Senior Multimedia Reporter
radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre executive director Dr Kumar Mahabir has welcomed the offer of lifetime visas for people of Indian heritage in T&T, but believes most citizens will not take up the opportunity to live and work in that country.
He was responding to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement on Thursday that sixth-generation children of the Indian diaspora will soon be eligible for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), which offers visa-free travel and the ability to work, study, and own property in India. Modi made the announcement to hundreds in attendance during an event at the National Cycling Centre in Couva.
Welcoming the opportunity, Dr Mahabir said: “This definitely augurs well for people who not only want to visit India but also want to trace their family roots. It is good for tourism, it’s good for international trade, it’s good for both countries.”
Dr Mahabir acknowledged that interest in visiting India has grown, with many people seeking help to apply for OCI cards and trace their family trees.
However, he said few are likely to move there permanently.
“People would want to visit, go for a holiday. They want to reconnect with family. But I don’t think anybody would want to go to take up residence,” he said.
Even with growing interest in India’s medical services, Mahabir said the trend shows that people still prefer to go to Western countries.
“People tend to go to the United States, to Canada, and to England. They want to go to these developed countries in the West. It’s a near home in case of an emergency,” he explained.
He noted that while India offers free study opportunities through the Indian High Commission, along with waivers for tuition and accommodation, this does not mean many will relocate.
He praised Prime Minister Modi for delivering his speech spontaneously, without a script.
“The prime minister showed that India has a lot of opportunities for businesspeople here to do trade, for people who want to study in science and technology,” he said.
University of the West Indies history lecturer Dr Jerome Teelucksingh also expressed support for the initiative but agreed it was not an opportunity that most people would take up.
“This initiative will be beneficial in different ways. It will help unemployed and underemployed Indo-Trinbagonians to seek better opportunities,” he said.
“But if some of our best minds depart, then it will lead to a brain drain in Trinidad and Tobago.”
He warned that geographical and social conditions may also deter some from living and working in India.
“Some parts of India are affected by intense heat, while other areas have monsoons,” he said.
“There is also religious tension. Reports of anti-Muslim violence and persecution of Christians are part of India’s fabric.”
Dr Teelucksingh said people may hold an idealised view of India that does not reflect current realities.
“Some of us have a rosy picture of India and we need to be mindful of the reality. The same could be true for some Afro-Trinidadians who see Africa as pristine, or persons of Chinese descent seeing China as perfect.”
He added, “I don’t want to appear overly critical or ungrateful. I know the potential of India. It is my ancestral homeland. India is part of my DNA and it has helped shape my identity and world view.”
Surgery consultant Dr Ammiel Arra, who studied in India, said misconceptions about the country may influence decisions about the visa offer.
“I doubt many people will pursue lifetime visas. It is heavily populated and the lifestyle there is very different from Trinidad. There is a preconception that it is ‘Third World’ and not at the level of Western countries, which is absolutely not true,” he explained.
Dr Arra said India’s medical services rival those in wealthier countries.
“The medical care and expertise available in India is tremendous and, in my opinion, easily matches or even surpasses what is provided by institutions in the US or UK. Despite public preconceptions, India has vast technological advances in surgery and medicine at a fraction of the cost.”
Dr Arra said the opportunity for access to affordable medical care and specialist training is also significant.
“It allows for training of locally trained surgeons at high-volume, high-specialty institutions with global reputations.”
