BOOK REVIEW
By AmitaSarwal
INTERNATIONAL INDIAN MAGAZINE
Dubai. 2012 Issue 2, Vol. 19.2 (Mar-Apr)

The global Sikh migration started initially with Sikh men being recruited in the armies of various countries - the valour of their martial race being recognised as early as during the Indian (Sepoy) Mutiny of 1857. Today, even in Latin American countries the Sikh community can proudly boast of professionals and entrepreneurs - as well as someone like Chief Justice George Singh (1998) in Belize, Central America.

This book is obviously a labour of love by Swarn Singh Kahlon who spent almost two years in travelling and researching the migration of the Sikh diaspora in Latin American countries. These are perhaps the farthest Sikh settlements from their original home in Punjab.

What makes the 360+ page book highly readable is the author's direct simple style. Transcription of interviews where he retains the original wording of each immigrant, results in a range of narrative styles.

Logically, Kahlon includes excerpts from his travel diary which puts a time and place and identifies the people he met. Travel nuggets come in as his personal experiences. As a comparative study, he briefly includes facts and figures about Indian migrants from across the country and where they went to. This is helpful information.

The global Sikh migration started initially with these men being recruited in the armies of various countries - the valour of this martial race being recognised as early as during the Indian (Sepoy) Mutiny of 1857.