonwealth contribution”, Australian Sikh historian and community leader Amar Singh said.

“Sikhs are a peaceful people. But in times of trouble throughout history they have stepped up to help communities, fight for justice and are fierce warriors,” Singh said.

Brady Halls

Anzac Day, 25 April 2023. “Sikh soldiers literally fought to the last man. Many Sikh regiments were wiped out during the Great War.”

Australian soldiers found firm friendships with Indian Sikhs on the battlefield. Aside from their outstanding combat prowess, Australians found people who were open, warm and friendly.

“And they brought tasty meals they often shared with Aussie soldiers on the front line, far better than any bully beef Australians ate,” Amar said.

Nineteen Australian Sikhs died in the first world war.

Today the Australian Defence Force has many Sikhs enlisted as the Sikh tradition of serving continues.

As Amar said: “The spirit of serving and the need of the country is more overwhelming than their own lives.”

https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/historian-amar-singh-revealed-indian-sikhs-helped-australia-through-world-wars/670dd0ad-2085-4086-afd2-11f108e4a5f9

The Print – Punjab has a bigger problem than Amritpal – young people with one-way tickets to Canada

Entire families are moving abroad, and many a village has only children and the elderly, affecting the entire social fabric of the countryside.

Sanjeev Chopra

Amritsar – Panjab – India, 4 April 2023. Punjab is in the news again.

Commentators have blamed administrative failure, discord between the Centre and the state, political vacuum, drug mafia, Pakistani intelligence, diaspora politics, and perceived danger to the Khalsa Panth from assertive forces of Hindutva as probable causes for the unexpected eruption of Waris Punjab De and its radical chief Amritpal Singh.

This was followed by news reports on protests in front of the Indian High Commissions, embassies and consulates in Canada, the United States, England and Australia.

To my mind, this is quite out of sync with the ground reality of Punjab, which is facing an existential dilemma of another kind – that of the unwillingness of youth to invest their future in the state.

Punjab needs a different type of politics – one that gives primacy to enterprise, startups, professional colleges, sports, arts, culture, high-value agriculture, tourism, heritage, adventure and the human spirit.

One that encourages youth to go abroad, explore and return to reinforce best practices from across the world instead of getting a one-way ticket to Canada.

While this has all been discussed on several forums, almost every political party is more focused on the next election instead of working on a strategy to make Punjab regain its numero uno status among states, a position it lost during the tumultuous 1980s.

It is now 16th in terms of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 19th in terms of per capita Net State Domestic Product (NSDP), with immediate neighbour Haryana pipping it on both counts.

Punjab lost its industry to Haryana during the ‘80s – and two decades later to Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir when the Concessional Industrial Package was announced for these states by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.
States like Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh improved their agriculture and procurement operations as Punjab also lost out on this count.

This column will address the visible changes in media, education, urbanisation, and migration: Factors that have not received the prominence they deserve in the mainstream discourse on Punjab.

Let us first discuss the media. In the ‘80s, rival newspaper groups Punjab Kesari and Ajit were quite inflammatory in their approach. Ajit (and Akali Patrika) expounded the case for Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale – 14th Jathedar (chief) of the Damdami Taksal popularly associated with the Khalistan movement — in Punjabi.

At the same time, the Hindi papers, Punjab Kesari (and Veer Pratap), were vehement in their critique of the militants, as the terrorists were then called.

Today, Ajit and Punjab Kesari have become Punjab’s most prominent newspaper groups, with editions in both Punjabi and Hindi and are therefore not addressing any one denominational constituency.

Moreover, Dainik Jagran has a Punjabi edition which comes out from Jalandhar, and The Tribune has editions in English, Hindi and Punjabi.

Thus, news coverage and editorial commentary are far more balanced now than in the ‘80s, which is a welcome sign. Although the current state government has reportedly set up an inquiry against the editor of Ajit and stopped its advertisements, it is still the most widely circulated newspaper in Punjab outside of the Union Territory of Chandigarh.

The next factor is the rise of professional universities in Punjab: Medical, para-medical, engineering and management colleges, besides institutes providing training for various skill-based jobs, such as computer hardware and air hostess training.

There are more students in these institutions than in traditional colleges with conventional subjects.

Four decades ago, these colleges were the hotbeds of student politics. Outfits such as the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISF), Congress-backed National Students Union of India (NSUI) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) were all quite active during that era.

Back then, it was quite easy for the leaders of these student groups, which had the backing of their respective political parties, to press for the college’s closure on the slightest pretext.

The fee was minimal, exams were held once a year and attendance registers were fudged in an unholy nexus between students, teachers and college management. Not so today.

