INTRODUCTION:

The Indian Diaspora is widely dispersed in many countries of the world. A large number of young students both male and female are interested in completing their higher studies outside India. Others leave India for a better job. Many women also move when they get married to an Indian abroad. Some Indian men and women meet in foreign countries and plan to get married and continue to live there. This study is particularly concerned with the Indian Diaspora residing in USA. The main reason for selecting this country was because there is a large outflow of Indians in USA. In fact Indians are the highest immigrants after Mexicans and Chinese. At this stage it would be interesting to take stock of Indians in USA and to find out their future directions.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY:

This study has the following objectives:

· To study the Indian Diaspora living in USA in three distinct period 0 to 5 years, 5 to 10 years and above 10 years

· To analyze and take stock of the issues facing Indians regarding employment, education, and settlement in a foreign country.

· To find out the differences in reactions of male and female and their perceptions.

ORGANIZATION OF THE PAPER:

This paper is divided into 3 sections. Section 1 is a review of work done by other researchers. Section 2 analyses Diaspora in three distinct periods of time and considers their settlement process in USA. It also attempts to find out the reactions of male and female. Section 3 provides the conclusions.

METHODOLOGY:

This is a primary study to analyze some of the issues of the Indian Diaspora and take stock of them and find out about their future plans. A questionnaire was prepared and a deeper study was made by interviewing the Indians in USA. The method adopted was convenient sampling by meeting people who visited India between October and December 2016. A large number of visitors come to India during these months to meet family or attend social and religious functions. It is during this time and in such gatherings that these interviews were taken. The aim was to interview as many people as possible. 78 people were interviewed. The people interviewed were between the age of 25 and 50. To maintain a balance 37 male and 37 female were undertaken in this study. There were 4 more males but to maintain an even balance they were rejected. In the first phase of 0-5years the sample consisted of 20 respondents in the first phase comprising of 10 male and 10 female members. In the second phase there were 13 male and 13 female totalling 26 and of Diaspora living in USA for more than 10 years there were 14 male and 14 female members consisting of 28 respondents. Therefore in all time periods equal number of male and female respondents was interviewed.

No. of Respondents Interviewed Phase Wise:

Section I : Review of Literature:

There have been a large number of studies of Diaspora.

Vrajlal Sapovadia (2015) has worked on transnational migration of Indians in two periods of time. His research is to analyze the Indians born after 1947 and of those Indians whose parents are born in India after 19^th Century. In both periods Indians were living outside India permanently. According to this study, this has had a positive impact on the culture and society of India. The Diaspora kept close ties with their home country and contributed to the development of India by sending remittances to the home country. They also kept Indian culture distinct in foreign countries and occupied positions of honour in their career and in political and social engagements. The study covers Diaspora in several countries.

Poornima M.D and Dr. V. Unnikrishnan (2015) have worked on theories of Diaspora. They have reviewed various works of writers who have discussed the Diasporic theories. According to them Diaspora has the problem of assimilation in the new country and continue to long for their home country. At the same time they prefer the comforts in their host country. According to them these theories apply to all immigrants in any part of the world. However, they feel that Indian Diaspora is special because Orient culture is different to the Occident.

M.K.Gautam (2013) discussed the life of the Indian Diaspora in Europe and found that in the host country the immigrants faced hostility and discrimination. They provided an account of how the Diaspora continued to live in the host country and maintained their ethnicity and identity.

Davesh Kapur (2012) has analyzed the impact of Indian Diaspora on the Indian political economy. It has discussed the economic impacts such as remittances and foreign direct investments to India. It also discusses the development of two industrial sectors such as information technology and diamond cutting and its effect on foreign currency as a source. It developed the western and southern states in India and brought about inequalities with other states.

Dr. Alwyn Didar Singh (2012) researched on Indian Diaspora which has a large presence in Europe. He has made an analysis in five countries in the European Union. These are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy and Netherlands. He has worked on the size, spread and depth of the Indian population and their economic, social and cultural ties with India. He draws out the fact that the Diaspora can bring about development in India. It can also benefit the relationship of both Europe the host country and India the home country.

