I glanced at the clock as I waited patiently to board my ferry at Swartz Bay terminal in Victoria. I was coming home to Surrey with fall in the air and the days getting shorter.  A few feet away from me sat a man in his early thirties whose disheveled, grey pony-tail fell over a worn-out denim jacket. He groaned and mumbled; apparently his liquor supply had taken its effect.
 
“Gimme my country back… I want my country back!” he demanded.
 
 He was frothing at the mouth and his head bobbed around loosely. His right arm slung around his buddy’s shoulder for support. He drew little attention from the foot passengers. They seemed unconcerned about his plea. It is likely that that if he was applying for a Casino license somewhere outside the Swartz Bay area he might have gotten more attention. But returning Canada to his people, however justifiable- wasn’t an issue.
 
He may as well have been asking for the moon. But he had his point: His ancestors lost their land and this was his way of showing the world that it was a travesty of justice.
 
Historically, his people traded furs for precious stones and often times, the white man’s “fire water.” The white man soon liked the land and simply annexed all he could set his eyes on. And “Kanata”- the Native Indian word meaning ‘village’- became ‘Canada.’
 
A new country was born.
 
On the drive back home I listened to the thumps of the joints over the Alex Fraser Bridge. I just couldn’t forget the image of the man. I could still hear his echoes and became queasy about my own presence in the land of his ancestors.
 
If Canada belongs to the First Nations, then I too might be an occupier!
 
I suddenly sensed the presence of ancient spirits. I could hear the sounds of drums and shakers. Spots of sunlight bathe tepees in the early morning mist and the Chief sits huddled on his haunches. There is the morning sun filtering through the leaves of Douglas fir and hemlock of the Pacific Coast. Some of those rays break through the branches into shimmering lights.
 
I see a tribal elder covered in fur whose cheeks are furrowed and his brows are lined.  He appears to be in his own world through the ritual chants. More of his people appear in furs and headbands with shuffling in circles on their sacred ground.
 
These are First Nations people; Canada is arguably theirs.

We in Canada are fortunate to live in a relatively less prejudiced society.

There is less prejudice directed towards visible minorities in Canada than that which manifests itself in the treatment of lower castes in India.

Nevertheless, when there is a case of overt prejudice that shows up in Canada people react to it with shock and awe. They can’t believe what they have borne witness to. It is almost as if prejudice is alien to this society.

What is so shocking about prejudice in Canada? We remind ourselves that “the lower than humankind’ treatment meted out to Chinese immigrants who came to build the railroad in the later part of the nineteenth century and for the next four decades is still a lasting tattoo- like blemish in the history of Canada.

The other day you tube shocked us with an unbelievable display of cowardice in prejudice: three white teenagers attacking a colored youth in Courtney, British Columbia that was caught graphically on amateur video. It came to us as a shock. But to my fourth generation Japanese-Canadian friend it came as no surprise.

“ There are a lot of red necks up there on the Island!” he noted.

And so what if there is some prejudice in isolated cases. What is it we minorities expect? Do we expect some utopian world where black, white, yellow and pink all hold hands and stick daffodils in the guns of armored tanks? That can happen like it once did on the wide screen, but why go through all the bother when it possibly never will in our lifetimes.

Just as well- Canada is referred to as a multi-cultural society.  If on the other hand it were touted as a “melting pot” some of us minorities might have quipped sardonically: “ Get real!”

Prejudice is a tragedy for human kind, but then, time will surely be the healer.  With the passing of generations this carcinogen will become antiquated, it will vanish. Prejudice is a luxury- as was the war in Iraq. The world paid the price indirectly for an offshoot of prejudice and ultimately we now inhabit a planet with many more hungry people than before.

Maybe we ought to stop worrying about others and just do our bit to bring prejudice to an abrupt end. I think we can do this  by looking inward. 

At sometime in our lifetimes most of us have been perpetrators of prejudice in some form or the other. If we realize that aspect of our hypocritical selves, we might come nearer to living in harmony.

My Nigeria-born pastor surprised me with his Sunday morning homily when he referred to Michael Jackson as a genius with a higher level of consciousness. My pastor is well read and I tend to believe what he opines. Though the biased may not agree with that assertion, I think we ought to give it to Michael for his musical and choreographic  genius. 

