Noting that he prefers the term “brain gain” or “meeting of minds” to “reverse brain drain,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday thanked the Indian-American community for their contribution in building bridges between India and the U.S. and invited Indians worldwide to return home.
Dr. Singh highlighted the Five ‘E’s — economy, energy, environment, education and empowerment — that forms a critical part of the “next phase” of the relationship between the two countries.
“In the past few years we have already experienced what has been called a ‘reverse brain-drain.’ I would prefer to call this ‘brain gain’ or, indeed, a meeting of minds,” he said during his interaction with prominent members of the Indian-American community.
“Let me take this opportunity to extend an invitation to all Indian Americans and non-resident Indians who wish to return home to India in one capacity or another,” Dr. Singh said.
The Prime Minister further noted that Indian-Americans no longer had to make a choice about whether to work in India or America. “Modern technology and our flexible policies have opened possibilities of working in both places,” he noted.
He noted that both nations could be described with metaphors like ‘salad bowl’, ‘melting pot’, ‘rainbow’ and shared values and interests would make it easier for Indians and Americans to work together.
“This is what makes it easy for Indians to adapt themselves to the U.S. and, dare I say, for Americans to adapt themselves to India,” he said. “I hope you will be the bridge that will continue to connect our two nations and societies.”
The Prime Minister described his visit as “stimulating” and “fruitful.”
The Prime Minister also underlined that the relationship between India and the U.S. was not born out of “crisis” but carried the potential of being mutually beneficial, which made it long-lasting.
Vinod K. Shah, who heads the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, told PTI that the community viewed the Prime Minister’s trip as a historical benchmark in Indo-U.S. relations.
“President Kennedy started it, Carter expanded it, the Clinton administration nurtured it, Bush put a seal on it and Obama will take it to new heights,” said Dr. Shah who attended the State Dinner on Tuesday.
A director of policy in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rajen S. Anand, noted that out of the several State Dinners that he attended in the past, the one on Tuesday was, “best in terms of decorations, entertainment and grace of the first lady.”