The semester system means that students must be alert throughout the year. Moreover, political parties are not so keen on supporting their student groups on every issue.

The Left is in terminal decline, the Akalis do not want to create an alternative leadership to the Badals, NSUI has all but disappeared, and ABVP finds its growth hemmed by the management of DAV and Hindu colleges.

In any case, according to the Punjab higher education secretary, the highest enrolment of students in Punjab is at Lovely Professional University (LPU), which does not tolerate any political activity on campus.

This is in major contrast to Punjab of the ‘80s, where almost every student (except for those who went to medical or engineering colleges) was aligned with one political party or the other.

English Medium schooling is now popular

One also has to reckon with the mushrooming of English medium schools across the state. Even block and tehsil headquarters have English medium schools, and schools run by Singh Sabhas, Khalsa Trusts, Arya Samaj and Sanatan Dharam Sabhas are also vying for the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE)’s certification.

CBSE syllabus is more pan-Indian in its orientation. Whether it is history, civics, moral science, or languages, the ‘regional’ is not as salient as it was four decades ago. Such is the charm of English that more prosperous Punjabi Sikhs and Hindus are making a beeline for residential English medium schools outside the state.

Another factor is urbanisation. The relocation of families from villages and inner cities to new urban estates is creating neighbourhoods that are defined more by class and professional affiliation than caste.

Thus, Medical enclaves or housing societies of advocates, architects, teachers, revenue officers, ex-servicemen and police officers see an intermingling, missing in the Katras, Kuchas and Gallis (nooks and corners) of yore in traditional towns – whether they were in Amritsar or Jagraon.

Unlike in other parts of the country, Dalit professionals have also moved to these enclaves.

Linked to this is the factor of migration – both in-migration and out-migration. We will first take up in-migration in the industrial, agricultural and services sectors. Most of the agricultural labour and a substantial chunk of industrial labour are provided by migrants, who also form the bulk of fruit and vegetable sellers in the state.

Many cinema houses in the industrial areas of Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Mandi Gobindgarh show Bhojpuri movies. The second generation among them is purchasing property and automobiles and setting up small but significant micro-enterprises.

These migrant workers are changing the demography of Punjab’s old Mohallas (neighbourhoods). Take the anecdotal example of Guru-ka-mahal in Amritsar. This is where my maternal grandfather and his extended family lived when I was in school.

Today, the ground floors are devoted to jewellery workshops, and workers from Bengal and Bihar occupy the first and second floors.

Punjab’s Canadian dream

Last but not least is Punjab’s growing obsession with a ‘one-way ticket to Canada’.

Based on my interaction with the young millennials I met during a recent visit to Punjab, the state’s youth is fixated on the idea of ‘Canada’ (which also includes Australia, the European Union and Australia), a thirst for betterment that cuts across class, caste and gender lines.

The young women I spoke to were more vocal than the men and appeared more fed up with the political situation in Punjab. They were keener to focus on their professional growth. Organisations like Waris Punjab De can’t offer much to these bright young minds.

I must also mention that while the first wave of migrants in the ‘60s and ‘70s retained links with their villages and built palatial homes to announce their Velayati (foreigner) status, most of these mansions are now bereft of any occupants, with caretakers being left in charge of the place.

Now entire families are moving abroad, and many a village has only children and the elderly, thereby affecting the entire social fabric of the countryside.

The Punjabi Muttiar (young woman) is more at ease in Birmingham and Toronto than in Nawanshahar or Jandiala.

This, then, is the real issue – and all those concerned about Punjab should enter into a dialogue with the young generations to understand what can be done to bring them back to the land of their forebears. Make Punjab a hub for entrepreneurship, risk-taking and hard work – qualities Punjabis are known for.

Sanjeev Chopra is a former IAS officer and Festival Director of Valley of Words.
Till recently, he was the Director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration.
He tweets @ChopraSanjeev. Views are personal.

[centre]

(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)

ABC South East SA – More Indian people moving to Mount Gambier, attracted by outer regional 491 visa program and lifestyle

Eugene Boisvert

Mount Gambier – South Australia, is a city in South Australia – 435 km to the south-east of Adelaide. The number of Indian-born people moving to Mount Gambier is on the rise, providing opportunities for local businesses and the first daily prayer meetings for a local Gurdwara.

About 100 Indian-born people lived in Mount Gambier in 2016, according to the Census done that year, and about 150 in 2021.

But the manager of the city’s first Indian supermarket says the number could be much higher now because of the 491 visa scheme, introduced in 2019 to encourage skilled workers to settle in areas outside of Australia’s largest cities.