Like most others who now tend to glorify Michael Jackson in death, my regard for Michael shot upwards after his heart called it a day. Thinking about all this in hindsight, I should have not been carried away with all the bad publicity he received when he was alive. And what a dramatic turnaround matters have taken after his death!

In a sense, he was vindicated. Michael Jackson may not been half as bad as they made him out to be. It was his immense wealth and naïve disposition that made him a soft target for bounty hunters.

In the end, he left behind an empire that is now getting ready to strike back. Michael Jackson’s next of kin are sitting on an even bigger goldmine now that he is no more.

But there is a facet of Michael Jackson that even the visible minorities like us can be thankful for.  He broke down a significant number of racial barriers by making music colorless. It can questionably be argued that his music brought white and black closer than any other single thing in the 20th century.

Most people living in South Asia do not understand what first world discrimination and prejudice is all about. And even if they do, they prefer not to liken it to the treatment meted out to lower castes in Indian society. We South Asians have collective double standards. But the Western brand of prejudice is like a baby bee inside your car when you are driving; sometimes it perches innocuously on the dashboard and at other times it is noticeable by the constant low- key buzz. Then at some point on a long journey you simply live with it. You know you can’t beat it in this lifetime anyway.

But our children in North America appear to be taking a milder view of it. They seem to have merged into society seemingly well. They do not live their life with the slight apprehension that bothered some of  us like the teeny-weenie bee buzzing in the back of our minds.

That little bee has become visibly smaller and subdued of late. No longer can its head pop out with temerity. But once in a while it hangs out like a tape worm that struggles to assert its presence.

Hopefully, we should see the end of prejudice in our lifetimes. Just as well,for that would enable us to concentrate on more compelling issues.

Like feeding the world’s hungry people, for instance.

Whenever I hear good news concerning a new South- Asian immigrant I know, I feel relieved and pleased. But there are people who feel jealous and insecure to hear of someone’s good fortune. I don’t blame people who are overcome by the pangs of jealousy when they hear that someone got a higher paying job, for example. I used to be that way for a while soon after I arrived in Canada, but not any more.

 When I first arrived in Canada I could not help comparing my situation to someone of my own ethnic or socio-cultural background who was better off than I was. It was a queasy feeling, and as much as I tried to go above it, I found it difficult to shoo away. Only now do I realize it was but natural.

Ask any ethnic Punjabi about it. Though he might not speak much English, chances are he knows the meaning of the word ” jealous.”  He will tell you that his people “ Bahut ‘Gelsy’ (jealousy) karate hain!”

There could be valid reasons for his dubious claim, but chances are, he has blown it out of proportion.

Let us consider the following scenario: ‘Gordy’ Brar has purchased a new “Hybrid” Honda Civic and he decides to park it in the driveway although his two older cars are housed in the garage.  His neighbor, Amrik Singh Sanghera wakes up one morning to peep out of the bedroom window and is greeted by the sight of a new silver gray Honda Civic “Hybrid.” Instead of appreciating his neighbors concern for the environment he calls out to his wife and both view it caustically while standing on a hotplate. The net result is that his neighbor’s good fortune has now prompted Amrik Sanghera to work another weekend job and his wife to work in a more upscale greenhouse.

Then one day, out of sheer revenge and an excess of savings in their checking account they buy a ‘Hummer’ and make Gordy Brar feel foolish for having fallen prey as a sucker to all that Salesman talk about how a “hybrid” help keep the environment green. He vows that the next time he has the hard cash he will be buy a vehicle as big as a Punjab State Transport Corporation bus and silence his ‘arrogant’ neighbor once and for all.

That is quite likely to happen. The circle of “Gelsy” goes on an on and before you know it, ethnic Indians are a very powerful socio-economic group and a political force to reckon with in places like Brampton, Ontario and Surrey in British Columbia.

I am not saying “ Gelsy” is a good emotion. All I am saying is that if you feel that way during your first few years in Canada, consider it natural. You are ten thousand miles from home and always hankering for material security.

Just as hockey is the unofficial religion of Canada so is cricket the all-encompassing boundary that confines an Indian’s brain.  An Indian cannot think beyond cricket unless his thoughts go for a six.  And that too, he will religiously pick up the ball from the stands and throw is back into play.

