Indian Samurai इंडियन सामुराई

The other day I was asked a rather… surprising question: How do the Indians see the French??

It surprised me, because firstly it is really egocentric, and quite typical of a French! (But well I guess every people genuinely feel that the world evolves around it…).

I thus answered that, for the large majority of Indians, there is India and the U.K. And maybe America. No France! Question of perspective…

Cf my Indian physician who tells me “ah France! It is next to Vietnam isn’t it?”

I also found myself once in a situation which I perhaps already told:

-          Vèrrre from?

-          France.

-          Vèrrre?

-          Mmhhh Europe?

-          Vèrrre??

-          The U.K.?

-          Ahhhhhhh! (with a look like why didn’t you say it immediately??)

Those who have been to France will (in general) remember 2 things: we do not speak English and our food is bland; besides it is very difficult to find vegetarian food.

Some also know the world-famous clichés: most guys are gay, we eat cheese, we are arrogant, revolutionist.

In Bollywood style, they know of our political community only Carla Bruni.

And in the news recently, they are outraged enough by prohibition to wear the burka.

In short a French, before being a French, is a (white) foreigner. And if you want to know how Indians see foreigners than there is lot more to say!!

Cf: http://www.indiandacoit.com/archive/2010/09/27/the-world-according-to-the-indians-and-the-french.html

And you actually bless the fans, especially in the train!

On October 12th I happened to watch the news and to see an outraged journalist asking that “how could the UK plan to tighten immigration rules?” Yeah what the hell huh? hat the least they owe the Indians!!

The story here is that till now, “temporary immigration led to an automatic right to settle here”. So if you are a foreigner and you have worked in the UK for 5 years, you can stay without a visa. And now they want to control the immigration of workers.

Before crying wolf, it would be interesting to look at your own immigration rules. Because India is also trying to prevent workers from coming to India and “steal jobs from Indians”! Basically, to prevent Chinese (and some other Asian) laborers to come and take the jobs of Indians, India makes it very difficult for any foreigner to get an employment visa. And then they complain!

So not only do the Indian authorities make it hell to get an employment visa (you need to earn a minimum of US $ 25, 000 per annum,

except if

you are (a) Ethnic cooks,(b) Language teachers (other than English Language Teachers)/Translators, (c) Staff working for the concerned Embassy/High Commission in India and (d) Foreigners coming for honorary work (without Salary) with NGOs registered in the country). And here is what happened when you have renewed your visa 4 times (and thus stayed 5 years working in India)!

Now you go back home and get a new visa my friend!!

But I guess that since we can count around 50,000 foreign workers in India (out of which 1/3^rd is Chinese) against 5 million Indians working abroad, the rules of visa to India do not interest Indians much!  

PS: Foreigners working in India

I found it impossible to find out how many foreigners live in India and how many foreigners work in India!

I found a figure of