While Pravasi Bharatiya Divas acknowledges Non Resident Indians and People of Indian Origin, there has not been much in return — in the form of these PIOs and NRIs investing in India (“Revisiting a passage from India”, Jan.9). Instead of reaching out to Indians in the West, the government needs to focus on diaspora in Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius and the Carribean region which were populated by the British with indentured labour. These countries also offer attractive visa policies to Indian citizens which need to be reciprocated so that the connections are strengthened.
A grievance some overseas Indians have is that they cannot get their OCI cards due to the lack of records. Some desire tracing their ancestry and extended families as they were taken away from India forcibly. But there is no help in India for this here. One way to do this is to hire genealogists who can trace family trees. The government must also be aware that the diaspora keenly watches domestic policies. If they get a whiff of the idea that they are unwelcome because of issues such as religion, they will only stop with acquiring an OCI card. They will not bother having an emotional and comprehensive connect and engagement with India.
Akshay Viswanathan,
Thiruvananthapuram
