CP Surendran is a well-known journalist who has a way with words. He was the resident editor of The Times of India in Pune when I held the same position for the paper in Ahmedabad. Two days ago, he wrote a piece in The New Indian Express that caught my attention. He recounted an incident in 1996, when two desperate Indian migrants stowed away in the wheel bay of a British Airways flight bound for Heathrow, London.
When the flight climbed to 40,000 feet, temperatures plummeted to deadly levels, and one of the migrants, Vijay Saini, froze to death. After the flight landed in London and the wheel bay was released, Vijay’s lifeless body fell to the tarmac below. His brother, Pradeep Saini, was unconscious and had to be admitted to a hospital. He survived, and though he was facing imminent deportation, he stayed back with the help of human rights groups. He now lives in Wembley.
Migrating abroad for a better life is a long-standing aspiration for many Indians, particularly in Gujarat, Punjab, and other states. People are under societal pressure to settle abroad in pursuit of a better future. They fall for the promises made by migration agents, whose numbers have grown significantly. These agents have turned this desperation into a lucrative industry.
If you read the harrowing stories of many deported migrants, you will realise that many of them sold all their farmlands, others pawned their jewellery and other assets and even mortgaged their future pensions. Many took high-interest loans, hoping for a brighter future abroad.
Agents have cashed in by ferrying migrants to the so-called land of opportunities after charging them exorbitant fees, often beyond their means. With limited legal avenues for migration, these agents lead their clients through illegal routes and indirect pathways. Many are routed via Gulf countries and Europe before being smuggled to the Mexican border. From here, the travellers travel through treacherous terrain—forests, hills, and rivers—to cross into the US.
We have learned of numerous tragedies along the way. Many others lost their cash and valuables. By the time they reached their destination, most were physically and financially drained, both in body and spirit. Many of them disappeared into the country and over time found low-end jobs, which eventually saw them settled in the US.
Historically, this pattern has persisted, but now the big bully Donald Trump, ever the hardliner on immigration, wants to enforce change. Whether he will succeed or not remains to be seen, but one wonders whether he has heard of the Komagata Maru—the Japanese steamship that sailed into Vancouver’s waters in May 1914, carrying over 350 Punjabi passengers—Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims alike.
Canadian authorities refused them entry, forcing their return to Calcutta, triggering a historical controversy that lingers today. Decades later, the Canadian government formally apologised for the injustice. Meanwhile, a thriving Sikh community now calls Vancouver home—they are influential across sectors, particularly agriculture.
So, will Trump be able to contain this great Indian dream? It seems unlikely.
Narendra Modi, initially eager for his meeting with Trump, returned with little to show for it. The only good news that he could salvage was related to Bangladesh. Trump told Modi that he could decide on the Bangladesh matter.
Until now, it had been suspected that the US was subtly stoking unrest in Bangladesh where Islamists have now gained the upper hand. This would provide opportunities for both Islamist and China-backed elements to gain influence.
“The only gain is Bangladesh and nothing else,” says Amit Gupta, a US citizen and former classmate of mine in Delhi, who until recently taught at the US Army War College in Alabama.
Will this imply that Hasina, now in New Delhi, will go back and regain her position of power in Dhaka?
Hasina is eager to return home, insisting she was ousted by a deliberate foreign conspiracy. Meanwhile, Trump has highlighted concerns over USAID funds potentially influencing Bangladesh’s elections—though he mistakenly referred to India instead.
It remains to be seen how things will pan out, but much now hinges on how Modi and his key strategist, Ajit Doval, interpret the situation.
The US has also continued pressing India to purchase its expensive F-16 fighter jets. But this complex web of geopolitics warrants a deeper analysis, perhaps one for another column.
Kingshuk Nag is a senior journalist who worked for TOI for 25 years in many cities including Delhi Mumbai Ahmedabad, Bangalore & Hyderabad. Known for his for fire brand journalism, he is also a biographer of Narendra Modi (The NaMo Story) and many others.
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