When birds of a feather flock together
They come in droves at the onset of winter when the weather is amicable. Their descent reminds one of the migratory birds coming from far-flung areas to Harike Pattan, the bird sanctuary at the confluence of the Beas and Sutlej rivers, 95 km from Amritsar. The otherwise placid waters at Harike suddenly flutter to life with the advent of winged visitors from distant lands on their winter sojourn. Non-resident Indians flocking rural Punjab may not match the estimated number of 200 migratory bird species at Harike, yet they, like the birds, come in all hues and colours.
They are here for myriad reasons. Some are on a short visit as they come to attend weddings of friends or family. Some come accompanied by progeny in the hope of finding suitable ‘desi and decent’ matches for them. Others come loaded with dollars to shop for the big fat Punjabi weddings to be solemnised abroad. Youngsters who are coerced into accompanying their family to visit the country of their forefathers are visibly ill at ease here as they can’t identify with the culture here.
Children create awkward situations. I can never forget the incident when a couple from Canada brought their three-year-old son to meet the grandmother staying in a village, for the first time. The eager, lovelorn granny rushed to take the child in her lap. The child pushed her away, kicking her with his little feet. Clinging tight to his mother, he said, “Ugh! This woman smells so bad.” The poor, uneducated grandmother wanted to know what the grandson had said in ‘angrezi’ and the parents didn’t know which way to look.
The class which makes rural Punjab most vibrant for months together is the one who had migrated from here in the prime of their youth in search of greener pastures. After struggling long, they managed to earn enough to build palatial houses back home. They being free from obligations abroad are here to relax. They want to reconnect with their roots .They come looking for what they left behind years ago.
In order to find their lost youth, they visit schools, colleges and the places they frequented in their heydays. To make life comfortable, they engage all kinds of professionals from masseurs to chefs. Lavish parties are thrown where friends and family converge. A festive atmosphere is created by hiring cultural troupes. Memories are revived and relationships rekindled amid the free flow of foreign liquor and rich Punjabi delicacies.
Their women shop like there is no tomorrow. Prices of ladies suits and accessories spiral up, forcing the domestic consumers to postpone their purchase till the NRI season is over. Boutiques too raise their rates and stop catering to regular desi customers as there are ‘vaddhe orders from baherwale (big orders from outsiders)’.
When the time for them to fly back comes, they leave with heavy hearts. The depart leaving behind teary-eyed loved ones, promises to come back again and many a young mind ignited with foreign dreams.
THEY COME LOOKING FOR WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND YEARS AGO, TO FIND THEIR LOST YOUTH