Visa holders who work in what are known as outer regional areas can become permanent residents faster under the program.

The number of Indian-born people moving to Mount Gambier is on the rise, providing opportunities for local businesses and the first daily prayer meetings for a local Gurdwara.

About 100 Indian-born people lived in Mount Gambier in 2016, according to the Census done that year, and about 150 in 2021.

But the manager of the city’s first Indian supermarket says the number could be much higher now because of the 491 visa scheme, introduced in 2019 to encourage skilled workers to settle in areas outside of Australia’s largest cities.

Visa holders who work in what are known as outer regional areas can become permanent residents faster under the program.

Mount Gambier Indian Grocery manager Juby Baby said the visa program was what attracted her, and her husband Elben Benny, to South Australia’s second largest city in the first place.

They liked the place and stayed.

“We came to Australia in 2018, we were in Melbourne, but then we moved to Mount Gambier [in 2021], same like all others for visa purposes,” Ms Baby explained.

“But after moving we found this place is very quiet, no traffic, very lovely people.

Mount Gambier and the surrounding area has a population of almost 30,000 and is located halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne – both cities with a large Indian population.

Ms Baby opened her supermarket last Saturday and is backed up by business partners in her husband Elben Benny, local Jeni Jackson and Sunny Li, who is running a dumpling takeaway business from the same premises.

Ms Baby said many Indian people regularly drove to Melbourne or Adelaide to pick up their favourite products, but it was getting expensive.

“We have to take the day off, we have to pay for the fuel, we have to book accommodation, it’s really hard,” she said.

“Everyone is going through the same situation. That’s why we thought it would be good if we had one here.”

Prayer meetings open for visitors

Twice-daily Sikh prayer meetings have recently begun in Mount Gambier at a gurdwara.

The morning and evening prayer sessions are led by Harjit Singh, a Sikh preacher originally from India.

The temple is run by Amandeep Kaur, who moved to Mount Gambier in 2019, and decided to open up her house as a place for Sikhs to meet.

Ms Kaur said anyone could visit the gurdwara in Wehl Street South.

“We are trying to create a place where a lot of silence and piousness would be offered,” Ms Kaur said.

“It doesn’t matter which community, which religion, where you come from, you can still come up and sit and use the space to meditate and try and understand how the world came into existence.”

Special prayers are offered on Wednesdays, after which people visiting can join in meditation and share free food in silence.

Good facilities for families

Mount Gambier has three Indian restaurants, including one which an Adelaide-based owner took over in 2021 with the hope of capitalising on the increased Indian population in the city, as well as tourists coming to visit.

Mount Gambier Indian Restaurant assistant manager Kulbir Kaur moved to the city in January and said even since then, she had noticed more Indian-born locals.

Like other Indians, she said she moved to Mount Gambier to take advantage of the 491 visa while also enjoying a good lifestyle.

“Mount Gambier is a place, especially if they have children, where they can get more facilities rather than being in regions or towns,” Ms Kaur said.

“So, for me, if I talk of myself, I have two children – one is two and one is four years old – so they can have proper schooling, they can learn swimming, they can have all the facilities here, so … they can go for whatever is required like gym or whatever.

“The Marketplace [shopping centre] is there so if they need to buy something they don’t have to go far, so that’s why they choose Mount Gambier rather than small places.”

She said sometimes there were so many customers on long weekends that there was no room in the restaurant or food left.

Indian-born tourists especially came on long weekends from Adelaide and Melbourne, she said.

New housing development

Two Indian-born property developers have recently bought tracts of land on Mount Gambier’s outskirts to develop into housing.

Already, plans for about 200 blocks have been lodged with the two local councils.

Sydney-based Ram Vel and Satya Gala bought the land sight unseen in 2021, when there were restrictions on people travelling to South Australia from NSW and Victoria because of COVID-19 outbreaks in those states.

Two of the planned housing estates, which are open to anyone to buy into, are near the University of South Australia campus in Mount Gambier’s north.

Vacant land with some buildings on either side

Land on Wireless Road West in Mount Gambier that is subject to a subdivision.

Mr Gala said they chose to invest in Mount Gambier for its tourist attractions and facilities, such as schools and the hospital.

He said the future homes would end up in a mix of investors’ and local families’ hands.

“As long as a developer has a sense of giving back to the community, I think a meaningful and profitable business can be achieved wherein the community is always at the front end of receiving, rather than just taking from a community for a business,” Mr Gala said.

He said the houses built would be “simple” to keep costs down.

