Emmigration is not a new phenomenon. It is a very old human state of living. The Aryans who arrived in India were expatriates. It is said that ancestors of the Dravidian race of south India were expatriates from the giant continent that included Australia. The similarities of the Australian natives and those of Nilgiri show that they shared some cultural heritage.
The legendary figure Sri Ram was also an expatriate with his family. Some traces of Expatriation are also found in the lives of Pandavas. Perhaps the first expatriate to go from Kerala was a Buddhist monk to China.
But unlike today’s expatriates, the earlier expatriates went for religious missionary purposes. Today’s expatriates go in search of winning the bread. Hunger and thirst are indifferent to religions. Expatriates contribute to the resident country.
But this contribution does not make expatriates treacherous towards their motherland. Their hard work becomes rewarding for the two countries simultaneously. Indians are living in a critical situation when patriotism has to be viewed from a humanistic and large-hearted perspective. Since there are a handful of people who raise questions regarding who is a real patriot, who is a real Indian and who is a real Hindu. Along with monopolizing the concept of patriotism, they are also trying to superimpose an ideal Indian upon the diverse nature of Indian soil. Taking advantage of some political blunders of others, they are trying to execute their fascist designs over the rest of the country.
Zakariyya’s (a prominent Malayalam writer) speech on his Middle East tour. Appeared on Nov 28th 1998 in Chandrika Daily
