Indian diaspora is one of the richest and most influential group of the global
community.Indian diaspora has significant presence and influence in the global
North.
While explaining the importance of Indian diaspora PM Midi regarded them as
"Resource invested "rather than "Resource Wasted".
In this research paper effort has been made to explain the significance of
Indian diaspora
In this research paper it has also been explained about effect of Indian
diaspora in Global North Politics and Economy and how this Indian community
(Indian diaspora) play a decisive role in their politics and economy.
Introduction
India has the largest diaspora in the world & as per the Ministry of External
Affairs, there are 3.2 Crores or 32 million Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and
Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) residing outside India. In last 3 years, 3.92
lake Indians have renounced their citizenship according to Ministry of External
Affairs. Over 6.75 lake Indians had renounced their citizenship between 2015
-19. Pre independence disaporic movement was because of forced and contractual
labour contract.During the 19th century large number of individuals were forced
and tricked into bonded labour and slavery. Post Independence disapproval
community have been leaving India mostly for jobs and Higher education
Indian diaspora has long historical roots.After independence Indians have gone
out for studies for education and to improve their economic prospect in life.
Indian diaspora are building blocks for our International stature. In this phase
of globalization this Indian diaspora can be a globalized network. For India it
is a supplemental tool. Diaspora work to build a sense of camaraderie and
friendship.
Effect of Indian Diaspora In USA
The US is also home to the second largest Indian Diaspora globally.Indian
Americans are the wealthiest (with household incomes almost double of the
American population, it accounts for about ten percent of all doctors and more
than five percent of scientists, engineers and IT professionals in the country.
Indian Americans are also a relatively young population. The community is evenly
distributed across the country though there are more Indians in places like New
York, New Jersey, Texas, California, and Chicago. The community is also highly
organised. It is important to remember that most of the community is deeply
engaged with India. A good proportion makes regular visits to India and many
send remittances to India. In fact, the US is the second largest source of
remittances to India behind West Asia.
The Indian diaspora in the United States is highly organized, and is represented
by a count-less number of well-funded and professionally managed groups.
Between 1995 and 1998, Indians ran 9 percent of all Silicon Valley start-up
companies, nearly 70 percent of which were in the software sector.
In the recent years Indian diaspora have become increasingly involved in U. S
politics.
Diaspora is playing an increasingly pivotal role in American politics, from
community organisers to local politics, state politics to politics of Capitol
Hill. The number of Indian Americans in high political offices has been steadily
increasing, whether it is in President Obama's administration or in
administrations across the country, including governorships. Indian Americans
have established several advocacy organisations and political action committees
on a wide range of issues the Indian American Forum for Political Education have
done seminal work in advocating India's cause. India has bipartisan caucuses in
both houses of Congress-the Senate India Caucus and the Congressional Caucus on
India and Indian Americans.
The community's political influence has grown over
the years and it has played a key role in lobbying for Indian causes on Capitol
Hill. In recent years, Indians have demonstrated their increasing political
influence with the election of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and South
Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
By and large, Indian Americans, like most minorities in the US have
traditionally voted for the Democrats. But there are influential Indian American
Republicans as well. The most notable is of course Louisiana Governor,
Republican Bobby Jindal, the first Indian American contender for a party's
presidential nomination. But Jindal has slipped out of the top ten contenders
and may be forced to suspend his campaign soon.
Another Indian American in these
elections is Mary Thomas who is running to become the Republican nominee for
Congress from Florida. In fact, some reports suggest that as Indian Americans
have become wealthier, they are becoming more conservative and are leaning
towards the Republican Party. This is evident from the fact that their financial
contribution to the Republican Party has been increasing recently. Parties are
also beginning to appeal to Indian Americans.
For instance, George W Bush
successfully reached out to the community in the 2004 elections, talking to
community leaders and have been heralded as among the major developments behind
transforming the bilateral relationship. The Indian-American community is by
many measures the wealthiest and best-educated ethnic group in the US. The
people-to-people links, however, go beyond that. For India, it is manifested in
the large number of students in the US (second after students from China), many
of whom return to India.
For its part, India has made it legally easier for
people of Indian origin to live, work and invest in the country through the
creation and expansion of the Overseas Citizen of India programme. This
combination of factors has led to a large and growing number of business links
between the two countries as well as research and entrepreneurial
collaborations. The effects of these relationships are hard to quantify.
A combination of more restrictive immigration policies pursued by the Trump
administration and the disruption caused by the pandemic have threatened the
prospects of such mutually beneficial exchanges. Measures taken by the Trump
administration affected several categories of migrants, three of which pertained
to India.
The first was student visas, as well as associated policies such as
optional practical training. Proposals that students not be allowed to return to
the US if they were engaging in remote learning from US universities (a
situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic) were successfully challenged
by universities, but threatened to deter future enrollment in US institutions.
A
second category was short-term skilled labour, often through the H-1B visa
programme. Oversubscribed by Indian nationals, the H-1B visa has become
controversial, is often exploited by employers. Finally, the process of
achieving permanent residency ("green cards") through employment had been
restricted by quotas, something a Biden administration has committed to
overturning.
