Story of Migration and the people who migrate…

The second most judged people in India are the people who migrate to different countries. First place always go to daughter-in-laws, you can’t beat that lol.

These are the people who has to face the utmost criticism than any Indians. Neighbors, relatives, family friends — they all have their own version of stories for the migratory. We watch the migrating flamingos, butterflies and other living beings in awe, but we frown upon the humans that migrate.

Myself and my family being the one of that kind we know how harsh these comments can be. So this post is for all good souls who have been under the scorching heat of others’ opinions and their unkind judgements.

People move out of the country abandoning their old, ailing parents:

This is the most famous one. Its a wrong way to put it when you say people leave their country abandoning their old parents. Let me explain this through a story that I read in my early teens.

A Saint had two disciples, both equally smart and good. One day the sage had to go to a temple far far away. Before leaving he told both the boys to do puja(an act of worship)in their temple till he is back and both obediently nodded their heads. The moment Sage left Boy-1 climbed inside the puja room and started the prayers, while Boy-2 went for a walk outside to the mountains and valleys. The chap who was doing his pujas got so angry at his mate’s behavior, his mind filled with anger at the other boy’s carelessness and disobedience. His insides curled in anger while he was chanting his mantras.

At dusk the sage came back, so did his disciple who was roaming around all this time. The very furious Boy-1 ran to the sage and told him what the other one was up to while he was away. Sage heard him patiently and smiled to the boy’s utter bewilderment.

Boy-1 asked “Sage, why are you smiling, you should be angry at this act of disobedience”.

Sage smiled again and called them both closer and asked them to explain their day in detail:

Boy 1 said: I did puja all the time and I completed all the mantras you asked me to.

Sage replied: That’s great.

Boy 2 said: “Apologies, I couldn’t sit inside the room whole day, hence I went to the mountains and valleys and chanted the matras while walking.

Sage said to Boy 1: “I will explain why I am not angry with your mate. You obeyed my commands and chanted all the mantras, but your mind was constantly disturbed as you were thinking about what the other was doing. You were physically obeying me but your mind was elsewhere.”

“Your friend was roaming around all this while, but he carried my orders with him. His mind was with me, his mind was obeying me, his mind was filled with me — my thoughts, my instructions and God. It is what you hold in your heart and mind that matters and not what you do physically.”

This opened the boy’s eyes that was blinded with anger till then.

This is the same case with people who migrate leaving their parents in India. They might not be with them physically, but their thoughts are filled with their parents. They think and worry about them all the time they are away. Even from far, they make sure that their parents are safe in their absence, even from far they make sure their needs are met, from far he/she thinks if they ate on time or slept on time.

Guys, its time to hold your grudging thoughts and false assumptions away as these are people who keep their family values closer to their heart than anyone else.

People move out of their country just for money:

This the second famous one, all people who leaves India are crossing the 7 seas just for money. Yes, it can be partially true but it’s not only about financial growth. We move to build a career, secure a family and to make the life comfortable for everyone who are bonded to us by heart and blood. Money is not everything— but it is of importance for a kid in the form of education, it is of importance for the old in the form of good health care and support when it’s needed the most, it is of importance for the young parents who wants to save for their retirement. There is a saying in malayalam

“Sampathu kaalathu thai pathu vachaal

Aapathu kaalathu kaa pathu thinnam”

Transalation: If you save when you have the health to work hard and earn, it will support you during the misery. This is simply what the migratory souls are doing. In short we are here to save — to save for us and our family and to help some in need.

People who move out of the country are foreigners:

I am someone who moved out of India after my marriage, I have seen how most of the Indians here hold on to their values and culture than many who are settled in India. The temples here are filled with people on a special day, they conduct classes to make sure the kids are taught about our country, our culture, our languages and our traditional art forms. Likewise, people from all religions find a way and time to impart their deep rooted values and culture to their young ones.

We are not foreigners, we are Indians living in a foreign country.

People who move out of county has money making trees and money farms:

One thing people don’t understand is that the value of dollars/pounds/euros are equally proportional to the expense in the country you live in. You have to spend a chunk of what you earn here to live a normal life. Here we think twice before buying a dress, we think twice before we plan to eat out and we think thrice before we make financial decisions. We wait for the biggest sales, we wait for the price fluctuations, we willingly adjust in small spaces to live and earn. Life is not all glam here as many think, we have our own sour lemons with which we make our lemonades.

If you still decide to call us “heartless migrators” then hear this : you are also one among us, as all our ancestors were once from Africa and our roots lie there and not in India or pakistan or UK or US. We are all humans migrated from there to different continents, countries, states and cities.

On this Christmas day:

Why not we pledge to not judge.

Why not we support and stand for each other

Why not we understand and not make false assumptions

Wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy (Judgement-less) New Year :)