A Random NRI on Indian Independence Day

In the last 9 years, whenever I wrote or talked anything appreciative or critical of India or the system in India, there were some lunatics who never missed a chance to label me a greedy traitor who fled India and have no moral stance to comment, patronize or sermonize India. My accepting Canadian citizenship a couple of years back only aggravated the narrative.

While I don't intend to generalize the entire nation of people, this article is intended to those resident Indians who conferred upon themselves the moral policing prerogative to decide who is a patriot and who is not. For others, these are just thoughts of a random Non Resident INDIAN.

• Anybody who googles will know that the percentage of Indian population which pay taxes is around 1%. Yes, you read it right. Only one percent of Indian residents pay their income taxes thanks to government exemptions, tax evasion and defaulters. That means 99% of those who live in India are utilizing, exploiting resources, infrastructure, public machinery without contributing anything.
• Most of the income tax amount comes from the workforce in IT, ITES and related services. But the services they provide would invariably benefit United States and other G8 countries but NOT India. That's an 'under-the-carpet' brain-drain many seldom have problem with. So dear software folks, you don't contribute to India as much as you do to other countries. 
• With changing times and aspirations, people in remote villages started moving to towns for livelihood; those in towns to cities and those in cities to sprawling metropolitan agglomerations. This migration is natural, inevitable for those who want to provide their children a superior quality of life, education, healthcare and other amenities. But the debate around these migrants being traitors to their hometowns and occupations didn't bother as much as those who left the country for greener pastures.
• It will be an interesting observation to analyze how many of those who decry NRIs are those who themselves never got an opportunity or those who would jump at the first chance to migrate

As mentioned earlier, this article is not aimed to denounce anybody but to throw some light on the fact that very person who lives in India is not an assets to the country but can be more of a liability, with some exceptions. In the same breath, I also admit that not every NRI is patriotic or more valuable. Not at all, but again there are some exceptions here too.

Regardless of how patriotic NRIs are, their contribution to Indian economy and society is irreplaceable.

• India happens to one of the biggest beneficiaries of remittances and FDI by its diaspora. NRIs bring in almost $70 billion every year which is roughly 75% of Indian government's planned yearly expenditure. This is Indian government's biggest ace to neutralize black money stashed in Swiss and other tax havens. Banks where NRIs deposit their money, invest in Government and other major infrastructure projects which NRIs don't regularly utilize.
• Numerous NGOs and private welfare organizations which seemingly work towards the benefit of society get large chunks of its donations, operational expenses and assets mostly from unsuspecting NRIs. Yearly foreign funds to Indian NGOs crossed Rs 10,000 crore last year which speaks volumes.
• Another major contribution is steady influx of USD which is a lifeline for RBI to control inflation, price-rise etc. This is a huge topic which deserves another blog post sometime later
• In addition, NRIs influence in foreign relations, cultural exchange is often under-estimated.

These were some generic NRI contributions but I don't claim to have any stake personally. 

For me, being Indian is more of an emotional connect than just a name on passport, skin tone, ethnicity or a few dollar bills I could remit. Like many other members of Indian diaspora, I take pride in being Indian as my identity. The first thing my eyes would glance in a world map would always be India. Current affairs for me are always Indian news; festivals, cuisines, celebrations would subconsciously refer to Indian. India is embedded, ingrained and injected into the psyche and persona regardless of where I live and I'm too proud of my Indian-ness to let anybody jeer or question my patriotism or identity.

I may not follow all religious rituals, but that doesn't take a Hindu out of me. I may not hold an Indian passport, but that doesn't take an Indian out of me. Happy Independence Day. Jai Hind

Travel Diaries 5: Top 10 Places I Visited

It's not an easy task to drill down to just 10 favorite places I visited. The list is based on how much I loved and enjoyed my visit and stay at these places and hence could be biased and/or subjective.

