For the first 50 years after Independence, hundreds of thousands of Indians went abroad to chase their dreams, to build their lives and careers. But as a new India—one of hope, promise and opportunity—emerged after the 1991 reforms, there has been a change in the landscape. Indians still go abroad, of course, but thousands of “foreigners” now seek out this land, our land, as their preferred destination to live and work. This is, of course, not new, as Jonathan Gil Harris points out in his essay—isn’t it difficult to think of India without an A.O. Hume, Annie Besant or a Mother Teresa? But now more and more foreigners—students to stockmarket experts, engineers to entrepreneurs, cricketers to social scientists, restaurateurs to masseurs— are all here in our midst, doing what we do in their countries. Americans and Africans, Europeans and East Asians, South Americans and South Asians, they are all adding to the colourful ‘khichdi’ that is India.
How do they view the Republic on its 65th anniversary as the Narendra Modi regime takes charge; as Barack Obama takes salute? Is this Republic a river in full flow, or a Republic that has suddenly changed course? What do they make of our Constitution and our laws, and how do they face it? How do they deal with Indians and our way of life, work and play? We spoke to 65 foreigners to find out.
By Namrata Joshi with Prachi Pinglay-Plumber, Priyadarshini Sen, Dola Mitra, Stuti Agarwal, Sakshi Virmani, Minu Ittyipe, Madhavi Tata, Arindam Mukherjee and Pragya Singh
