On 14th May 2020, a virtual seminar was conducted by Global Research Forum on Diaspora and Transnationalism on the topic, “Indian Diaspora during COVID-19: Coping Strategies and Future Prospects”. The webinar consisted of panelists from different host countries who gauged the conditions of the Indian diaspora during the pandemic especially the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) diaspora, and the role played by them in dealing with the crisis.
The session was moderated by Professor Chandrashekhar Bhat, former professor and HOD of the Department of Sociology at the University of Hyderabad. Prof Bhat was also the Founder and Director of the Centre for Study of Indian Diaspora which was established in 1996 at the University of Hyderabad.
Prof. Bhat initiated the discussion by stating that the Indian diaspora are a diversified group of people which can be divided into two streams- Non Resident of India (NRI) and the Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) diaspora. According to him, the NRI’s are the diaspora in the making who migrated from India from 1947 onwards whereas the PIO diaspora are the descendents of those who left the shores under the British Raj due to adverse conditions. They have now transferred their adversaries into advantages and are much more successful and dynamic. They are found from the East to the West i.e from the Pacific Islands to the Western Carribean.
He explained further that he was associated with the High Level Committee on Indian Diaspora which was formed in 2000 during Vajpayee’s government under the Chairmanship of Dr. L.M.Singhvi, who was a former Indian High Commissioner in Britain and an eminent jurist. The Committee formulated a number of policies to connect with the diaspora which got implemented in 2002 and in 2003 the first Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas was celebrated under his leadership.
Mohsina Noorien, the writer is an MPhil graduate from Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia MilliaIslamia. Her areas of interest include identity politics, conflict and security, foreign policy, bilateral relations, diplomacy and refugee crisis, twitter: @MohsinaNoorien