Hounslow Is The Heartbeat Of Heathrow, The World's Busiest Airport

HOUNSLOW IS THE HEARTBEAT OF     There was a major cut down on local
HEATHROW, THE WORLD'S BUSIEST AIRPORTstaff a while ago to cut costs of running
businesses. Out sourcing work to India by banks
HOUNSLOW lies on the fringes one of the world'sand many businesses is considered cost effective.
busiest airports – Heathrow.  The AsianWhere a query can easily be attended locally the
community has made Hounslow its home.  Intelephone call is diverted to a call centre in India.
fact, the heart of Heathrow beats with the IndianBut one is diverted back to a local office in UK if
workforce dotted all around Hounslow.the call centre staff are not in tune with the
     Hounslow is a bustling suburb of greaterquery, so how does the cut backs in local staff
London. From a sleepy village some centuries ago,and out sourcing work to call centers helping
Hounslow is today a bustling town and a meltingBritain?
pot of cultures. Here you will find people from all     Banks, Building Societies, and Stores
parts of the world living in harmony.now-a-days are all seen to take on foreign work
     An influx of people to the two towns offorce.
Hounslow and Southall in the county of Middlesex     Shops in Hounslow mostly employ foreign
only gives a rich picture of a multi cultural societynationals. There is an influx of shops selling
with people from Africa, Europe, US, Australia andlow-priced goods – as low as one pound
the Asian continent.(US$1.50) for an item. The store is appropariately
     The high street in Hounslow which wasnamed The Pound Store. Then the 99 pence
known for its characterless shops a century agostore came followed by Asians opening these
today attracts top names from the retailingtypes of stores daringly competing with these
industry.two major stores. Just next to 99 pence store
     While Hounslow is getting a reputation forcame a 98 pence store. Further down the street
its variety of shops and stores, restaurants andthere sprung a 90 pence store, with a slogan
fast food chains are also springing up faster than‘every penny counts'. Followed by an 89
one can count. The variety of multi-cuisinepence store. Surprisingly they all survive. Many of
eateries spoils one for choice. One would findthese stores are owned by the Sikh and Muslim
anything to tickle one's taste buds from Thai,communities. Now Hounslow high street in
Indian, Chinese, Italian and Mexican food makingcomparison with the 18th Century is surrounded
the place a home away from home. It would beby Asian businessmen selling merchandise from
difficult to dine out without a reservation as thehousehold goods, clothing, shoes, jewellery, mobile
popular restaurants are always packed tophones and accessories.
capacity with long queues waiting outside to be     Primark store became a big hit throughout
seated.England, Spain and Ireland. With a slogan "Look
     But behind the plethora of theseGood Pay Less" and trading under the name of
establishments lies the growing lack of service atPenneys in Spain and Ireland has taken the high
some of these places.  street businesses by storm. Founded by Arthur
     Good service has become a thing of theRyan, it has a chain of 138 stores in the United
past with some shopkeepers, trading with theKingdom. Their goods are a favourite among the
‘don't care for the customer attitude'. Lot oflocal community and tourists who find the
businesses are owned by foreigners settled heremerchandise value for money. I saw big crowds
recently. They operate strictly on a ‘nomainly of Eastern Europeans and Somalis settled
refunds policy' unless the goods are defective.in the town, at the Hounslow branch of Primark. 
Goods can be changed or sometimes a credit     The store's distribution centers – a
note is issued to be cashed within a certain time650,000 sq. ft. unit at Magna Park in
frame. The shopping experience is not the sameLeicestershire, and a 200,000 sq. ft unit at Naas,
as in the major chain stores, where customerPrimark Stores Ltd. is a subsidiary of Associated
satisfaction is a priority and the return policy is 28British Foods (ABF). ABF is a diversified
days of a guaranteed refund.international food, ingredients and retail group with
     There is no shortage of people visitingglobal sales of £6 bn, and 75,000 employees in
these establishments.46 countries. Their buying team travel
     But behind all this hulla-ballo lies oneinternationally to source the latest fashion
pressing worry in the minds of many people whogarments for their targeted young fashion
have lived here for many years. The suddenconscious unisex customers of under 35s. The
influx of new immigrants is a cause for concernexpertise of the purchasing team in sourcing the
to them.season's key fashion trends in high-quality and
     ‘They took our jobs', is the thoughtvalue for money merchandise have won them a
many have in Britain as their jobs are taken overRetailer of the year award in December 2006
by a multitude of immigrants flooding the countryfrom the British Council for Shopping Centres.
on a lower salary.    Primark stores have been awarded a string of
     The plethora of people in Britain is alsoawards.
