Shailendra Pandey
Antonio Casta of Portugal, Halima Yacoub of Singapore, Chan Santokhi of Suriname, Prithviraj Singh Roopun of Mauritius, Mohammad Irfan of Guyana, Wavel Ramkhelavan of Seychelles, Kamala Harris of America, Rishi Sunak of Britain – all of them are at the top of their respective countries' politics. And what is it that connects them together? All of them are of Indian origin and not only this, if we keep increasing this list, then this figure will go above a hundred. A similar list can also be made of Indians sitting at the top in the world's top companies. One list of personalities related to art and literature and one list of personalities related to knowledge and science. Neither names nor fields will fall short.
These are the names with which we feel proud of our country, but there are many NRIs who send money to their families from abroad every year. The money that remains after spending does not remain in their bank accounts. Banks give loans from it, which increases the economic strength of the country. Along with the people living in India, the Indians who left the country years ago are also proud of this growing power. This is the power of diaspora nationalism, which has spread Indianness in more than a hundred countries around the world. The British once took Indians with them as indentured laborers. Today their descendants are deciding the policies of those countries and making laws. The number of their families spread outside India is about 3.2 crores, which is more than any other country. It is in a stronger position than any other country. The World Migration Report, 2022 shows that after India, Mexico, Russia and China are next. This population settled abroad is also a means of diaspora diplomacy. These migrants act as a bridge between two countries.
Diaspora nationalism is like a long distance relationship. It is said that when the love is big, distance does not matter. Then many other aspects are also included in this love. In this nationalism, boundaries do not end, but rather expand further. This is such a love whose most important condition is to stay away.
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own.