Latha Varadarajan (2010) has researched on the attitude of India towards its Diaspora and the type of policies framed for them. She has traced the policies from 1920 and until the globalization period of liberalization after 1991 and has examined the changing pattern of policies according to the requirements of the country within India and in its relationship with its Diaspora in different countries like Burma, Sri Lanka and South Africa.

Rainer Baubock and Thomas Faist (EDS.) (2010) researched on Diaspora and Transnational’s on concepts, theories and methods. Faist discusses the differences between the meaning of transnational and Diaspora. According to him, Diaspora is a broader definition which includes religious and national groups living outside their country whereas transnational’s refers specifically to migrants who have social formations, groups and organizations and active networks. However, the two cannot be separated and is used interchangeably.

Alexandra Boyle (2009) has discussed the meaning of Diaspora by giving the example of Jewish that was displaced from Babylon by forced eviction from their home country. There was a controversy about this definition and so he explores the term Diaspora in a globalized world. The word Diaspora is therefore dispersion of people in other countries.

Vijay Mishra (2007) researched on the experiences of Diaspora writers which state that there are both positive and negative aspects that a writer feels staying away from his home countries. He uses the word ‘hyphen’ to relate that Diaspora goes through a hyphenated identity in a foreign country. He assimilates foreign cultures and yet he has the pain and pressure of being away from the home country. Their main problem is that they neither have roots in a foreign country nor in their home country and they feel homeless.

Kurian and Srivastava (1983) worked on the Indian Diaspora and how they adjusted and adapted themselves in the country in which they immigrated and also analyzed their lifestyles and attitudes of immigrants.

This study is exploratory in nature and tries to fills in some gaps by taking stock of Indian Diaspora living specifically in USA. It discusses their experiences and also considers male and female differences in perceptions of their life in the host country. Further it also tries to find out how the Indian Diaspora feels when they immigrate to a new country from its homeland and what is the person’s life in the first five years, the next five years and 10 years hence.

Section II : Diaspora and Empowerment in USA:

This section discusses the process of settling down in USA as a migration process from their home country. In order to study this, the data was taken for three periods of time i.e., 0-5 years, 5-10 years and above 10 years. The results were very interesting about issues and challenges during these periods. They were different kinds of problems and their solutions in different periods.

1. Settlement Process:

First Phase (0 to 5 Years):

The respondents who were in USA for less than 5 years were very attached to Indian culture and wanted to constantly come back to meet family. They felt that their roots were indeed in India and felt quite unsettled in USA. The lure of better job prospects or better education or even marriage with the spouse being in USA were some reasons for shifting from India. However, after shifting they felt unsettled because it was a culture shock. The living conditions were completely different. There was no house help, chauffeur, gateman and the work had to be done by themselves. Indians were not used to go in the morning to work and in the evening to do their own household chores. This was a very big problem faced by them as they had always been used to service from others. Home services cost a very high amount in USA and those who had gone for earning money or studying to get a higher degree could ill-afford these services. These people often complained at home that they were pressurized and wanted to return to India even though they were earning better in USA than India. Contrary to the research of M.K.Gautam (2013) of Indians facing hostility in Europe, Indians do not face hostility or discrimination in USA but they suffer from adjustment problems.

Second Phase (5 to 10 Years):

An interview of Diaspora who had been away from India for more than 5 years but less than 10 years was also undertaken. When queried about whether they felt settled in USA or threatened and wanted to return to India, 90% remarked that “it was not so bad in USA and they did not mind settling there”. They stated that there were lot of comforts in USA which were not in India. They breathed clean pure air and when they came to India they felt claustrophobic and felt sick. They also did not like the traffic conditions in India. They did not like the people breaking the traffic rules and moving in chaos. The crowd in India was too overwhelming for them as they were getting used to organized traffic and other transport conditions. When asked about how they felt about coming home, they said that family was very dear to them. They came to India only to visit them. At this stage they were also in a position to invite their Indian family to visit them in USA as they had better facilities and a bigger home. During this phase Indians were more adjusted to their surroundings having joined some social clubs or sports clubs. Vijay Mishra (2007) had pointed out that the Diaspora did not have roots either in the home or host country and they suffered. My study also found similarities with this research among Indian Diaspora who were not completely settled in USA and this correlated to their period of residence in USA between 5 and 10 years. However, it did not hold well when Indians were settled for more than 10 years in USA.

