The once large and prosperous Sikh Indian community in Iran has been shrinking with the second and third generation preferring to send their children abroad, especially the USA and Britain for higher education. They crave for the American pattern of schooling and several families have sent their children to some of the prestigious boarding schools in India before dispatching them westwards. A sizable number of the Sikh youth have taken up employment in the USA, while several others have moved to the UAE because of the congenial business environment there. There are very few among the Sikh community in the 30-40 age group residing in Teheran. Their parents are looking after the family enterprises and make biannual trips to their kith and kin.
Conscription is also an issue which has been unsettling for the Sikh community.
It is mandatory for all Iranians to serve a minimum of two years in the armed forces, especially as the Iran-Iraq war which lasted eight years took its toll among the youth of the country. To circumvent conscription, some of them have got their birth certificates from Indian cities though they were born in the Islamic Republic. Amazingly, when it comes to settling their children, the Sikh community goes back to their roots in search of brides. The wives of the younger generation of the Sikh community in Iran hail from places like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Burdwan, Delhi and Mumbai. Life is by and large peaceful, comfortable and safe, unlike in some of the Indian cities.