The Indian government woke up to the emergence of its Diaspora as an influential
political force much before Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over. A High Level
Committee on Indian Diaspora said in 2001 that "for the first time, India has a
constituency in the US with real status and influence an invaluable asset in
strengthening India's relationship with the world's only superpower.
They have
effectively mobilized on issues ranging from the nuclear tests in 1998 to Kargil,
played a crucial role in generating a favourable climate of opinion in Congress
and defeating anti-India legislation there, and lobbied effectively on other
issues of concern to the Indian community".
But it is a fact that Modi's
emphasis on the Indian Diaspora and his advice to them to become an extension of
India's foreign policy has had deep resonance with the community. It feels a
deeper sense of being connected to India today and is proud of the country as is
evident from the enthusiasm of the thousands who thronged to.
Politics of Belonging:
This part takes up the intricate area of politics, nationalism and the shifting
terrain of belonging. (Radha S Hegde and Ajaya K Sahoo 2017,2 ) Diasporic
preoccupation with identity is inevitably related to the community's
relationships, both personal and institutional, to the nation of origin and the
nation of relocation. As diasporas are gaining recognition in new locations in
the West, the Indian government is paying close attention to the successes of
the Indian diaspora.
Hegde's chapter examines a revised moment in the
relationship between India and its diaspora. After assuming office in May 2014,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's outreach to the diaspora has been orchestrated as
nation branding events. Analysing Prime Minister Modi's speeches delivered in
select global cities, Hegde argues that the national campaign rests on the
belief that India's image has to be crafted in transnational terms. The
publicity events combine affective appeals directed to the diaspora and
corporate branding techniques in order
Diaspora is playing an increasingly pivotal role in American politics, from
community organisers to local politics, state politics to politics of Capitol
Hill. The number of Indian Americans in high political offices has been steadily
increasing, whether it is in President Obama's administration or in
administrations across the country, including governorships. Indian Americans
have established several advocacy organisations and political action committees
on a wide range of issues of importance to India.
For instance, the US-India
Political Affairs Committee and the Indian American Forum for Political
Education have done seminal work in advocating India's cause. India has
bipartisan caucuses in both houses of Congress-the Senate India Caucus and the
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.
Impact of Covid-19
The remarkable rise of CEOs of Indian origin (now encompassing at least 60 major
corporations, including such iconic tech firms as Google, IBM, and Microsoft)
helped nudge corporate America to offer a helping hand. However, important
business interests are at stake as well. In the five years before COVID-19
struck, U.S. investment in India exceeded $200 billion.
It is not just the large
capital investments of a Walmart or a Blackstone at stake, but the critical role
that both Indian IT firms and American multinationals in India play in the
supply chain of critical services that keep firms running, akin to China's role
in global value chains in manufacturing
Indian Diaspora In Europe
The Indian diaspora are distributed in various countries of Europe the presence
of Indian diasporax both PIO and NRIsI in Europe very from country to country
there are countries with large Indian diaspora presence while in many other
countries the presence is relatively low.
Historical records show that the first Indian boy, named Peter was brought to
Britain in 1614. During the 18th century Indian ayas (nannies to look after the
children), naukars (household servants), munshis (tutors) and laskars, (seamen)
immigrated to Britain. Since the 18th century Indians have been coming to the
European countries either as visitors, emissaries or teachers. colony of
Britain, many Indians as a part of British Army have been brought to fight
during World War I and World War II. Their number by 1918 was one million
soldiers.
When in 1939 World War II was declared on behalf of India by 1945 the
number of Indian soldiers increased to 2.5 million. Those who stayed in Great
Britain became a part of the Indian Diaspora. In 1905 when Shyamji Krishanji
Verma founded "India House", it became a centre for Indians to discuss Indian
reforms and long distance nationalism.
There are two types of Indians who migrated to Europe:
- Indians from India and
- Indians from European colonies. The latter were called the generations of earlier emigrants whose forefathers were imported on indenture system by the European plantation colonies. They are called "twice migrants".
The Indian diaspora in the UK is exceptionally high with a population of about
1.2 million.. The history of Indian diaspora in Europe can be discussed under
two eras. The first era consist of period from ancient times till World War II
while the second era would with the post World War II situation. These two era
may be called as old diaspora and new diaspora
Conclusion:
Indian diaspora help in building countries value internationally through the
huge success stories.Diasporas are complex social formations shaped by political
imaginaries and defined by the materialities of national borders and economies.
Scholars across disciplines have grappled with the concept of diaspora and its
paradigmatic constructions of forced dispersal, nostalgia and imagined
homelands.
The term diaspora is evoked as an umbrella or catch-all term, an
analytical category, or a heuristic. Alternatively, it is critiqued for
collapsing and conflating distinct experiences of mobility. Recently, more
scholarly attention has been paid to complicate the term in order to loosen the
stable connection between diasporic communities and places of origin.
With
radical changes in the conditions of migration under neoliberal globalization,
there is also a recognition the transnational politics and cultural
contradictions that frame diasporic lives. These experiences of border crossing
and relocations raise questions that interrupt assumptions about nationality,
citizenship and belonging.
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