Third Phase (above 10 Years):

Most Indians were well settled in USA by 10 years and were used to their life over there. Only 2 out of 70 respondents stated that they would like to come back to India to settle down or retire back home. They felt that they missed Indian culture and also missed their friends. They were lonely in USA and could not assimilate in their culture. Both these respondents were single. They had been married but they were both divorced. 97% of the respondents said that world is a globalized place and they were comfortable both in USA and in India and they could travel anywhere in the world as they had enough resources. However Indians whose children were born and brought up in USA were completely American and did not want to settle in India. They were used to American culture and they spoke English in American accent, had English names and had been educated in American schools and would not be able to adjust in India. Indian parents would therefore not like to settle down in India because their children were their pull factor in USA. Moreover, Indians also had both American and Indian friends and social groups in USA and were not keen to return to India. Indians in USA worked very diligently and focussed in their career and were able to reap the fruit by doing well after some years of settling down. They felt well settled in USA and by that time as they had purchased an apartment or a house of their own. They owned luxurious cars and were very comfortable in their financial status. This for Indians is a very big factor for settling down and having a feeling of permanence.

2. Education:

First Phase (0 to 5 Years):

Indians who left home to do advanced studies in USA had dreams of better career opportunities as degrees in USA carried prestige and high value for Indians at home. However, when Indians completed their degree they wanted to continue to stay in USA after attaining their coveted degrees. During the change over from student to career orientation several problems of visa were faced by them and they were constantly under pressure to do something which would give them a chance to continue staying in USA and give them a firm visa.

Second Phase (5 to 10 Years):

Some Indians took up employment and continued for some time in their respective work life. Then they decided to empower themselves with higher degrees to improve their career prospects. Normally the education continued in the first and second phases of their life in USA.

Third Phase (Above 10 Years):

Indians living in USA above 10 years did experimental learning and were not keen on degrees. Since they were settled their focus was on family and growth and expansion in their work.

3. Employment:

First Phase (0 to 5 Years):

Some people faced the problem of getting their first job in USA. The experience required in USA was quite different to that in India and they had to take up bridge courses to fulfil their job requirements. Often they took up jobs less than their educational qualifications and had to work their way up the ladder. So they had to work harder than their American counterparts. Indians faced fewer problems if they did a degree course in USA. In this study interview was taken regarding the working life of Diaspora. In the first phase, 20 respondents did not take up any employment either because they could not get it or because they did not choose to be employed. Out of these 20 people there were 6 women and 3 male who were unemployed. There were some reasons for this fact. Out of the 3 male respondents, 1 of them was not able to get a job of his choice and so was waiting for a better offer rather than to jump into an employment which he would not be able to continue with. 2 of the males wanted to do their own business and were looking for ideas to be entrepreneurs. Out of the 10 women, 3 women had not got a job according to their credentials and were waiting to get the right job. 4 women were newly married and were based in USA on a dependant visa and so were not able to work and 3 women were employed.

Second Phase (5 to 10 Years):

During the second phase, 26 respondents were in the sample. All the males were working in employment or had their own business. The women were mostly not working. Some of them had left their jobs because they had young kids and they had to look after them. Some of them did part time jobs so that they could balance their work and home life. 2 women in my sample did their master degrees. These women were married but did not have children and wanted to complete their master degrees. They were working as well as studying. In this phase many respondents were in the process of getting green cards or extending their employment visa as they were getting settled into the life of USA.

Third Phase (Above 10 Years):

28 respondents were in the sample. They comprised of IT professionals, doctors, engineers and those who had their own business or worked in government organizations. All the respondents were gainfully employed. 5 women in the sample were doing part time work as they wanted to spend time with their growing children. One out of them was a dentist, 2 were doctors, one had her own HR consultancy company and one of them was in the technical field developing websites for clients as a freelancer.

4. Male and Female Perceptions

It is interesting to note the perceptions of male and female respondents.

