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Monday, Apr 21, 2008
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Punjabis foray into Norway municipalities

Oslo: She covers her head with a ‘dupatta’ and uses several Punjabi phrases despite leaving Jalandhar for Europe 32 years back.

For 53-year old Balwinder Kaur, an ethnic Indian Member of the Oslo Commune (municipality), the work has just begun and there is a lot to do for “my community and Norway,” as she puts it.

“I came here with my family in 1980 after spending five years in U.K. since I left Jalandhar. Over the years, I saw more and more Indians coming here. Many of them faced various problems. So I decided to stand up for them,” Ms. Kaur, a school teacher by profession, told PTI.

Elected in October last year, Ms. Kaur belongs to the Socialist Left or ‘SV’ party, which currently holds 15 out of 169 seats in the Norwegian Parliament and 6 out of 59 seats in Oslo municipality.

For the 3,000-odd ethnic Indians in the capital and over 6,000 across this country, most of whom immigrated in the last decade or so, the representation levels in local bodies have also gone up during the same period.

“At least eight Indian-origin people have entered the local bodies in Norway’s different counties in the last few years. In all, seven of them are from Punjab and one is from Hyderabad,” tells Surjit Singh of the ‘Indian Welfare Society of Norway,’ which keeps track of ethnic Indians in the country.

“Taking up the cause of the ethnic Indian community is always on the agenda of our MCs (Members of Communes). This way, we are able to integrate ourselves in a much better way into Norwegian society,” he said, adding that no Indian-origin person has yet managed to become a Member of the Parliament.

Besides, Norwegians’ acceptance for ethnic Indians taking up bigger roles has also gone up with a general improvement in the impression of an “Indian,” who is seen as an expert or a professional coming from a fast-emerging economy.

Last year, Indians topped the list of foreign skilled professionals in Norway with as many as 618 of them finding their way to work in this country.

“My fellow members are quite comfortable with my cultural ways. They don’t object when I cover my head in the townhall. My husband wears a turban, and so do most of the Sikh men here,” she adds. — PTI

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