This 19th century short story might help combat racism against refugees today
KOLKATA, India — When Ahmed Khan fled to India from his native Afghanistan three years ago, he left behind the constant din of rocket fire and a desperate search for work in a broken economy. He also acquired a new nickname: "Kabuliwala."
"Kabuliwala" refers to someone from the Afghan capital of Kabul in Bengali, Hindi and Urdu — some of the languages spoken in Khan's new city, formerly known as Calcutta. The city was India's colonial capital and a longtime trading hub and remains one of the subcontinent's most diverse places, having absorbed migrants from across South Asia and the world for centuries.
"There was no work in Afghanistan. I didn't receive any specific threats on my life, but there was constant fighting between the Americans and the Taliban," he tells NPR while sitting in a friend's textile shop in a bustling market area. Khan has since gotten United Nations refugee status and a job, experts say, often in uncertain circumstances.
