Global Indian Diasporas

Global Indian Diasporas discusses the relationship between South Asian emigrants and their homeland, the reproduction of Indian culture abroad, and the role of the Indian state in reconnecting emigrants to India. Focusing on the limits of the diaspora concept, rather than its possibilities, this volume presents new historical and anthropological research on South Asian emigrants worldwide. From a comparative perspective, examples of South Asian emigrants in Suriname, Mauritius, East Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom are deployed in order to show that in each of these regions there are South Asian emigrants who do not fit into the Indian diaspora concept—raising questions about the effectiveness of the diaspora as an academic and sociological index, and presenting new and controversial insights in diaspora issues.

The Indian diaspora today is one of the largest diasporas in the world. The participants form a strategic resource in intellectual, economic, and cultural spheres, besides being goodwill ambassadors of India in the land of their adoption. Recent developments in the fields of communication and transportation technology have facilitated the linkages between India and the Indian diaspora. The essays in this volume examine the historical context of Indian emigration, the diaspora formation, the rise of Indian nationalism, and issues of identity in specific diasporic locations.

In recent years, the term ‘diaspora’ has been more frequently used to characterise peoples existing away from their homelands. Khachig To¨- lo¨lyan, editor of the journal Diaspora, asserts that ‘the term that once described Jewish, Greek, and Armenian dispersion now shares meanings with a larger semantic domain that includes words like immigrant, expatriate, refugee, guest-worker, exile community, overseas community, [and] ethnic community’. Generally speaking, then, this mosaic of Indian identities abroad is presented as the mirror of India itself. India is diverse, and so too are its migrants. It is acknowledged that Indian migrants abroad tend to reproduce their own religions, family patterns, and cultures as much as possible. One is the prefix ‘Indian’. And the other is the term ‘dia-spora’. The implication of the first is that there is a single India with its people, who are somehow united under one flag. This is far from obvious. India has been described as a ‘nation and its fragments’ or an ‘invented nation.

In 2001; Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee asked Bhishma Agnihotri to serve as the nation’s first Ambassador-at-Large for the Indian diaspora. Agnihotri; a non-resident Indian (NRI); had been serving as the chancellor of Southern University’s Law Center; but he readily agreed to accept the position. Although he faced opposition in India to his appointment as ambassador; he was officially appointed in 2001 and moved from Baton Rouge; Louisiana to New York just days after the September 11th terrorist attacks. His mandate from Prime Minister Vajpayee was simple. He was charged with strengthening the relationship between the nation of India and the Indian diaspora and; at the same time; with helping to elevate India’s position in the world. Agnihotri travelled the world and met with NRIs and people of Indian origin (PIO). He worked with NRIs and PIOs from all backgrounds; genders; and religions in an attempt to strengthen their ties to their mother country. This book highlights Dr. Agnihotri’s accomplishments as Ambassador-at-Large. It also touches on his journey from India to America to pursue higher education; becoming a chancellor of a law center; volunteering his time to many organisations; and moving on to the worthy task of Bridging Global Indian Diaspora.

Over 33 million strong Indian diasporas spread all over the world has been an exceptionally successful story. Given their skills and other social qualities, they are also among the most sought after lots in most countries. Indian diaspora has performed well on all important parameters Ñ political, economical, technological and cultural. PIOs are amongst the top skilled, employable and prosperous non-native people in most countries. They are heading some of the top multinational companies and hold high positions in many international organisations, in a way making an important contribution to the evolving global agenda. Today, Indian diaspora is investing in creating jobs and cutting edge technologies world over. India has also done very well in reaching out to its diaspora through various channels, including the youth. At over USD 75 billion annually, India is the top recipient of remittances. Diaspora could also be an important source of technology and know-how. Given their goodwill on both sides, they are a great source of confidence-building between India and countries of their adoption and have demonstrated their clout on many occasions. Over the last many centuries, Indians have travelled to many near and far off destinations in the world for trade, business, education and jobs. One major wave of such movement was carried out by the colonial administration under the so called indentured system for meeting labour shortages in their overseas plantations. This inhuman system of exploitation of workers finally ended and the centenary of its abolition was commemorated in many parts of the world including India during 2017-18. Antar Rashtrya Sahyog Parishad (ARSP) had organised year long activities to mark this important land mark in the life of Indian diaspora, culminating with an international conference on the topic, ÔContribution of Diaspora in Nation BuildingÕ in Mauritius in July 2018. Several leaders and scholars addressed this gathering and this publication captures the essence of its outcomes. This publication could be a good reference for students and scholars working on diaspora.