(10) Manali, India

While I haven't visited salt desert of Kutch, sand dunes of Rajasthan or backwaters of Kerala yet, I will rate Manali and the great Himalayan aura as the best tourist place in India. Serene Beas river, snow capped mountains around, strong pahaadi culture and character make the place unforgettable. Rohtang Pass, Solang Valley and the Hadimba temple vicinity still bring in vivid and vivacious memories. Personally, this is the place where I first experienced snowfall, sub-zero temperatures, river crossing, paragliding. The hill region imbibed in me a strong urge to be a perpetual backpacker. My travel-mania is in a way triggered by my visit to Manali. My honeymoon spot. Visited: 2007

(9) Niagara Falls, Canada

50 mins drive from my house, Niagara Falls is figuratively my backyard. I might have visited the falls over 30 times in the last one decade but never ever came close to getting tired or exhausted of the roaring cascade, green and white waters, perennial rainbow, mist, tourists and their cameras. Have seen the falls from either side of the border (American side being a poor cousin of the Canadian), from the tunnel behind the falls, from the foot of the falls, on the boat and every time felt like an experience to cherish. I know that Iguazu Falls of Argentina, Angel Falls of Venezuela are more imposing than Niagara but since I haven't been to either of those, Niagara is still on my list. First Visited: 2007

(8) Isle Mujeres, Mexico

Caribbean Sea is undoubtedly THE most beautiful sea in the world. So every place with a resort on the shore of Caribbean is a spot to die for but Isle Mujeres is a bit more than that. Think about this: A tiny island 7 kms long and less than a km wide which can be seen on a golf cart in few hours, picture perfect turquoise sea with high tides every direction you look at, magnificent Cancun skyline at some distance. That's something everybody must experience atleast once in their lifetime. I got lucky once. Visited: 2012

(7) Venice, Italy

Always rated among top few places to visit in any poll across the world, Venice should've been a world wonder. A city on canals, life on boats, trips on gondolas, strolls in narrow lanes, a grand canal, a majestic cathedral, an enthralling square make Venice look like a dream. Visited: 2013

(6)  Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Another beautiful European city which is sobriqueted Venice of the North, Amsterdam is the original sin city, much sinner than Las Vegas and more beautiful than Venice with it's concentric canals (minus gondolas). The fact that Marijuana is legal with cannabis bars sprawled like any other bar or cafe is a sight in itself. Another ironic tourist attraction is the red light area where sex workers showcase themselves from enclosures to tourists walking around the streets. And that happens to be a must visit sightseeing point in the city. Friendly people, rich Dutch culture, a unique blend of historic and modern worlds make Amsterdam a deserving alpha city of the world. Visited: 2013

(5) Hawaii Big Island, USA

Always a favorite beach holiday place especially for Americans, Hawaii is so unlike America in America. More than the waves and surf, I was amazed and astonished watching active volcanoes and black sand beach. Strong Polynesian culture, Luau, Hula adds to the magic. Visited: 2011

(4) Paris, France

City of Love. Fashion Capital. Many nicknames, many tales to narrate about the spectacular city. The towering Eiffel tower, calming Seine river, proud historic old town, ultra fashionable people, world renowned Monalisa and the Louvre, Versailles, the bridge of love-locks (we visited before the locks were removed) and Notre Dame - Paris can't be narrated or explained but only be experienced. Get drenched in the magic, go to Paris. Visited: 2013

(3) Banff / Athabasca Glacier, Canada

I was mind-blown and could hardly breath enough to relish the nature at one glance. An emerald turquoise crystal clear lake right under the nose of snow capped Canadian rockies and a carpet of pine trees is something which can blind your eyes. And then there is Athabasca Glacier on which the ice is as thick as the height of Eiffel Tower and you get on to the glacier on a bus, take a stroll and gaze at death trapping crevices; the glacier which feeds into Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Don't even try imagining. Just realize Canada is THE MOST BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. Visited: 2010

(2) Lucerne - Interlaken, Switzerland

It's a no-brainer that those who visit Switzerland can't forget the heaven on earth in their lifetime. Interlaken, a sleepy small town on banks of a river which is also a gateway to the highest point of Europe, Jungfrau in Swiss Alps is as picturesque as a postcard. Lucerne is a small big city where every glance can remind you of some poster or wall hanging. But the most mind-boggling experience in Switzerland will be a train journey between Interlaken and Lucerne. You'll regret having just two eyes. Visited: 2013

(1) Madrid, Spain

Choosing the top spot among so many places is a daunting task but Madrid was an outright choice for me right from the moment I stepped out of my hotel in Madrid. I felt the happiest in the city. The old world charm, strong Spanish character, friendly Spaniards, alleys, squares, museums, palaces simply grew in me. There were many other historic cities I visited but Madrid left me spell-bounded, captivated and observed me into itself. Visited: 2016

While I could only fit 10 best places in the top ten list, others which come close to the list are Innsbruck (Austria), Brussels (Belgium), Rome (Italy), Lisbon (Portugal), Koblenz (Germany), Chicago (USA), Delhi (India). Hoping to add more places in the list in the next few years.

