The Ukraine issue has had more prominence than the Kashmir issue. Power they say is the ability to keep things off the agenda as much as on it. So how powerful is the global Indian diaspora, considering that business as much as politics has led the way on the Ukraine issue. In politics India has maintained it’s muted stance, beholden to Russian military deliveries as opposed to agreeing with the wanton death and invasion of Ukraine one assumes. I do not think it is churlishness to do with 1971.
As the Prime Minister of India, PM Modi awarded the country’s highest honour to overseas Indians recently, now is an excellent time to consider just how significant and influential these individuals are worldwide and what role they could have in shaping global peace, Indian development, and the country's relations with the West.
India has a vast global diaspora. It’s estimated around 18 million Indian people are living outside their country of birth. But what impact are these citizens of Indian heritage having around the world?
The US
The Indian diaspora in the US has a powerful voice. They recently warned Joe Biden against appointing the controversial Masood Khan as an ambassador between the US and Pakistan.
Additionally, they spoke out over the vandalisation of a Gandhi statue in New York.
The Indian diaspora has had an enormous impact on contemporary US culture. Their role is celebrated in the collection of essays titled Kamala Harris and the Rise of Indian Americans.
The UK
British Indians have had a positive influence on all areas of UK life, including sports. That contribution was celebrated by the India-UK week of sport in February.
British Indian voters could be instrumental during the next election in the UK. While traditionally, the Indian diaspora has voted Labour, there are signs that this is changing in recent years.Now, around 15% of the UK's British-Indian say they are undecided over their voting intentions. Who they decide to support could be significant, especially during a tight election. As Labour’s Kashmir obsessed minority seek to use the Party as a vessel for their sectarian religious interests, so British Indian voters move further away from Labour.
With trade deals and closer relationships post-Brexit, India has become deeply important to the UK's future.
Across the Globe
India is actively forging solid relations with the West. Relations with the UK and US are advanced, but a German development partnership has been explored recently.
PM Modi recognises that the Indian diaspora is a "strategic asset". As India's economy expands, PM Modi sees global Indians' potential to help growth and trade.
Indeed, all across the Indian diaspora, people are trying to find solutions to tackle inequality in the motherland. This commitment is seen in the form of support, funding, and leadership. Additionally, during the COVID crisis last year, many people of Indian heritage felt compelled to help the country through one of its darkest hours.
India can be a considerable player in shaping democracy in Asia. China is a threat in the region, which was highlighted by the recent incident between a navy vessel and an Australian plane.India is a powerful strategic ally for the West. It will be essential to keep peace and boost security.
The relationship between India and the diaspora has several advantages on a business and technological level. With several young CEOs at the head of some of the biggest US tech companies and other citizens in positions of power, India has a "living bridge" to the rest of the world.
Conclusion
The Indian diaspora can help drive sustainable development in the country. It has several benefits, like helping investment in the country. However, India can take advantage of these citizens' knowledge, education, and cultural diversity to continue its remarkable rise. Whatever the views on India’s perspective on Ukraine, the diaspora will not in anyway be hindered from stronger ties to the ancestral motherland. Ultimately values are too much in agreement to be divided or prized apart and the alternative is a totalitarian dictatorship of China or a religious theocracy of Pakistan – nuclear armed and dangerous as ever with a military junta always as ever in the wings to take over since the country was invented.