Indians take cricket intravenously and then use the same needle over and over again.

If you were one of the many geeks hooked on cricket in India, there are now cable networks in Canada who might entice you with “ Pssst, pssst…want a quick fix of the final game in the IPL? That will be sixty nine dollars and ninety nine cents for the final!”

And only then will the otherwise frugal South Asian cave in. This is the same man or woman who will buy greens from ‘Fruticana’ in Surrey to save on vegetables. But for cricket he opens up like a man with a stuffed wallet and no self-control.

My family has a $15.50 cent monthly rental of “the paid cricket channel” on cable. We are in the middle of the IPL series being played in South Africa in April-May 2009 and we did not opt for “ live coverage” because we felt the rate of $99 was steep. But let us say, we decide to watch just the final. It would then cost a whopping $69.99. For that kind of money, the entire society of eighty cottages of our first house in Memnagar, Ahmedabad could watch cable for a month. And that cable service would cover the IPL for peanuts.

So what is the solution? Do we cave in to our addiction? Or do we engender new games like baseball and ice hockey?

Fat chance!

Baseball looks a bit like cricket, but is a shade incomprehensible. And ice hockey looks like a game for “goondas” armed with rough arm tactics and “lathis” - who sporadically slip on banana peels.

But the next generation of immigrants will espouse baseball and cricket with zest. They will wave you down and hold placards prompting you to honk for their favorite ice hockey teams. They will look at a game of cricket and wonder what all the calculated boredom is about.

And finally the will pronounce their forefathers as “ jerks” who had nothing better to do than to count from one to four and straight to six for five drab days in a row. Little might they know that this legacy from the British was the basis for a style of life and an all-absorbing obsession in a distant world.

The question is a “no-brainer”- as North Americans would say.  It does not even merit a second thought. Insurance cover and a new house purchased on a mortgage go together like tea and Parle glucose biscuits.

Insurance is a must if you are planning to take a mortgage loan for your dream house. In any case Insurance is mandatory, or else the financial institution providing the mortgage won’t process the loan. But down the line the temptation to do away with fire, flood and earthquake coverage is compelling, in which case there are some points to bear in mind.

Houses in North America are made of wood and light up like a “phujari” at Diwali in the event of an accidental fire. My family knows what is like to have a fire in the house. The fire started in the kitchen while I was checking out a camping stove and next thing I knew was I was holding on to a disposable cylinder that was throwing noisy flames. Fortunately, nobody got hurt and we managed to put it out before the fire engines arrived. The damage took four months to fix and my family was housed in a hotel for that period. We only had to pay forty percent of our food bills but the thought of eating food for four months in a restaurant is only slightly better than what the food must be in Arthur Road jail in central Mumbai. The insurance company settled the bills, but we were only too happy to get back home after four long months. The insurance company had spent $99,000 and gave us back a brand new looking kitchen and a re-painted house. It was a good thing we had fire coverage.

Floods like the recent Red River flooding along the path of the river Manitoba and thence to the United States occur once in a while but the Pacific sea coast of North America is fraught with insecurity with the underlying ‘San Andreas Fault.’  If ever there is an earthquake of magnitude 9 on the Richter scale it won’t be any big surprise.

The question is “ Why take a risk?” That becomes even more relevant when we take selective risks. Let us say, John insures for fire and flood but decides to save $200 per year by not taking earthquake insurance.  His thinking is: “ It hasn’t happened in the last fifty years and it probably won’t happen now. Do you want to be like John? That is up to you to decide.

But if the earthquake does take place and your house is entirely or even partly wrecked, get ready to borrow anywhere up to two hundred thousand dollars to fix your house. Even if there is a structural crack in the plumbing lines it can cost a packet. Earthquake coverage usually comes with a deductible of five to ten percent. But even that is worth it considering how much you can avoid paying to get your house fixed.

There is only one note of caution: Don’t go in for an insurance policy mainly because it is linked to the financial institution providing the mortgage.  Instead, shop around and you might get insurance coverage for ten to twenty percent cheaper. This is not like in India where insurance is nationalized and there are just four major insurance companies providing coverage for general insurance. 