First Phase (0-5 Years):

In the first phase, it is very difficult for both male and female to live in USA. However, female respondents found it more difficult than male to adjust to their environment. Their reaction to their stay in USA was that they would not be able to live in USA for long and they had no plans to settle down. They did not like the food which was non spicy and tasted different to Indian food. They had no friends, no children and no family to occupy their attention. However, they liked the freedom and the clothes and wanted to dress up in western attire. They had mixed and confused feelings. However, they were determined to have the best of American life for a short period of time.

The male respondents felt more responsible towards their earnings and were more practical in their approach and tried not to return to India until absolutely necessary. They felt that they had come to earn and improve their living standards and if possible to send remittances to India and did not want to borrow from their parents or any family members. They wanted to work to pay off their loans of education and empower themselves with good employment.

Second Phase (5 to 10 Years):

The perception of female respondents changed in the second phase. According to them USA was a good place to live in. The type of employment that they liked was to be found only in USA. They were confident of themselves. Some of them felt superior to women in India since they had a lot of independence in being able to move in society. They also acquired rights of being independent women because they could find a match for themselves and planned to get married to a partner of their choice. This was an independence they did not have in India. This similarity was found in a previous study of Indian Women in IT Sector. There was no interference from family in India and this provided a great satisfaction to Indian women in USA. However, family was also important to them. Since they were earning well they decided that they would go to India once a year and would invite their family to visit them instead of going twice a year to India. This way they would be close to their family during the year and their children would also be able to meet their family. This would keep the process of close connections with family in India.

The male respondents felt little more settled in USA. They wanted career advancement. They started remitting funds to India to their parents and this gave them lot of happiness that they had achieved success and they were able to help their family. If they could not go back to India often they would at least send their wife and children to keep their connections alive. At this stage of life the male respondents felt that it was important to get a green card or try to become a citizen of USA. They worked towards it to feel more settled in USA.

Third Phase (Above 10 years):

Indian women were able to make friends with Indians living abroad as well as Americans and people from other countries living in USA. They attended functions together and were members of social clubs. They were whole heartedly part of American society. In USA, itself they joined Indian groups which celebrated Indian festivals like Diwali, Holi, Dusshera, Janmashtmi etc. They also went to Indian religious places which were established in USA. At the same time they celebrated Christmas with the same festive manner as Indian festivals. Their assimilation was complete. They only visited India for a short while. However, they sent remittances, they sponsored family to join them and settle down in USA.

The Indian male began to find living in USA as a globalized function. He started thinking of India as part of the world which could be reached through mobile phone and easy travel. Indian Diaspora began to think of living in USA without a boundary. Some of them invested in property in India and in USA. However their roots had now become part of USA.

Section III: CONCLUSIONS:

The objective of this paper was to discuss the Indian Diaspora in USA at the present moment and discuss their future directions. The study was made in three periods of time. It consisted of 78 people in the sample comprising of both male and female respondents. 4 samples had to be rejected to even out the number of male and female. The following conclusions can be drawn out:

1. The settlement process takes time and Indians feel unsettled in the first few years of their life in USA.

2. When the Indian Diaspora is able to get its visa it begins to feel more settled in the country.

3. The Indians in the mid period of 5 to 10 years begins to settle down in USA as they have solved the issues of education, employment and immigration status.

4. Indian Diaspora likes to keep in touch with Indians in India as well as in USA.

5. Indian Diaspora enjoys the Indian festivals and religious rituals and continues them in USA.

6. Indian Diaspora also assimilates with American culture and equally celebrates the festivals in USA.

7. The present position of Indians states that USA is an easy country for Indians to adapt themselves because it is multicultural and does not have discrimination against Indians.

8. The future of Indian Diaspora who has been in USA for more than 10 years is to continue in USA as they are settled with luxurious living standards which they would have not been able to attain in Indian conditions.

9. There has been development for the Diaspora and for their families. Diaspora living in USA sponsor their family members and friends to join them in USA.

10. Globalization has truly brought about development and the future directions are that the generation which left India to become part of USA continues to be Indian but their children who are born in USA do not want to settle down in India. They are completely American.

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Received on 29.05.2017 Modified on 18.08.2017

Asian Journal of Management. 2018; 9(1):35-40.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5763.2018.00006.9