00:00India's story was never meant to stay within its borders.
00:03For centuries, its people have journeyed across oceans,
00:06chasing opportunity, braving hardship,
00:09carrying with them a piece of home.
00:12This is the story of India's roots that stretched far
00:15and a diaspora that rose to shape the world.
00:30One country, then another, and another one after that.
00:48The British colonial greed was unending.
00:52Their rule rapidly spread across the world,
00:55and with it, the Indian diaspora.
00:57A diaspora is the dispersion of people from their homeland.
01:01And in India, this was a legacy of colonial rule.
01:05As the British Empire expanded,
01:07Indians found themselves in all corners of the world.
01:10And this happened for different reasons.
01:12In countries like Fiji and Mauritius,
01:14Indians were mostly sent as contract labourers.
01:18But in countries like Australia and Canada,
01:20people travelled looking for better opportunities.
01:23Whatever the reason,
01:24from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific,
01:26Indians were everywhere.
01:29In some places, they were openly accepted,
01:31and treated mostly fairly, like New Zealand.
01:33When India became independent in 1947,
01:36there were about 1,200 Indians in New Zealand,
01:38and they enjoyed what the government at the time called
01:41complete equality.
01:44But in several other countries,
01:45Indians were openly discriminated against.
01:48Australia had about 4,500 Indians at the time.
01:51All of them had citizenship rights.
01:52They could vote.
01:54But they were legally discriminated against.
01:56They did not have equal pension or accommodation rights.
02:00Or take the Caribbean, for instance.
02:02They had a sizeable Indian population,
02:04about 170,000 Indians in Trinidad,
02:07and a similar number in British Guayana.
02:09They were offered full citizenship rights.
02:12But Hindus were not allowed to cremate their dead.
02:16So just two months after attaining independence,
02:18India decided to change this.
02:21To not just look after the Indians at home,
02:24but also those abroad.
02:26The Constituent Assembly held several meetings about this.
02:29They came up with an action plan, case by case.
02:33And one month later, New Delhi quietly spurred change.
02:38High Commissions engaged with local authorities.
02:40They highlighted the prejudice in Commonwealth countries.
02:44India spoke up, and slowly things began to change.
02:48Cut to today, almost eight decades later.
02:51The Indian diaspora is not just an asset to the world,
02:53it is a force to reckon with.
02:56Globally, the Indian origin community stands at 35 million.
03:01This is the world's largest diaspora.
03:04Out of this, more than 15 million people are NRIs,
03:07non-resident Indians.
03:10NRIs are Indian citizens who reside outside India.
03:15This could be for work, education, or any other reason.
03:17NRIs retain their Indian passports.
03:20They are considered Indian nationals.
03:23So why are they part of the overseas diaspora?
03:27That's because of the duration of their stay outside India.
03:29In one financial year, if you live outside India for at least 182 days,
03:35you're considered an NRI, a non-resident Indian.
03:38Then we have a second category.
03:41Earlier, it was called PIO, persons of Indian origin,
03:45meaning people of Indian descent who have foreign citizenship.
03:49This applied to everyone except nationals of Pakistan,
03:52Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and a few other countries.
03:54In 2015, this category was merged with OCI, overseas citizens of India.
04:01These are foreign citizens eligible for Indian citizenship on or after January 26, 1950.
04:09Or a descendant of someone who fits in this category.
04:12Now, initially, PIO was applicable for 15 years.
04:15But with an OCI card, you get a lifetime validity.
04:18Also, lifelong visa-free travel to India and unlimited stay without registration.
04:24Long story short, OCI's are very different from NRIs.
04:28NRIs have an Indian passport.
04:29They can vote in India.
04:30They can hold government jobs.
04:31OCI's cannot do any of that.
04:35Also, OCI is not dual citizenship.
04:36It is simply a privilege introduced as part of India's outreach to the diaspora.
04:42Today, about 20 million people are OCI cardholders.
