Haryana’s risky leap to foreign shores

THE first references to people migrating to distant lands in search of greener pastures, in essence the urge to break free from the drudgery of an unrewarding rural life, appear in the district gazetteers of the late 19th-century Punjab.

The Hoshiarpur Gazetteer (1894), for example, records how the first brick-and-mortar houses belonged to those families whose kin had moved to Australia, the US and later Canada. This trend picked up rapidly through the 20th century. It was not long before virtually every village of what is today's Punjab witnessed the inflow of wealth that became most noticeable in the emergence of fancy new mansions. Undoubtedly, most of those who migrated during these decades did exceedingly well.

Interestingly, this trend was initially limited to districts of contemporary Punjab and was not really a story that was common in the pre-1947 Ambala division, that is now a district of Haryana now. It is only in the last 30 years or so that the Haryanvi youth have entered this race. Importantly, here too, the first to migrate were youth from the Sikh peasantry, mainly the hard-working Labana community.

The 'dunki' route, a term unheard of even 15 years ago, is now part of the local Haryanvi lingua and a prominent part of rural life.

What is shocking are the stories of families who have depleted their meagre holdings, taken heavy debts and in some cases mortgaged homes and petty shops and small-time businesses, to manage the funds required — usually ranging from about Rs 25 lakh to even Rs 60 lakh and more. The financial aspect of the 'dunki' route story is just one small part. We have seen images of our youth who have undergone the 'dunki' path. Some of these images would leave you sleepless.

What is even more surprising is that families with virtually no source of regular income — daily wagers and farm labourers — also aspire to send their children to foreign lands for a more affluent future. Clearly, all the pain and hardship that is a part of illegal migration is failing to dissuade the youth.

The suffering and pain of the family members left behind is a story in itself. Every village has its share of young wives, children and aged parents who live for years hoping that someday their loved ones would come back.

When we look at the kind of work that the migrating unskilled youth are engaged in, the story becomes even more painful. Living in pitiful conditions, earning paltry amounts from odd jobs with no medical cover and, above all, only the distinct hope of seeing their loved ones in the near future.

It is also well known that many youth from Punjab and Haryana have joined organised crime, particularly, drugs and even human trafficking. This is happening because the youth, even though they lack employable skills, are desperate to earn money and pay back the loans of their families. The more desperate a person, the easier the target he is for organised crime.

The 'dunki' route has also been attracting the youth because in the US and Canada, as also in other parts of the world, there are attorneys who specialise in regularising illegal immigration.

One common way of doing this is by seeking political asylum on grounds of harassment by the state on the basis of their faith. Some even manage particular visas and travel back home via Kathmandu, avoiding in the process an Indian immigration stamp on the passport to give credibility to the asylum-seeking case filed in the country concerned. Hundreds of taxis, as is well known, travel daily between Kathmandu and towns across Haryana and Punjab.

Several factors could explain the disturbing phenomenon of the 'dunki' route. The most obvious and easily understandable is that the immigrants who do manage to get some employment, send back money.

This, in turn, reflects immediately on a better lifestyle for the family, a style that is there for everyone to take note of —new houses, flashy cars, lavish weddings, increased spending. There are several other factors that may be less important but do play a role in influencing young minds.

Sociologically speaking, rural life comes with family and community restrictions of all kinds and this is where comes in the important role of the social media. Images of foreign lands that depict a lifestyle that is liberal, modern and comfortable, in sum without any social pressures of a traditional rural society like India.

It is difficult for the young minds so desperate and cornered by circumstances to filter the truth from fiction. It is also true that those who come back home for brief periods frequently narrate stories that glorify a way of life that encourages others of the village to follow. From this follows a status tag, a family with a foreign-earning hand moves up the ladder, is looked up to.

No doubt, a depletion of land-holding sizes, which was already an average of 3 to 4 acres in both Punjab and Haryana, has pushed families to the brink. Consumerism, encouraged by social media and e-commerce, has added to expenses and altered lifestyles. Rural society is now deeply connected to online shopping.

The more fundamental cause, to my mind, is the failure of the education system. Degrees do not carry along the employable skills that a qualification is expected to possess.

Not surprisingly, the only employment avenue left for the youth with such degrees is government employment where the degree alone matters, not the skills. We have, thus, a scenario where for every single government position, thousands stand in line. Sometimes I get the impression that such a scene has all along actually suited those in power. Patronage, favouritism, nepotism and corruption follow naturally.

There are obviously no immediate remedies. School, college and university education is where the answers lie. Recruiting teachers and faculty on merit, who, in turn, can impart employable and competitive skills, is the key. Flooding the small state with universities was, in fact, never the answer.

Studies have shown how the use of drugs, petty and even more serious organised crime are all traceable to opportunities — or lack thereof — in quality education. It is also to be kept in mind that over 70 per cent of Haryana's industry is in the NCR. A fair distribution could provide some relief to our employment-seeking youth.