A few rotten eggs spoil the diaspora's image

Writing for The Economist on India’s diaspora in June this year, Avantika Chilkoti mentioned that the Indian diaspora is the largest in the world. She wrote, “India’s claim to be a democracy steeped in liberal values helps its diaspora integrate more readily in the West. The diaspora in turn binds India to the West.”

She also mentioned that the 2005 Indo-US nuclear deal was pushed through by lobbying and fund raising by IndianAmericans. The MEA believes that the diaspora exceeding 30 million spreads across 205 countries. They remit US$80 billion to the country annually, which is the highest globally from any diaspora.

Whenever the PM travels abroad, one of his major events is an address to the diaspora. The atmosphere during such events is so electrifying that the PM of Australia, Anthony Albanese, compared Mr. Modi’s popularity amongst the diaspora to rockstar Bruce Springsteen, while introducing him at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney in May this year. Other global addresses with a similar electrifying atmosphere include the one at Wembley stadium in London with over 60,000 attending, Shanghai and Singapore. Many more watch the events telecast live.

The impact of the Indian diaspora and their feelings for the home country were prominent in the US when Donald Trump joined Mr. Modi on a common platform to address American-Indians. The ‘Howdy Modi’ event in Houston in Sept 2019 drew over 50,000 attendees. Indians in the US have crossed the 4.5 million mark and play a major role in binding the two nations.

Globally, Indians have made a mark due to their hard work and sincerity. Most are performers and well educated. The Economist mentions that the ‘median annual income of the Indian diaspora in the US is $150,000, which is double the national average.’ The Indian diaspora also has representatives in parliaments of UK, Australia, Canada, EU and the US, including few current and past heads of state.