A Europe-based Indian scholar on terrorism and organised crime has not only closely studied but also experienced the immigration story. In a conversation on The Gist, Prem Mahadevan says that the ongoing rush of skilled Indians to Germany is something that needs to be carefully monitored, because the future may not be rosy.
Mahadevan says that there is nothing to suggest that Germans resent the entry of skilled Indians who are filling vital jobs that will boost the economy. But generally in Europe, it is accepted that skilled migrants entering the country will stay for some years and then leave. But when they stay on, what happens then?
“Europeans, I think, have often envied the United States that attracted the best brains from the world, so they would like to think that the people they have coming to Europe, are the elite or the cream of that society.”
But oftentimes they’re not the elite. They’re very much middle middle class, hardworking people whose main offering is the fact that they’re ready to work long hours, but they’re not necessarily leaders in their respective fields.
So this is when the local Europeans start seeing the migrants as “raw material”, that have to be trained and built up. If that is the case, why not train their own people instead rather than migrants.
“Why don’t we give our own people better opportunities than foreigners? So those are the kinds of thoughts and sentiments, I think which are floating around,” Mahadevan said.
The sentiment towards migrants in Central Europe plays to a different tune. These are not former colonial powers and see no need to allow migrants from different ethnic grooups or cultures into their societies.
Europe is also closely watching the treatment of Indians in the US, where Donald Trump’s MAGA constituency is turning the heat on them. From a time when they were billed as the “ideal minority” to today when they are accused of stealing American jobs, it’s been a steep fall and a warning to Indians seduced by visions of living a great life overseas.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Prem Mahadevan, Europe-based scholar on immigration, terrorism and organised crime.
Thirty eight years in journalism, widely travelled, history buff with a preference for Old Monk Rum. Current interest/focus spans China, Technology and Trade. Recent reads: Steven Colls Directorate S and Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon. Netflix/Prime video junkie. Loves animal videos on Facebook. Reluctant tweeter.