“We’re always mindful of the cost so that we don’t add any more pressure onto the buyers to buy,” he said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-01/more-indian-people-moving-to-mount-gambier/102163870

BBC News – Toyah Cordingley: Man arrested in India over Australia beach murder

Simon Atkinson – BBC News, Queensland, A man has been arrested in India over the murder of a young woman found dead on a tropical northern Australian beach four years ago.

The body of Toyah Cordingley, 24, was discovered in October 2018 after what has been called a “frenzied and brutal and sadistic” attack. Earlier this month the Queensland government put up a A$1m (£563,000; $676,487) reward for information.

It led to the arrest of Rajwinder Singh – the man accused of killing Toyah.

Queensland police said he was arrested in Delhi by Indian officers on Friday and was expected to face an extradition court hearing soon. He will then be brought to Australia to face criminal proceedings.

“It was never a question of if, but when this day would come,” Queensland police commissioner Katarina Carroll said. “I am very confident we have a strong case to put before the courts.”

Mr Singh, who was working as a nurse, left behind his job, wife and their three children when he fled Australia hours after Toyah’s body was discovered. He was pictured at Sydney’s international airport.

Detectives have offered few details about how Toyah died. She had gone to Wangetti Beach, between the popular tourist hotspots of Cairns and Port Douglas, to walk her dog on 21 October 2018, but never came home. Her body was discovered by her father the next day, half buried in sand dunes.

Earlier this month Australian authorities appealed for the public’s help in an international hunt to find Mr Singh. Originally from Buttar Kalan in the Indian state of Punjab, at the time of the killing he was living in Innisfail, about two hours from the crime scene.

Commissioner Carroll said she understood Mr Singh had been avoiding arrest in Punjab since he fled.

The Australian government sought an extradition order in March 2021, something Indian officials agreed to last month. But they had been unable to locate the 38-year-old until now.

A detective from Queensland police has recently returned from India and Australian media report that five Queensland police officers who speak Hindi and Punjabi have been receiving information via WhatsApp.

When the A$1m reward was announced earlier this month, Toyah’s father, Troy Cordingley said his daughter was ” a young woman who will never get the chance to live a full life and all that entails, this was taken away from her”.

“While justice will not bring Toyah back, justice is the very least that she deserves.”

The reward is the highest ever offered in Queensland. Commissioner Carroll said that if it transpired that information which led to the arrest was eligible for the reward, she would “happily write out the cheque myself”.

She praised cooperation with the Indian police, which she said had been “exceptional”.

Queensland Police Minister Mark Ryan said the arrest had been “a long time coming”.

“This is very early days in the next stage of delivering justice for Toyah,” he said. “I know people are excited about this development and I know people are relieved.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-63752923

Scroll.in – Why some British Indian Army officers migrated to Australia to become farmers

A total of 93 officers left India and settled in Australia with significant plots of land.

Karen Stapley

Colonial history, 21 November 2022. Following the implementation in April 1923 of the Royal Warrant 1922 a number of Indian Army officers found their roles ‘surplus to requirements’.

One of the opportunities presented to these officers, was the opportunity to settle in the state of Victoria, Australia, with a significant plot of land for farming.

A financial agreement could be entered into with Australian Farms Limited whereby they would supply the land, tools, livestock, etc. required for the officers to establish themselves in farming, and in return the officers would take out a financial loan with the company to cover the costs which would have to be paid back monthly.

The agreement also included an understanding that the gratuities these officers would be receiving from the India Office following their discharge (such as pension, annuities, bonus, etc.) would be paid directly to Australian Farms Limited, who would then take their monthly payment from the gratuity received and forward the remainder of it onto the officer.

Problems arose however in June 1925 when the India office was notified that Australian Farms Ltd had gone into voluntary liquidation. This raised questions about how the officers’ gratuities would now be paid to them, as the company had in effect been acting as the agent for these individuals.

Enquiries were made with the Government of Victoria to identify how many of the 93 individuals who had originally taken out these contracts were still operating these farms, as some individuals had sold their land and bought themselves out of the agreement, whilst others had their contracts cancelled by being recalled to the Army.

From the original list of 93 individuals, 80 were found to have chosen to remain in Australia and continue with the land and farm in June 1925. Their contracts were re-assigned to the Treasurer for the State of Victoria, the state government having decided to take on the responsibility for the settling of the land by the officers in question.

Some of the 80 individuals would later choose to sell up their land and return to England, but the vast majority settled in Australia permanently.

https://scroll.in/article/1037229/why-some-british-indian-army-officers-migrated-to-australia-to-become-farmers