Like a shaky hand trying to thread the eye of a needle, the new immigrant to Canada often goes through a rough ride on a giant wheel in search of a job. Even afterwards, every now and then the down-ride creates butterflies in the stomach. Such is the insecurity of the job related market in Canada.

For most immigrants,  it takes a while to secure employment. But patience is the key. Then, at last, ones Resume manages to attract attention and the phone rings. This is just stage one of the bumpy  journey that will thereafter be replayed periodically for most immigrants.

However, with the first pay cheque, things change vastly. You can head for the Superstore with a newly found confidence and slowly one stops counting pennies. Suddenly you don’t feel looney but the dollar does. And it will help you buy things that you once thought were out of your reach.

But things are even better if you work for a good employer.

To the extent possible, try seeking employment in commercial establishments owned and run by third to fifth generation Canadians and please don’t be naïve enough to enquire whether they fit the bill. If you have an option, do seek employment in a Canadian company. Chances are, you will not regret it.

Avoid working for people of your own ethnic background. They tend to carry forward the same employer-employee attitude that is reminiscent of the old world “master-slave syndrome.” Work for them, and you will wonder why you came to Canada. I offer this advise based on my observation and the experiences of people who I know.

A Canadian sizes up a prospective immigrant based on his or her references. Work hard and well, such that when you leave you have a good reference to present to your new employers. Nothing goes unnoticed in Canada-especially good work. In India, good work does not necessarily improve your position in the company because of the in-built neoptism.

Try to refrain from expressing how much you miss the old world till you have made your third visit to the old country within one decade of coming to Canada. By that time you would have adopted new ways that might preclude living in conditions that are symbolic of dirt, noise, sweat, grime and corruption of the old world.

Keep your voice low, even when talking to people of your own ethnic background. It is a habit that will come of good stead when speaking in public. The two words you don’t want to be described as-“rude” or “gross.”

If you choose to Anglicize your name avoid pet names like “ Dick”- even if your name is Dixit or Hardik. You can instead change it to “Bala” to rhyme with “ballerina” or “Dave”that fits like an acronym for Davinder.

Don’t offer Indian sweets like kaju barfi or mysore paak to Caucasian people lest you want them to dread your company since those delicacies are far too sweet for Western taste buds. Instead offer them “samosas” or invite them over for butter chicken and pulao. That ought to add a new chapter in the book “How to win friends and influence people.”

Grow vegetables in your backyard garden in summer and be kind to the environment. And while on the subject of the environment, do remember that burping too results in polluting the environment since it is the release of methane gas.

It would be a good idea to get rid of the old incandescent bulbs at home, and replace them with contemporary “ power efficient” lighting. And do buy a hybrid car if you can afford it, at least fill gas in your car with an ethanol mix to help sustain a greener environment.

Always be quick to say “ Thank you” or “Sorry” depending on which is appropriate. In due course of time you will graduate to expressions like “ I really appreciate that.”  In case you accidentally bump into somebody in the Asian Aisle in Superstore just say “ Sorry about that” and don’t say “ Heartfelt apologies.”

Don’t bother about the burlesque characters portrayed by Russell Peters and Sugar Sammy even though some of it is true and most of it is exaggerated. Let us face it squarely: The Indian accent is funny and it is time we finally laughed at ourselves. Remember, that the flip side is that we are world leaders in information technology and bleeding the West with getting work “outsourced.”

And lastly, this may sound prophetic but the most likely people to help you in your initial stay in Canada are ethnic Punjabis, Anglo-Indians and Caucasian people though the latter tend to be a bit formal when they help out.

The concept of “ one day at a time” is simple- and yet easy to set aside. Even those who keep this adage as a guiding beacon are tempted to digress and surf the future. Immigrants to Canada are often advised by older immigrants to live life “one day at a time.” But the temptation to rush the agenda is far too tempting. The result is not unexpected: Stress and despair suddenly surface.

The problem with trying to look into to far ahead is that the future slips away further and the present is lost forever. In that context let us try and understand how the principle works if we are to take an elementary example: Go out to your workplace, work for the day as best you can ( a degree better than on the previous day) and don’t think of what tomorrow may have in store for you.

Take nothing for granted in Canada- especially your job. One day you have it; the next day your tears might blot the pink slip you clutch crestfallen and shattered. That too shall pass. It is all part of the acclimatization process and it almost invariably works for the betterment.

