Citizens of India, present or erstwhile, fall into different categories - native citizens, NRIs (non-resident Indians), PIOs (persons of Indian origin) and OCIs (overseas citizens of India). Modi wants to unit PIOs and CIOs under one category. At the risk of generalization I can say that most of the Indians abroad are Gujaratis, Malayalis, Punjabis and maybe Tamilians and Telugu-speaking people.
Those abroad, especially the non-resident Indian (NRI) has been a variously-regarded person in India. He has been reviled as a prime example of brain drain. He has been accused of abusing government subsidy via IITs/IIMs and then flying out at the first available opportunity. He has been accused of jacking up property prices to levels unreachable by the common man. Parents are afraid what may happen to their daughters married to NRI grooms.
He has also been admired for being a significant source of money inflow into the economy, especially in terms of USD. He has been admired for having held high the flag of India abroad. He has created a role model for others to look up to (whether the emulation will be in India or abroad is a different matter). He has created an image of Indians as hardworking and intelligent abroad. Parents also want NRI grooms for their daughters.
Earlier it was probably engineers and doctors leaving India after education. Today added to that number is the large number of (mostly) software-related professionals who go on both long-term and short-term assignments. Earlier there was not much government focus here. In fact the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs was probably created more to accommodate leaders in the cabinet than for any practical purposes. However now there is a lot more emphasis with a Gujarati being the PM and the support he has among Indians abroad.
In this context this article seeks to explore if we idolize them a little too much and whether this also puts them under a lot of pressure. In particular I am referring to those who voluntarily give up citizenship of India or are descendants of such people. This is their right, their choice, no questions asked about that. However I want to ask whether we should idolize a person who does not want to be looked upon as an Indian anymore. We seem to go into paroxysms of joy when we here about people of Indian origin taking up posts in governments abroad. Please note that the foreign governments consider them their citizens. "Our" guys consider themselves foreign citizens. For example, see what Bobby Jindal said and is going through now. The same happens with the Nobel Prize. Take a look at the list of Nobel laureates of India. Three of them voluntarily gave Indian citizenship up.
We Indians take an inordinate amount of joy in our past and very much like to rest on our laurels. These people abroad have made it on their own. We should be happy for them. However instead of just feeling proud that "our" guy has made it, we should question how these conditions can be created in India, especially in the areas of science and education. We should strive to create a scenario where people do not need to go out because their dreams may not be fulfilled here. As long as the currency of a foreign country is valued more than ours obviously it will carry monetary attractiveness. I am however talking about taking India back to the status it enjoyed in the ancient world as a knowledge centre (I am being atavistically proud now). Today foreigners already come to India either for the "exposure" it offers in terms of business environment, or after becoming religious, spiritual or cultural converts. I want the country to reach a stage (probably already on the way) where more and more inventions happen here, where scientific advancements out of India become commonplace. I want India to produce more and more quality PhDs. I want our institutions, both academic and research-oriented to produce more ground-breaking papers. In short I want India to occupy the place the US and now increasingly China occupy in the world today. Bas itna sa khwaab hain.