PS: “Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.” – Anonymous

Story behind "The Saharsh Project"

It all started some 3 years back when I stumbled upon a Ted talk video by one Ms. Sunitha Krishnan who is an anti-trafficking crusader who saved over 11,000 girls from the brothels, prostitution rings and slavery across India. After watching her talk, I delved deeper into the subject, read many articles, viewed many more videos to realize that trafficking is the third biggest organized crime in terms of valuation after drugs and arms trade and in every 8 minutes, a girl is kidnapped, abducted, sold or married-to-sell in India.  Only 30% of cases are reported so we can understand the gravity of the situation. My stomach churned and throat choked at all these pieces of info but could do nothing.

Another day, another context: I took upon myself an interest to learn more about villages where my parents were born. While I couldn't get statistics of those exact villages, it came like a shocker that Warangal district in Telangana had long been a hub for human trafficking and it had been an epidemic in remote hamlets and tribal villages which mostly get unnoticed by mainstream media or administration because most of the cases go unreported.

I was first clueless when I learnt that most of the trafficking victims were those girls who dropped out of studies at around their 8th or 9th grade. I couldn't comprehend the direct correlation between dropping out from studies and getting trafficked. After some more studies and contacting few more on the ground NGOs, the picture was clear.

Lack of amenities (toilets, sanitary facilities) caused some girls to drop out after 8th or 9th grade while poverty and lack of funds to continue studies caused many other girls to drop out. On an average 9 out of 10 girls drop out before fishing 12th. Even Mid day meal, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan schemes by government couldn't motivate girls or their parents.

This is a very vulnerable situation for a 13 or 14 year old naive girl with no education and coming from an economically poor background. She would be a victim to one of the following cases

1. Child marriage at 13-14 (This is the best and safest case)
2. Parents unwittingly get her married to a trafficker in disguise who plunges the girl into the dirty quagmire
3. Girl who doesn't have a guardian around is a susceptible target for forcible abduction
4. Girl migrates to town to work as a bonded labor or domestic help and is still vulnerable to trafficking

First Step Forward: Though we can't fight and eradicate the trafficking rackets altogether, the least we can do is to attempt to eliminate the root cause at least in some cases. That is by supporting, guiding young girls and not allowing them to drop out during that tender age. "The Saharsh Project" took it's birth from this desperate thought.

As a part of this project, our main aim was to address the twin issues of lack of school facilities and poverty among families with young girls. As a first step, we identified 3 schools to improve infrastructure and 50 kids who are above 8 years old and who lost their earning family member to whom we could support morally, emotionally and financially. "Saharsh" means 'with happiness'. We hope to bring some happiness in a handful of kids to start with.

Requesting your emotional support to the movement: I was overwhelmed when some dear friends volunteered to donate to the cause. While wholeheartedly accepting their good wishes, I had to politely refuse money because The Saharsh Project is not registered as a charity and hence can't accept monetary donations. Moreover we could pool in funds from our corporation's social responsibility arm and are self-sufficient at this point.

But we desperately require your help in two other ways. First we need volunteers, who could report to us about any girl (or a boy) who lost parents and left with no option but to drop out of school. And we need volunteers to authenticate the need and keep fraudsters at bay.

Secondly, we need volunteers who could develop friendship and foster a guiding relationship with the kids. We receive periodic progress reports, their letters, wish-lists from these kids. We would love to have any volunteers who could respond to their mails, say a few words of encouragement, provide career guidance, talk to them and motivate them in achieving their career goals so that they don't get distracted but believe we all are behind them to share their joy or pain. We would also want to drive the same point home to their parents (or guardians) as well.

We don't aim to create any revolution with this, but want to see some (if possible, all) of our girls grow up to transform into responsible, informed, self-reliant and happy women.

PS: Those who are interested in volunteering or getting associated with our initiative may feel free to add to Facebook or LinkedIn profiles that you work as a "Campaigner" at The Saharsh Project and also invite your like-minded friends,relatives and acquaintances to do the same.