At the Polo Park Mall in Winnipeg, a Punjabi girl in her twenties greeted customers warmly at a retail showroom. Upon learning that the visitor's wife belonged to Ludhiana, her face lit up. She spontaneously began calling them uncle and aunty, shifting from salesperson to a niece-like figure.
Conversation soon overtook commerce. She had come to Canada on a study visa, pursuing a diploma in massage therapy while working part-time. The motherly warmth from the visitor touched a hidden ache, and the loneliness she carried quietly spilled out. Her eyes moistened and voice trembled as she spoke of endless struggle, mounting expenses, and deep longing for her parents. The visitors offered comfort and even financial help, which she politely declined. When they left, she appeared emotionally lighter, but they walked away carrying the weight of her silent suffering.
Encounters at Calgary Airport
A similar diasporic encounter occurred at Calgary airport, where a North Indian girl served customers at a coffee counter. Upon learning that a customer belonged to Jagadhri, her eyes brightened. Excitedly, she asked if he knew Kheda village, her native place. By chance, he mentioned acquaintances whom she recognized as relatives. For a moment, the thousands of miles separating Canada from India dissolved.
But as he left the counter, she hesitantly called him back. "Please don't tell anyone back home about my job," she said softly. There was far more sorrow in her eyes than in her words. Her sense of self-humiliation haunted him long after his flight landed.
Widespread Struggles Among Indian Students
These girls are not isolated cases. Across Canada, countless Indian students juggle grueling academic schedules with exhausting shifts at retail stores, cafes, warehouses, and gas stations just to survive. Back home, many belong to comfortable middle-class families where they never had to lift a finger. Abroad, they find themselves trapped in an exhausting cycle of soaring rents, economic strain, and social isolation.
The dream of "settling abroad" continues to dazzle Indian society. Yet, the glossy promises made by unscrupulous immigration agents often mask harsher realities of immigrant life — cramped basement accommodation, subtle discrimination, and the quiet anguish of navigating an alien environment alone.
Success vs. Silent Endurance
Certainly, many young people eventually triumph through sheer grit and perseverance. But for every success story celebrated on social media, there is a vast, silent saga of endurance unfolding behind counters, inside kitchens, and in lonely rented rooms. As parents, perhaps it is time to look beyond the deceptive glamour of foreign shores. Before sending children into such uncertain, unforgiving conditions, one must ask if we are guiding them toward a brighter future, or merely chasing the mirage of Maple dreams.
The writer is a retired associate professor based in Jagadhri (Yamunanagar).
