HOW BLESSED ARE WE

By PROF ARJUN KUMAR JAGOTA

As the festive season approaches, my thoughts turn to celebrations “back home”. I miss the various religious and social festivals celebrated by several communities together with equal reverence and adherence, filling me with pride in the unity in diversity of my country and I start singing, “Sare jahan se achcha Hindustan hamara, hum bulbulein hain iski, yeh gulsitan hamara.” (Our country India is the best in the whole world. We’re all its songbirds and it is our garden of various hues and colours.)

But Canada has been home to me for several years now and I have come to appreciate how similar India and Canada are in many respects – the very names of the two countries have the same musical sound.

Both countries are strong and functioning democracies.               

Both are open societies. They have freedom of speech, expression and observation, living and celebrating social and religious customs, functions and festivals according to their social and religious beliefs.  

To my knowledge, migration from India to Canada started more than hundred years ago from the Doaba region of Punjab, where I originally come from. Farming youth started migrating to Canada for work in the wheat fields. On their visits back home they would paint a rosy picture, prompting other youngsters to follow suit. They contributed tremendously both to the development of Canadian farming and the prosperity of the Doaba region. As a young boy, I saw Canada as a dream country, though as life played out, I was to come here many years later.

My daughter came to Canada in 2002. My wife and I would visit for short periods, going to places of tourist interest and also visiting our other two daughters in the US.

I lost my wife in 2019 and my daughter made up her mind not to leave me alone. I returned to Canada during the most difficult time of COVID. Sensing that destiny has brought me to this place for the remainder of my life, I began looking at it from a different angle and evolving my perspective based on my first-hand experience.

As soon as I disembarked and saw the chaos at the airport, it was clear this was going to be different from our previous visits. Nobody cared even to enquire if the isolation was being adhered to or not, but if my daughter’s close friends had not supplied food regularly by turn, we would have been in a difficult situation.

This got me interested in learning more about how others were managing. I interacted with the security personnel of our complex, gardeners, plumbers, electricians, TV mechanics, etc., becoming friends with them. This provided a real and honest perspective of life in Canada.

By and large, people were satisfied except for a few complaints. One common complaint was about the rising prices of essentials, particularly groceries, which unbalanced their budgets with no relief from the government. They argued that salaries should be increased as per price-index, so that their purchasing power remain the same, if not increased. Those working for private firms as service technicians often complained about unemployment, underemployment and underpayment. Some of them were engineering graduates but unable to find jobs commensurate with their qualifications and potential.

While people appreciate the welfare schemes of the government such as free healthcare, pension for senior citizens, etc., they also feel that it takes weeks, sometimes even months to get appointments with doctors and to speak with specialists. One suggestion is to open small dispensaries and allow pharmacists to attend to patients with minor problems – the latter is already happening to some extent – to provide relief to patients and ease the pressure on doctors.

Canada is a land of migrants. It is a dream come true to come and settle down here. It is a multi-ethnic country. Normally newcomers prefer to inhabit the same area where people of their own ethnicity live, but I would encourage them to interact with people of different ethnicities to promote integrity, understanding and respect for each others’ cultures. 

By and large I love Canada and have made it my second home. Its well-knit infrastructure, open-minded and warm-hearted people have won me over.

But I must admit to missing India.

The fragrance of the soil of my motherland and of the small, beautiful village in the lap of nature, the beautiful home and the rivulets flowing behind it. I remember how I used to sit on the wet sand along with my childhood friends, our feet in the water.

I miss my karmabhoomi (land of action) where I came as a young professor at the age of 24 to join a prestigious educational institute founded by a royal philanthropist and managed by the family for the last four generations. The institution and the people took me in such a loving embrace that I became an integral part of the fabric and could not imagine my existence without them. My love, my life-partner, my wife, built our ashiana (home) amidst them in a beautiful neighbourhood. It was like a large extended family in which we raised our gifts from God, our three daughters. I was busy even after retirement, engaged in administering various educational institutions as director.

I miss the people of my neighbourhood with whom I spent almost six decades as a part of what was like a joint family of four generations. I was blessed with love and respect from each of them. Even the little kids showered so much love that when I stepped out for a walk, they would come running, chanting Dadu! Dadu! and hug and kiss. I take their unconditional love as Divine blessings.

And then I think of how blessed I am to celebrate with family and friends in Canada and wish everyone a heartfelt Happy Diwali!