Tuesday 20 August 2013

Filipinos, the new workforce


 

It is not only Gulf region, Filipinos are also employed in far east countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, etc. Besides, a few companies and BPOs too have shifted outsourcing from India to Philippines as young educated boys and girls trained in IT are available.

Filipinos are the emerging workforce. In the late mid-eighties when I visited Gulf, mostly Asians – Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, etc were normally employed in different jobs. But recently when I visited Gulf, there is a surge of Filipinos, both boys and mainly girls, employed as sales persons in super-markets, malls, offices, cooks and waitress’s in restaurants, hotels, hospitals and even as housemaids.

When I checked out with a friend, an Indian businessman residing in UAE for many years, he had something interesting to say. He said – ‘They are like flowers in the desert.’ He further added, they are small built, all look alike, the western style uniform of trousers, jackets or skirts suit them due to their body structure. Apart from this, their modern outlook, working knowledge of English helps and willingness to work on lower wages is an added attraction to the employers. He winked and went on to say, ‘With smiles on their faces, they look pretty too.’ They are presentable and good at the work assigned to them.

And when I spoke to a Filipino girl, she had this to say, ‘Back home in Philippines, jobs are scarce and they don’t pay that well, besides poverty back home forces us to look elsewhere and Gulf jobs are an attractive option to us. We stay in sharing accommodation in a flat with many boys and girls living together. This helps us to save money and send home as much as possible. This helps the family back home to stay a decent life.'
A Filipino employed as a cook in a catering company said, 'The Filipinos come here because they have no choice; there are no jobs back home.'

It is not only Gulf region, Filipinos are also employed in far east countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia, etc. Besides, a few companies and BPOs too have shifted outsourcing from India to Philippines as young educated boys and girls trained in IT are available. Lower wages and knowledge of English is the main reason attributed to shifting of IT business from India to Philippines.

More than one million Filipinos, mostly uneducated women work in Middle East and Gulf countries as domestic helps and house maids. Some are married women and some are single mothers, who leave their family and loved ones to venture out to earn a decent living in a foreign land. Many men work in different fields as well as sailors, cooks etc.

The Filipino boys and girls are hard working and not shy to take up any kind of job. They sustain on bear minimum in Gulf and save to send home to their families living over 5,000 km across. They are polite, open-minded and sincere workers. Especially in Gulf, as they work in close proximity with other Asians, especially Indians; a few Filipino girls have fallen in love with their Indian co-workers and married them, to adopt Indian way of life. Approximately more than one thousand Filipinos reside in India.

The Philippines is described to be a nation of strong women, who directly and indirectly run the family unit, businesses, government agencies, etc. Although they generally define themselves in the environment of a masculine dominated post-colonial Asian Catholic society, Filipino women live in a culture that is focused on the community, with the family as the main unit of society. It is in this framework of Philippine hierarchical structure, class differences, religious justifications, and living in a globally developing nation wherein Filipino women struggle for respect. Compared to other parts of Southeast Asia, women in Philippine society have always enjoyed a greater share of legal equality.

Earlier a group of Philippine congressmen and women called for a ban on domestic workers from going to Middle East and Gulf countries, claiming they are treated as modern-day slaves. The New York-based rights group, Human Rights Watch, in its world Report 2010, said many female domestic workers throughout the region are subjected to unpaid wages, food deprivation, forced confinement, physical or sexual abuse and long working hours. The politicians urged the government, particularly the Philippines Overseas Employment Administration which is responsible for overseeing the deployment of Filipino workers and punish agencies involved in illegal recruitment or contributing to the abuse of Filipino domestic workers.

However all this has not stopped Filipino men and women being gainfully employed in the Far East countries, Australia, Middle East and Gulf countries, remitting valuable foreign exchange as the figures of the Philippines’ Central Bank may indicate. This has altered the lifestyle of many Filipinos living in remote areas, towns and cities all over the country. But as always, with good comes the bad too!


* To be here or to communicate: aneelanike@gmail.com

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Quarter Anna minted by East India Company. Year: 1835. Weight; 641gm (647gm). Metal: Copper. Diameter: 25.50mm. Edge: Plain Alignment: Medal. Mint: Madras – 

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Saturday 17 August 2013

Being Indian & Indian Democracy




What does being an Indian mean? Being Indian is not just when you unfurl the national flag on Republic day or the Independence day or when you cast a vote during election. Being Indian is the Indian tradition and culture one imbibes over the years and which is seen through an Indian’s actions and behavior in the country or in a foreign land.