placing a mammoth challenge not only for the     The staff selection process focuses on
National Health Service but also on therecruiting a mix of applicants, here again the
Government to provide housing, Social Securityforeign nationals dominate the work force in
and in combating anti-social behavior.Hounslow. Another popular store opened is the
     Some immigrants, especially theAmerican chain store, T-K Maxx, famous for
uneducated ones from the Indian subcontinentselling branded goods at 60 percent cheaper 
and Europe, deliberately adopt a policy of notagain employs a foreign work force. The opening
working. They instead survive on Governmentof Asda supermarket in Central Hounslow has also
handouts for years. People with big families qualifyattracted many foreign nationals in their work
for a substantial income support and live inforce.
substantial council-owned properties.     In UK, Diwali, Ram Navmi, Janmashtami,
     Official figures show that around 950,000Holi, Dashera, Navratri, Vaisakhi and Eid and
people draw unemployment benefit. TheChristmas, Chinese New year are all celebrated
Government paid around a whopping £13.3millionwith great passion.
in benefits to dead people! It would take around     Southall town which had 55 percent Indian
25 years if the illegal immigrants in Britain wereand Pakistani community is also now a diversed
sent back home costing the Government aroundmulti-culture society with many migrants settling
£250million a year according to a recenthere.
programme on Television's Channel 5.     There is a street festival organised by the
     ‘Immigrant pregnancies stretch theSikh community in Southall about a week before
National Health Service (NHS). More than 500,000the religious day known as Vaisakhi (Baisakhi).
eastern Europeans have migrated to the UKVaisakhi, the Sikh New Year, is the holiest day of
following the accession of eight new memberthe calendar for millions of Sikhs worldwide. In
states to the EU in 2004. The impact on servicesLondon it is celebrated fervently by the Sikh
appears to be far greater outside major cities',Community. The procession looks a colourful
according to a recent BBC report.event with large community taking part. The
     ‘While large numbers of migrants areprocession starts from Southall through Hounslow,
work permit holders from US or India, a sizeablethis year in April. The traffic came to halt until the
influx are from the EU who do not need a workprocession had passed. Police and volunteers
permit or a visa. Until recently asylum-seekers andcontrolled the traffic.
refugees represented one of the largest     Vaisakhi is also celebrated at Trafalgar
immigrant categories, including Sri Lankan Tamils,Square, London. It is organized by Vaisakhi London
Serbians and Somalis in the late 1990s andCommittee supported by the Mayor of London. It
Zimbabweans, Iraqis and Afghanis in the earlyis a free event. The programme start with
2000,' according to another report by Prof.Shabad Kirtan – religious hymns –
Steven Vertovec, a social anthropologist andperformed by groups from London Gurdwaras
Director of the Economic and Social Research(Sikh Temples). This is followed by classical music,
Council's Centre on Migration, Policy and SocietyDhol drummers, live music, dance, guest artistes
(COMPAS) at the University of Oxford.and DJs from local Indian radio networks.
     Expatriates are raking in the money. The     The message of Vaisakhi as described by
husbands work within their field while their wivesthe Sikh community has particular relevance
take jobs in supermarkets and chain stores ortoday in multi-cultural and multi-faith Britain.
even as free-lance cleaners.Vaisakhi promotes friendship and mutual respect
     The same scenario is repeated inas the way forward. This is consistent with the
Leicester, a city around 100 miles from London,command of Guru Gobind Singh Ji:  "Consider the
where many Asian communities are well settledwhole of humanity as one; we are all children of
since the 60s and 70s.. Here too new migrantsthe One God."
are seen, many of them are exploited as they     The Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara was
work for next to nothing. Again the locals wouldopened in Southall at the end of March 2003: this
be deprived of jobs as no one would employis the largest Gurdwara outside India. Many people
them as they would need to be paid the minimumvisit the Gurdwara in the morning. There are two
legal wage.Christian Churches and three Mosques here.
      Migration Watch Chairman Sir Andrew     Glassy Junction, a pub in Southall serves
Green, in his report of September 2005, said,several Indian draught beers and is the first and
‘This influx must stop'. He talked of theonly pub in UK accepting payment in Indian
massive increase in immigration and itsRupees. Broadway the main street has the
consequences. ‘The flow of immigrants haslargest shopping centre. There are many big
trebled under the present government. An extrastores converted into bazaars with lots of little
one million immigrants have arrived since theyshops within selling a variety of items giving one a
came to power. And immigration will add fivefeel of mini India.
million to our population in the next 30 years. This     There are a variety of Grocers and
amounts to 84% of our population growth and isRestaurants. The Sweet Marts on the Broadway
equivalent of five times the population ofselling sweets and savouries are very popular but
Birmingham. This is not "scaremongering". It is thethe hot Jalebis (an Indian dessert made of batter,
government's own population projection. The realdeep-fried in a coil shape and served in sugar
question is whether we need another five millionsyrup) from the Jalebi Junction are sold in their
people on this island, adding to a population whichstall on Southall's main street is still a favourite
is already at record levels.  Yet we will need anamong many.  A visit to Hounslow and Southall
extra one million houses in the next 20 years justleaves a sweet taste in the mouth.
for immigrants. Where are we going to put them?'