Among Indians I met in the 1970s, the South Africans were most lively. They were politically articulate, well informed and largely exposed to outside world. I also found them gracefully hospitable. The crowds I met were generally supportive to the African struggle against Apartheid.

Nelson Mandela was, then, in a prison in Ruben Island along with some of his trusted colleagues. Preparation for an armed struggle based on guerrilla warfare was very much in the offing. And quite a few that I met were being trained in arms in remote bases in Zambia, Tanzania and Algeria. However, not all whom I met were pro-ANC (African National Congress). Some belonged to Pan-African Congress - supposed to be a pro-Chinese faction, another was Unity Movement - a Trotskyite group - consisting perhaps, of idealist youngsters, who supported inter-racial marriage or free living!!

What generally struck me as most interesting on was, that racist policies of South African Government faced actual defiance from a large section of Blacks, Whites and Indians.

Did racism encourage - by the rebound - the growth of a cosmopolitan outlook?

This is a feature I found totally lacking in other colonies. In Africa, Gujarati merchants and their Black customers hardly mixed - let alone inter-marry, while I found several racially mixed couples of South African origin. (I wonder however what the situation is now - after the demise of Apartheid?

The important thing now is to watch two major streams of Indian emigrations - one to the USA, Canada, Australia and to a lesser extent, the member countries of the European Union. The second is the exodus to the oil-rich Gulf countries in West Asia.

Indians exodus to the Gulf started in trickles sometimes in the l960s. The stream waxed and waned according to the market demand for skilled and semiskilled workers for construction industry, communication, electric and home furnishing. These are not usually brainy jobs but they demand experience and hard physical labour.

The recruiting agencies concentrating on such pockets are found in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh. A large number of males from Goa, both Hindus and Christians also look out for jobs in the Gulf countries. Despite the substantial decline of recruitment of blue colour jobs from India since 1992, trained jobs - such as computer instruction, medical sciences etc have opened up new avenues for recruitment.

A lot of Gulf workers rotate their jobs from place to place. But as a rule, very few gain permits to stay there permanently. This is one big reason why they remit their earnings to India on a regular basis. But the conversion rate of Gulf currency to the Indian rupee is immensely attractive. It helps a Gulf returnee to educate his children, marry off daughters, and make provisions for constructing, usually gaudy houses, invest in catering and tourist enterprises, and cold storages etc.

Do the frequent absence of their men folk create psychic and other problems for the families? In some ways they do, but I must admit that the Indian wives are far more used to face and tide over problems than the married women in the West. On the other hand, very little incentive is left for Gulf parents to give their wards professional and standard education. On the whole they remain more or less interested in the education of their wards.

In contrast, the highly talented and educated Indians who now go abroad represent the latest dimension of the Diaspora. They climb up the job ladder to assume responsible position in various walks of life - from universities to management institutes.

The Indians especially in software technology are in great demand in different countries of the world. They can truly be described as 'Global Indian' - specially since the media has conferred on them the generic term 'Indian Diaspora.' But unlike the 'Diaspora Jews' they have not lost home, nor are they in search of a new one across the Dead Sea. They are the ones who enjoy best of both worlds - their ancestor's home in India and the furnished homes in the New World where they work.

They enjoy unbelievable perks and privileges - periodic treks to different places in summer and winter holidays, hospital facilities for aged parents, best schools and colleges for their wards. Not all though are satisfied lot. Some berate the backwardness of India; some loudly proclaim ancient Hindu or Islamic heritage. As usual the overseas Indians carry with them a bundle of pride and prejudices. But the living is good and the returning NRI still enjoy telling a mix of fact and fiction back in his village or town.

Part I - Indians Abroad - First Impressions
Part II - Indians Abroad - Sugar colonies and Islands