One realizes the true meaning of being an Indian, when a person casts his valuable vote in a local, state or general election or when he leaves the Indian shores to land in a foreign country. In most countries, the Indian reflects an impression of being an educated and skilled, hardworking and an enterprising person. He is welcome for his skill, hard-work, management, finance and administrative skills. Indian software professionals are in great demand all over the world. Many NRIs have made India proud by launching profitable enterprises employing Indians and even the locals of those countries.

When India got its independence in 1947 from over 200 years of British rule; Churchill had then sarcastically stated, ‘It is like putting a burning cracker in a child’s hand.’ And he further predicted utter chaos in the country and the British would be called to rule the natives again. Nothing of the sort happened. India became free and the journey of a new nation started under the then able leadership of those self less leaders of early years. The progress has been slow but sure. Today, India is an economic giant, on the way to be a super-power.


India dared to be a democracy. Many thought it was premature and that the state would soon crumble and be history. With all its practical problems, ills of caste, religion, etc, and other drawbacks, it is a vibrant democracy which has survived since 1947. India’s democracy has fired global imagination for over six decades.

A vintage land of ancient customs and civilization with vast population of different ethnicity, language and traditions, fit to be called a sub-continent is moving ahead towards progress. But with all that, our stubborn democracy has held to its constitutional framework, though the politicians have blundered at times with foot-in-the-mouth comments and wrong decisions. India is noticed and is openly reported in the world media. The world takes notice of its achievements, failures and success. India is considered as a growing economic power, next only to China. This is its real USP as the imperfections make for its significance. The importance being Indian would then become obvious to all. As we enter the 67th year of Independence, all Indians, in India and all over the world should be proud of the nation marching ahead in the comity of nations.

* To be here or to communicate: aneelanike@gmail.com

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Book to read

Bharata, My Brother
- Bharata's episode in Ramayana in verse form.
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Written by: Anil Kumar Naik
- Foreword by Shri Asaranna Swami, Durga Parmeshwari temple,
Kateel, Karnataka.
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Friday 9 August 2013

Is anything wrong with the Sanskriti?



Some days ago Shri Rajnath Singh said – ‘The English language has caused a great loss to the country. We are losing our language, our culture as there are hardly any people, who speak Sanskrit now.’

For a moment let us put the gains and losses of the Queen’s language aside. Let us peek in to the history and culture of ancient India. For example if we look at music, dance and theatre. Hindustani and Carnatic musicians have never sung in Sanskrit. They have sung in Prakrit languages like Brij, Telegu, Kannada, etc.

The entire backward caste and communities like farmers, weavers, potters and traditional craftsmen, who formed the bulk of the population was never encouraged, but was rather excluded from learning Sanskrit. Women too were deprived. It was the privilege of the Brahmins and the upper caste to learn Sanskrit. And there was an impression only they could learn this ancient language as per the customs those days.

If four hundred years of British rule has not eroded our culture and tradition, then how can English, a language cause loss to the country, it can only enrich. In fact it helped us to see the outside world better, understand things in its right perspective, gave us an access to study outside art, science, politics and customs. The present Indian success story in various fields, including computer software; and millions of Indians working around the world, a big credit should go to the English language too, the major contributing factor to the nation’ success.

For Sanskrit, to be restored to its ancient glory, Indians must become culturally authentic and it must be made available to all. There is no point of blaming the English language. In fact many countries like China, Japan, Korea and others realizing the importance of English have embraced it and are now encouraging its citizens to learn English. Sometimes, it’s surprising how educated and enlightened people and leaders speak out on these parochial lines. English, the Queen’s language has not hindered but helped in India’s progress in the comity of nations.


* To be here or to communicate: aneelanike@gmail.com

……………………………………………………………………………………………..................

Coin Collectors: Rare Coin for sale –

Quarter Anna minted by East India Company. Year: 1835. Weight; 641gm (647gm). Metal: Copper. Diameter: 25.50mm. Edge: Plain Alignment: Medal. Mint: Madras –

 For more details or best offer, write to email: akn929@yahoo.com
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