The US as we know it today was settled largely by immigrants from Western Europe. After gaining independence the leaders of the country had realized that in order to expand the economic base of this vast country with plentiful natural resources was an increase in the population was needed. The system of bringing slaves from Africa was not acceptable to many and was eventually outlawed. After which immigration was encouraged.
Two major factors affected the country’s immigration policy. Most settlers were from Western Europe and preferred their own countrymen (many of them relatives and friends and friends of friends.). Western Europe was also more technologically and economically advanced than many other countries of world. A racial prejudice was developed that all non-Western Europeans were some how inferior people. The resulting immigration policy was open admission for all Western Europeans but only limited amount of people from other parts of the world. In the early 1960s this policy will allow only 10 people from any of the Asian Countries. So only 10 persons from India can migrate to the USA in one year.
By late fifties and early sixties many students from India, China, The Philipines, Iran and Eygpt had come to study in US universities for higher education. It was soon realized that fast developing US industries and research facilities needed people with higher education. Most European immigrants were unskilled and semi skilled workers and would not fit in this new economy. Congress and the administration in DC had started thinking of changing the immigration policy. Finally in 1966 the new policy was sign in to law by President Lyndon B Johnson.
The new law restricted immigration from any one country to 10000 per year. There were two different ways to be eligible for immigration; (1) 3rd preference for professionals. Like engineers, scientist, doctors, nurses, economists. You have to apply for immigration and the labour department will decide the quota of each category every year and applications will be on first-come first-serve basis.
(2) 6th preference. Employers in the US can apply to the labour department that they need some people with special skill useful in their work and cannot find suitable US citizens. The Labour Department would permit them to hire foreigners and they will offer jobs this way. Of course they will not go to foreign countries, but recruit foreign students upon the completion of their education in the US. Within a few years these people will get immigration. Most of the Indian and Chinese students got their green card this way.
Sitting in India, I had to apply for 3rd preference, but was told there is waiting period of two to three years. Also, I learned if I went to the States on a student visa, the better my chances of getting 6th preference or 3rd preference once I was there. So I came on a student visa and after few months applied for 3rd preference. I got my green card in two years.
Another peculiar clause of the new immigration law was that once you apply for a visa in the USA, you are not allowed to leave the country until you get the visa. This was good for me and others like me. Once my application is accepted even when my student visa expires they could not ask me to leave the States.
Now, I needed money. As far as loan from Bank, loan was for higher education costs only and since I came to USA on student visa and admitted by Stevens’s tech it was available with the two persons cosign for liability. When I was planning to come to USA there was a big shortage of foreign exchange. The Reserve bank will give only eight dollars worth exchange. Also the rupee was devalued and I was running out of money. I was out of job for many months and had spent money for the wedding and also had lots of repair done in the Borivalli house. I had to arrange for loan. Kastur Fua agreed to give 8,000 rupees. But, I still needed some more. I learned that a local Jain cooperative bank will give loan to study in USA/UK, provided you are Jain and have two guarantor who are well set in Mumbai. I got the signature of Rameshbhai who was an established attorney, and Jasumama (an established doctor). Jasubhai is son of Vadimama (Chambaba’s masi’s son). That worked and I got enough loan to buy air ticket. Kirtibhai was settled in Canada and Hemendra was in Long Island. With their help I was able to complete the required paperwork. I got a last minute airline ticket through Pratab Chandriani. I promised surya will call her at the earliest, and on September 9th, 1967 I was in USA, just a day before school started.
In 1857 the British government established three universities, one each at Bombay, Calcutta and Madras. Their emphasis was on arts and law with an aim towards creating a class of people that would assist them in the government and administration of the country. As a result, during British rule, science, commerce, medical and engineering colleges were few. Most of the British states or provinces each had one science college. Few native states had started any. Most were for associate degree course studies, for example the old Bombay province had one medical and one engineering college in the city of Bombay. Later on one more engineering college was established in Pune. Gujarat had a university in Baroda for an associate engineering degree and Bhavnagar had one for associate degree in medicine, both of which were run by the local rulers. Most arts, commerce, law and science colleges gave a bachelor’s degree and only a few gave masters or PhD.
At some point in the 1800s, some wealthy Indians began sending their children to London for higher studies. Most travelled abroad to study law and a few for medicine. The British Government also began recruiting select graduates as prospective government officers and sending them overseas for advanced study. Upon completion of their studies, they were appointed in mid-level government positions and were called I.C.S. Officers (Indian Civil Services). There was a similar arrangement for the police and military. There was big prestige attached to these positions, as top management was mostly British citizens. In this way, most of the political leaders of the independence movement including Gandhi, Jinnah, Sardar Patel and Nehru were all barristers after having studied in England. In fact Nehru, coming from a very rich family, did his high school years at Eton and then graduated from Cambridge. All foreign grads were in demand and were honored simply because they had received a higher education in foreign land (mostly from UK).
World War II changed everything. During this time nobody could go to the U.K. for studies and it was understood that India need more colleges for higher education and particularly needed more science, medical and engineering colleges. By 1945 when the war was over, many more colleges had been planned. After independence Nehru pushed for more technological colleges and established the first five Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) at Kharangpur, Mumbai, Chennai, Kanpur and Delhi. Realizing the need of such graduates in the country the government also pushed for this trend. Instead of law and government administration, science and engineering became the choice subjects. In 1956 during the first convocation, address, then Prime Minister Nehru said: “Here in the place of that Hijli Detention Camp stands the fine monument of India, representing India's urges, India's future in the making. This picture seems to me symbolical of the changes that are coming to India.”
In Gujarat full-fledged medical colleges were opened in Ahmedabad, Baroda and Jamnagar. Similarly full-fledged engineering colleges were opened in Ahmedabad, Morvi and Vidyanagar and Baroda was upgraded to a full degree college. Other states also followed suit. This was all well and good, but there were not enough labs and equipments for further study (Masters or PhD.) and going to a foreign university for graduate work was still the only option. By this time it was clear that in all technological fields the US was far ahead of the UK. In fact every one knew that it was American technology and industry that had saved the UK from total disaster and defeat by Germany. So, it was clear that the US had to be destination for further studies in any scientific field.
Those who could afford to, sent their sons and daughters (comparatively very few women) for further studies to the US. To show off they would arrange big send off parties for their son and also put an ad in the local newspaper with their photo and information about which university and what kind of study they were going for. I think this trend began in 1949 or 1950. When I was in high school, three or four from Kapadvanj went overseas like this. People still remembered the old British practice and foreign educated people were all honored and respected. Most came back within a year or two and once again their parents would have a big welcome back party and an ad in the paper. Parents of marriageable girls would seek such graduates and pretty soon every body knew these ads and parties were more for advertisements of eligible bachelors than anything else. This fad or custom, whatever you want to call it, lasted almost up to 1966. By then so many people had started going to the US that it lost the cache. Additionally, many such grads had become Americanized and wanted to go back to the US after marriage. This did not go over well with many parents of the girls. Some men had become non-vegetarians and started drinking alcohol. Most of these men had come from Jain, Vaishanav or Brahmin families that were vegetarians and so the prospective bride's parents objected to this. Add to this the economic crisis meant many could not find jobs in India and decided to stay in the US.
Slowly this system died out. The biggest advantage of the whole thing was the old system of getting married within the cast and town disappeared. Also cities grew big and people from different parts of country belonging to different religions started living close by one another which also helped break the old rigid marriage system.
