TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Home
Bio
Crossing the Globe
COMPARATIVE MIGRATION PROJECT
Japan and Globaligration
Into the Hill Tribes of Vietnam
Ali and Me
Return To Sender
Yo Estoy Aqui
There and Back
Open Letter
Yo Estoy Aqui
Julian
Bailey
During my visit in Spain, I had the pleasure of meeting a man who is from India. Salil had spent three weeks visiting his brother who had moved there five years prior. After spending those weeks visiting his brother, he decided that he wanted to stay in Barcelona, Spain. When I asked him why he would choose Spain over India, he simply replied “Spain is a much better place to live for my interest industry”. I later learned that he was a chef who had been training in India, and came to Barcelona to pursue a career in hotel and restaurant management.
When Salil told me his
story, it reminded me about our class
conversations regarding India and emigration. In Global studies, our
port-to-port lecturer, Professor Prasad spoke to us about India and its
problem with the ‘brain drain’. In Anna Lee Sexanian’s article “From
Brain Drain to Brain Circulation” she explains that “The brain drain
has been a curse for developing countries like India”. She explains
that during the post World War II era “the best and brightest routinely
left for the economic opportunities and higher standards of living in
the West.” My friend Salil can definitely be considered part of those
emigrants that make up the ‘brain drain’. Although there has been a
significant reversal of the ‘brain drain’ in the last ten years due to
improvement in India’s economy, people like Salil still venture into
the west in search of greater opportunity. After searching for signs of migration in Spain, Salil appeared to be the perfect story. I proceeded to ask him about his migration process, and what it was like for him to leave home and go to another country. Salil, who openly admitted to being of upper caste explained that he had been easily granted a visa to enter Spain. If he can secure employment within a year he will be able to reside there with his brother permanently.
After my short conversation with Salil, he appeared to be very intelligent young man who spoke four different languages. I can only hope for him that he will be successful in pursuing his career in hotel and restaurant management. Maybe one day he will be part of the brain drain reversal and contribute his skills by reinvesting them in his homeland.