Paras Ramoutar
HYDERABAD, INDIA, February 20, 2006: HPI note: Paras Ramoutar of Trinidad gives his impressions and thoughts on the conference:
Twenty-five hundred Indians from approximately 90 countries participated in the Fourth Pravasi Bharitya Diwas (Global Indian Dispora) held at the sprawling Hyderabad International Convention Centre, January 7 to 9, in Andra Pradesh. Throughout the three-day conference, there were roundtable sessions and discussions on the diaspora, diaspora cultural network, Indian diaspora knowledge, interactive sessions with state governments, diaspora philanthropy, parallel sessions with overseas Indians on such issues like employment, health care, gender and youth culminating with the presentation of the Pravasi Bharitya Samman award to notable officials by India’s President, A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.
In his opening address, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh announced plans for the establishment of a University for People of Indian Origin. “We need an institution that will play host to students coming to India from abroad. Our government will create an institutional interface in this area.” He added that the 21st century would be the, “knowledge century.” “We in India are proud of our inheritance in this regard. Overseas Indians have played an extremely important role in global brand building in this respect. If India is today viewed as a knowledge economy, it is because of the reputation that many of you have earned for our knowledge institutions and diligence wherever your work.”
Indian Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Shri Oscar Fernandes noted that the Indian diaspora is not a homogenous group. “From my interaction, I have come to realize that the needs and expectations of the Indians in the Gulf region, for instance, are unique and different from the overseas Indians in North America. Equally, the overseas Indian community in the old diaspora countries such as Mauritius, Fiji, the Caribbean, South Africa has vastly different concerns and interests from the diaspora in Europe or other parts of the Western World.”
Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy, in his welcome oration, said that, “Most of you, I am sure, have a great feeling of travelling to India, your motherland, to meet your brothers and sisters, fellow Indians and share your experiences. I believe there is no greater joy for any human-being than the idea of being your kith and kin. The joy should be even greater, if you are returning to your motherland, which is India, the conscience keeper of the world for more than 5,000 years; one of the world’s most ancient civilizations, which not only provided spiritual leadership, but has also taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance.”