Since January 2000, the Government of India has been regularly holding conventions of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) while observing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. The then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee instituted this day. This year too, on January 8, such a convention is being held, albeit in a virtual format. The idea of instituting a day for NRIs was mooted by a high-level committee set up by the Vajpayee government under the chairmanship of the late L M Singhvi.
Vajpayee accepted this recommendation and from then on, such conventions have been regularly held. Being organised biennially these days, deliberations at every such convention are woven around a particular theme. Besides, at every convention, some renowned NRIs who have made a mark in their country of residence are recognised through Pravasi Bharatiya Awards.
India could easily be one of the first five countries from where people have migrated in huge numbers. Unlike in other cultures, we greatly value our motherland in India and even consider the same as superior to the heavens. Every NRI, at least initially, goes abroad with a genuine desire to return to the motherland sooner than later.
‘Next Diwali in India’ remains a refrain in the families of NRIs, for several early years. Considering the uniqueness of Indian culture—the charms of family and community life in India included—the almost perennial longing to go back to Mother India is perfectly understandable. A majority of NRIs find it difficult to actually come back to India for multiple reasons. However, that never diminishes their affection towards their motherland.
Here comes the relevance of finding ways and means of serving the cause of the motherland even from a distance. Thousands of NRIs get involved in some organisation or community activity and thereby try to overcome their very deep sense of ‘India-sickness’. Secondly, in myriad ways, many also try to get associated with some particular cause linked closely to serving the deprived sections of Indian society.
But to serve the cause of India, NRIs can in fact go just a little extra in their respective country of residence and help the process of evolving a greater and deeper understanding of India or the idea of it. India is welcomed by almost all countries in the world.
There is a fair amount of curiosity about our nation. India also enjoys lots of goodwill among the global community almost universally. But curiosity and goodwill, although important, are not enough. This fund of goodwill has created a fertile ground for India to make efforts and help evolve a proper understanding about the country and the idea of it as well. A developing country of our size just cannot afford to have a large section of the global community oblivious to its past, present and future. Therefore, more concerted and structured efforts on the part of NRIs to do away with misperceptions about India are urgently needed.
In modern days, perception building happens through the media, academia and civil society. Sadly, in all these three sectors, NRIs have not been adequately influential in most developed nations. As a consequence, Indian culture and also its people continue to be misperceived. India is not just another country. It is not just the largest but also one of the most vibrant democracies of the world. And yet, the democracy in India continues to be underrated.
Diversity in India too is often misconstrued. For various reasons, it is hard for even academics abroad to understand the fact that diversity in India is in fact nothing more than diverse manifestations of India’s innate oneness or unity. For many years, even in the recent past, economists found it difficult to appreciate that India is neither socialist nor capitalist, but essentially centrist. Unlike many other countries, India is not easy to understand.
More importantly, it is an experience. Opinions of many visiting foreign dignitaries about India have undergone a sea change after their first visits. It is for this reason that NRIs should think about more effective ways and means to contribute to this ‘Mission Understand India’. To those foreigners who love India, India also means our civilisational values. But, from unity in diversity to our unique way of relating with Mother Nature and thereby internalising sustainable development as an approach, Indian values do not effectively reflect in the conduct of NRIs.
Internal squabbles—both inter-organisational and intra-organisational—among the NRI community groups are unfortunately extremely commonplace. NRIs, often touted as our cultural ambassadors, do a great disservice to their motherland when they fail to rise above their linguistic or social prejudices. To cut a long story short, the roles and responsibilities of NRIs need to be revisited and restated in the context of India as an emerging soft power.
Soft power is about influencing the thinking and acquiring mind space. NRIs themselves are a great soft power. Cultivating a deeper understanding about India’s potential to emerge as a super soft power is the first step. With people in several parts of the world still struggling with what they call multiculturalism, India’s success in creating one indivisible national mind is something very unique. NRIs can very well appreciate this, understand it and then try to use the lessons learnt in the countries of their current residence. For any diaspora group to become effective, it has to work and be seen as a value-addition community and if NRIs are able to reach that level, it will be a great way of serving the motherland!
