Indians living overseas

[rkumar]

Dear friends,

This is my second inning of coming and working overseas. Fisrt time it was in mid seventies when i was a young boy and had all the energy and curiocity to go around and mix with people and also help them mix with each other. There was such a wall among this small community of 50 Indians and they hardly interacted with each other even in a small place. Now I have come again to work here in UK and notice that our Indians hardly interact among themselves even when they are staying in the same hostel or housing compound. Most intriguing part is that even people from same or nearby town back in India and living next door to each other here do not have much interaction even when life is so lonely. I somehow fail to understand this phenomenon. I know people are busy, but at the same time there is social vacuum...Will some one throw some light on this....is it that I only feel this way or Indians really do not mix well among themselves when they come overseas?

Rajendra

[bab_shinoo]

Heloo Uncle,
Well may be,tht is the scene among the ppl with jobs, as its gets really busy. But among the students, the scenario is very different. We guys have get together almost every weekend,we watch hindi movies together every friday night, we celebrate almost every festival,same as we do in India...I even fly to different cities to meet my frnds, at least once an yr ....When I came to US 2 yrs back, I didn't know any here, n it was a bunch of indian students who helped me the way they could. N the trend continues, when my juniors came here, I helped them the way I could. So in universities Indians students do interact alot ....cant say abt ppl with jobs.
Babita

[anilkc]

Rajendra ji,
The same phenomenon exists in US too.
There are several reasons for the "wall".
Busy is one of them, though it should not be an excuse for a simple "hi hello". In US most of the work has to be done by self (even Madhuri Dixit complained abt it in one of her interviews).
Bai, dhobi or mali system is unaffordable. No bus or ricksaw system. Many cant afford 2 cars or just cannot drive. Most of the work like groceries and shopping is postponed to weekends. Very very few holidays compared to India. Weekend is the only time were u get some free time for recreation or a quite family time.
There may be other hidden reasons. Instead of looking for similarities, we look for differences and try to form a class. Indians and NRI, among NRIs--FOB, GC holders, citizens, abcd etc. Isme fir doctors, IT, grocery store wala, students etc. Yahan pe bhi kuch common ho gaya to India mein kahan se, fir caste etc etc.
May be its due to the hangover of caste system prevelant in india for so long.

Ek aur baat yaad ayi. State BAnk se jab paise withdraw karne jata tha, to teller itne krurta se dekhta tha, jaise paise mein uski jeb se hi nikal raha hoon. Maybe this is another reason, just to show I am more important or better than u. Logon ko shayad aisa lagta hai, sala ek aur desi aa gaya, ab yeh to mere hi ghar mein rahega aur meri hi naukri chinega.

Ek aur kaaran bhi ho sakta hai. Mein India mein bahut dinge haankta tha. Videsh mein to yeh hota hai, wo hota hai, mere pass car hai, air conditioned ghar hai blah blah bla. Ab Rajendra ji bhi videsh mein aa gaye to meri pol khul jayegi, ki sab bakwas hai yahan.

i dont know akhir baat kiya hai? but Yeh ek research ka achcha topic ho sakta.

But there are always exception. Jatland.com is one example where we try to make friends even though we have not seen or may never see each other.

[rkumar]

Thanks Anil. Here in UK I am staying in a Hostel as I am alone and intend to work only for few years. There are 7-8 more Indians here in the same hostel and ofcourse many more in the hospital. We all work in the same hospital. you will be surprised, one of them is a Jat boy from a village next to mine. Cutting across all definitions, the ground reality is that there is no interaction and with all my efforts, I have not been able to make them talk like how we do in India. Mosts of them are living alone, so family pressure is also not an issue. Majra kiya hai samajh nahi aataa.....finally even I have decided to keep to myself as no one seems to be interested in anyone...Certainly very same people in India won't do this..then why here?

Rajendra

[jagmohan]

Rajendra Ji,

There is an old saying "Familiarity breeds contempt". May be Indians don't want to interact with each other just to avoid becoming too familiar.

England mein 'Angrez' bhi to honge? Jo JAT aap se nahin baat karte to kisi Angrez ko pakad lo. England mein to hamare JATLAND ke kai senior saathi bhi hain. Dudee saheb bhi to wahin par hain. Ho sakta hai Dudee Saheb bachhon ke pass USA mein gaye honge, lekin aur bahut se log hain wahan. Itne chhote se desh mein kahan ka lonelypan Rajendar Ji. Keep trying like king Bruce and you will succeed.

And if nothing works out, JATLAND is always there. This is the season of 'Calm before the Storm'. Log baag elections meiin busy thay. Zara sustane do phir dekhna 'saang'.

Regards,

Lt Col JS Malik (Retd)

[rkumar]

Lt Col Jagmohan Malik (Retd) (May 29, 2004 06:08 a.m.):
Rajendra Ji,

There is an old saying "Familiarity breeds contempt". May be Indians don't want to interact with each other just to avoid becoming too familiar.

England mein 'Angrez' bhi to honge? Jo JAT aap se nahin baat karte to kisi Angrez ko pakad lo. England mein to hamare JATLAND ke kai senior saathi bhi hain. Dudee saheb bhi to wahin par hain. Ho sakta hai Dudee Saheb bachhon ke pass USA mein gaye honge, lekin aur bahut se log hain wahan. Itne chhote se desh mein kahan ka lonelypan Rajendar Ji. Keep trying like king Bruce and you will succeed.

And if nothing works out, JATLAND is always there. This is the season of 'Calm before the Storm'. Log baag elections meiin busy thay. Zara sustane do phir dekhna 'saang'.

Regards,

Lt Col JS Malik (Retd)


Thanks Malik sahab.. I have made other friends ofcourse. I was just telling how our people are...baki to I know how to manage things at my age...have been through this earlier..Ofcourse jatland is a great place...it goes everywhere with us all...just click away...hahah
Rajendra