November is about to end but there is still no sign of the non-resident Indians (NRIs) of Gujarati origin who visit India early in winter every year. Observers say that many NRGs, for whom an annual visit to their country of origin is a must, are unlikely to come this year because of the global economic downturn and the swine flu scare.
Last year, several NRGs had cancelled their travel plans for this time of the year in the wake of the Mumbai terror attack and recession. While the economic crisis has eased to a certain extent, the NRIs are still wary of swine flu, which has claimed a number of lives in the state. As a result, fewer NRGs are coming home this year.
“The number of NRGs coming for a visit is much lower than previous years. In fact, it is even lower than last year, when the economic downturn was at its peak. In our estimate, NRG arrivals this year are 25% lower as compared to previous years,” said Dhansukh Mistry, a leader of Surat’s Ena village. Ena is one of the many villages in South Gujarat which have at least one person from each household living abroad, mostly in the US. The majority of NRIs visit India in November and December, but spend the Christmas season in their adopted homelands.
Most NRIs from Gujarat are connected with the motel industry which is still yet to recover fully from the downturn. This is another reason why NRG arrivals are significantly lower this year.
“The economy in the US may be improving, but its effect is yet to trickle down to the hospitality sector, and this is why motels are still struggling. People who have jobs are also avoiding the annual home visit because of the fear of losing their jobs,” said Rajesh Patel, an ex-NRG, now settled in Surat.
Gujaratis from every corner of the state are settled abroad, but places such as Bardoli and Palsana in Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Anand, Nadiad, Charotar, Mehsana, and North Gujarat, are now known as NRI belts because a large number of people from these areas now live in foreign countries.
Thousands of them return home before Christmas, a time of the year which also coincides with the marriage season in India. Many NRGs time their visit with the marriage of relatives back home, while many others come for the marriage of their own children.
However, Krishnakant Vakharia, president of Vishwa Gujarat Samaj, an organisation of Gujaratis across the world, said, “We don’t see a dip in the number of Gujarati NRIs returning home. Many have already come and more are expected in the coming weeks.”
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