More often than not it is a blessing in disguise: You learn to grow double- quick in a seemingly alien environment till such time the hide on your back is thick enough to withstand much more inadvertent “ new-world lashes.”

I have seen, first hand, the reaction of people, close to me, who lost their jobs-got laid off, or were fired for the first time in Canada. Their first reaction is one of near total devastation; it is a reaction that is a lot worse than it would have been in India under similar circumstances.  And understandably so: You are ten thousand miles away from home and suddenly coming to Canada does not seem like such a good idea.

Meet the very same people a few years later: They appear to have recovered from that initial ordeal. There are some who fold up their tents and head back home in sheer desperation.  Patience is a luxury for some new immigrants for whom the torture is unbearable. It is in that context there is a need to have ones own individual support group of friends and acquaintances. Sharing experiences is a good idea.

The first time you lose your job in Canada is a little like surviving a shipwreck and being marooned even though you know there is help forthcoming. Nonetheless, it is a lonely feeling.

It might be a good idea to climb out of the self-pity and get down to the grind.  It is not the end of the world; it is the beginning of the Canadian immigrant saga-a story of common occurrence.

You are not alone. That thought, in itself, should provide you the much-needed solace to cope with the loss of your first job in Canada.

Consider the following two isolated news snippets on March19, 2009:

1. A study by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities reveals that recent immigrants to Canada who are between the ages of 25 and 54 are twice as likely to have a university degree as other Canadians though four times more likely to be unemployed than other Canadians. University-trained immigrants had an unemployment rate of about 12.1 per cent. By comparison, the unemployment rate among university-trained non-immigrant Canadians was three per cent.

It is reported that the government of Canada proposes spending $68 million over five years to speed up the recognition of foreign credentials in order to get educated immigrants into the workforce faster.

2. As on the morning of March19, 2008, the Canadian dollar started to spread its wings once again, partly as a result of the falling US dollar. However, since Canada is essentially a ‘commodities- based- economy’ the refection of the marginal hike in prices of crude oil and gold is obvious. This has been confirmed by RBC Capital analyst George Davis says the Canadian dollar is showing signs of soaring upward because of the American dollar’s weakness against most other currencies and because of a spike in oil and gold prices. Gold futures contracts were up more than $66 to US$955 an ounce and crude oil futures were up $3.88 to US$52.02 a barrel in New York in early trading on March19, 2009.  Earlier in the day, the Canadian dollar briefly rose above 82 cents US for the first time since early February. Not that a strengthening Canadian dollar is good for the economy.  When the Canadian dollar rose to $1.07 U.S. at its peak there were market rumblings because Canadian exports had become cheaper. A Canadian dollar that is valued at 85 US cents is considered to be the ideal for the Canadian economy.  But let us not forget that when the Canadian dollar was the equivalent of 65 cents U.S. American enterprises rushed to Canada to set up industrial plants because it was an attractive proposition to produce in Canada. We also need to keep an eye on anything that generates jobs.

My predictions for the Canadian economy and job situation for prospective immigrants are as follows:

1. Canada’s economy will slowly improve for the remaining part of 2009, in part, due to the weakness of the American dollar and also in view of the predicted increase in the price of crude oil and gold. Provinces like Alberta may see a revival of fortunes in and around Fort McMurray such that jingle of loonies in giant vats will resound as far as Ottawa. Like the sudden, unexpected spike in the purchase of new cars in the first two months of 2009, there ought to be an increase in the number of first time buyers for housing and that will hopefully spur up the economy.

2.Many potential immigrants who recently obtained their immigrant visas to Canada- including some of who were sitting on the fence (concerned about the state of the Canadian employment market)- will now take the plunge and head for Canada.

During mid- January to the end of February 2009 I travelled to many towns and cities in central and south India. The only word I can only find to describe India is “boxed-in.” Not all the Information technology related economic progress and the 9% national growth in GDP can compensate for the disparity between the rich and the poor-and the consequent ” Slumdog Millionaire” effect that reflects India in poor light. Sooner or later money too is not going to compensate.

Taking a bold step and immigrating to Canada requires guts.That is reserved for the adventurous among us.