Will Brain Drain continue from North East?
Posted On Tuesday, February 27, 2007 at at 18:03 by rk rishikesh sinha
The history of human civilization is splurged with exodus of people settling in known or unknown land. Earlier it was in the search to stretch kingdom and in the colonialism days it was pure business driving it. It was in this period that people in mass settled in alien nations driven by the lure of higher income or employment. Countries like Fizi, Trinidard and Tobago, where people of Indian origin make sizeable population, are amongst few countries which witnessed emigration in hordes.
In the early 70’s and 80’s people from India went to countries like USA and Canada for higher studies and later settled there. And now, they represent Indian values and culture and does PR service for India as was evident in the Indo- US nuke deal.
Economics and mathematics of the emigrated people to foreign nations or within countries generate soothing results but at the same time it evokes disturbing trends. The money that emigrated people send to their parents makes up state exchequer soar. In opposite to it, some say and perhaps it is that they nourish the host nations with the expertise that they acquired in their homeland, in return not getting anything financially or with their expertise. Simply, the question arose more questions then it answers.
That was all about brain drain crossing international borders. Now, let me come to brain drain from North East. Again, the issue opens up a Pandora box.
First, the word ‘brain drain’ cannot be related to North East in general and Assam in particular since constitutionally this region is still a part of India. Using the word, it seems, would be inappropriate and illogical. OK, let us not go deep and creep into the word’s etymologically and its usage to the North East.
Before one answer the intriguing question whether brain drain will continue from the North East, it is necessary to answer many questions. At first, why people migrate to cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore – the newly found destination amongst students and professional? Why national media, print or television doesn’t report exclusively on North East? But we find special city edition and exclusive channels for these metro cities.
About the present mess, we can say and I believe you will agree with me with the fact that North East doesn’t come under the radar of development which had swayed these metro cities and even to the tier – II cities like Jaipur, Faislabad, Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad and Karnal. Mind-blowing development generating employment drove in hordes highly qualified jobless professional to head towards these cities.
Employment is the key factor and driving force, people like me many more to take, leaving behind comfort zones in home. No doubt, I started my professional career from Guwahati but after leaving it, I became the one more person everyday flipping the second page of The Assam Tribune so to find a job, it doesn’t matter whether I was eligible or not.
Now coming to here in Delhi, whenever my phone rings I expect a call to appear for an interview thus opening up an opportunity for me to get my foot in the interviewee table. I am bombarded with offers and interviews and so is the story with every guy coming from Assam or North East. Don’t you think coming here has given me an opportunity not to waste my youth in the search for jobs.
Besides employability, the newly acquired home gives you to work in avenues like internet, real estate, construction, PR, hotel and Below The Line Marketing (BTL) companies, which are unknown in the North East. The add-on facilities which one get working in these companies are that the work culture and the technology on which they work is latest and of highest standards.
Our experienced hand in such sectors will help in near future when such businesses come to North East. A case in point, most of the people working in studios in Guwahati had taken training in Mumbai or Delhi. These people have undoubtedly come to their native place when such avenues came up in Guwahati.
This was all about employment. Another benefit taking place under the shadow of brain drain is that it helps to expand and propagate culture, language and mitigate myths about Assam or North East. It truly works as a PR service taken by the state. The people project our enriched culture by becoming ambassadors. And for this simple looking fact we know countries or states cough up crores of rupees building cultural centres.
And about media not valuing north east, it is because the region is not a secondary or primary market for them. They do not get a penny by running an operation in the area.
To make the long story short, we people from north east must sail in the wave of globalization especially now when market is bullish and new definition are being coined, and every time it is being redefined. So become the brain and drain into the pinnacle of success.
Brain drain will continue to take place unless and until the region maintains the equilibrium in the scale of development in regards to employment generation with the rest of the region. We must beset an example like Punjabis and English has been doing- conquer.
its good.