04:46And together with Indian citizens living abroad, they make a 35 million strong diaspora.
04:52These are people who have shaped global diplomacy, economy and politics,
04:56and enhanced India's soft power.
04:58Today, Indians are contributing to the global workforce.
05:01They are powering entire industries.
05:04Look at the booming tech companies.
05:05You will find leaders of Indian origin.
05:07Indians are at the helm of massive corporations.
05:10They are also shaping policy.
05:12People of Indian origin have become leaders of more than 30 other countries.
05:16And this is astounding.
05:18Have you heard of the term Girmitia?
05:21This was an agreement made by the British.
05:23They transferred indentured laborers from India to other colonies.
05:28In the 19th century, the first group of Indians was taken to East Pacific countries and the Caribbean islands.
05:35They were taken to work on plantations.
05:37The term Girmitia came from the word agreement.
05:40The locals called an agreement a Girmit and those who signed it were Girmitias.
05:45It was a shrewd plan to benefit the colonizers.
05:48It led to many of these people settling there permanently.
05:55Generations later, countless families of Indian origin still call these countries home.
06:00But today, Indians are not relocating as part of someone else's clever scheme.
06:07They are not doing it out of desperation to survive.
06:11They are doing it with the determination to thrive.
06:14The US has the largest Indian population in the world.
06:17It stands at over 5 million.
06:19It's about 1.6% of the country's overall population.
06:22And Indian Americans have proven to be leaders, whether in education or household income.
06:27About 77% of them have a bachelor's degree or higher.
06:31They are also the top earners among all Asian groups in the US.
06:37Same with Europe.
06:38Indians rank as the top immigrant earners in Europe's largest economy, which is Germany.
06:43The Indian diaspora is known for well-educated, often well-paid workers, primarily in science,
06:49technology, engineering and maths, or STEM.
06:53And these are just two examples, the US and Germany.
06:56Indians abroad help in boosting the global economy.
06:58They are also contributing to the Indian economy.
07:02Take remittances, for instance.
07:05This is the money that members of the diaspora send home.
07:08India tops the world in remittances.
07:10And this year, the number hit a record high.
07:14The overseas Indian community transferred $135 billion to India.
07:19Plus, when Indians go abroad, they invite more foreign investment into the country.
07:23They engage with other nations.
07:24They foster relationships that help their home country.
07:28They maintain the Indian connect.
07:35And while there's so much to celebrate, the Indian diaspora also faces a range of issues.
07:39Many conflicts ail the world.
07:42And Indians who live and work abroad, especially as migrant labourers, are often caught in the crossfire.
07:49Thus, many governments have made migration harder, mostly in the West.
07:53And even though the Indian diaspora is generally regarded as law-abiding,
07:56progressive and extremely productive, racism persists.
08:00Time and again, we hear reports of Hindu temples being vandalised abroad,
08:04or Indian workers in countries like Ireland being attacked and asked to go back to where they came from.
08:12There are no easy fixes for this.
08:13And the government knows this.
08:15But over time, they have boosted preparedness.
08:17Welfare mechanisms and structured evacuation in times of crisis.
08:22From digital portals that address grievances to legal and social protection.
08:26There's an effort to shield the diaspora from fraud, land encroachment, and so on.
08:32There's a range of policies and tax benefits to encourage investment by overseas Indians.
08:37There are schemes to ease labour mobility of Indian origin workers.
08:41India has labour pacts with at least six countries.
08:45There are cultural and educational programmes, especially for the young,
08:48to help them stay connected to their roots.
08:52Since taking office in 2014,
08:53Prime Minister Modi has personally engaged with the diaspora in all parts of the world.
08:57Everywhere he travels, he meets people of the Indian community
09:01and invests in this relationship.
09:03The Indian diaspora is no longer seen as brain drain.
09:13They are seen as India's global ambassadors,
09:16who represent the values, culture and heritage of their home country on the world stage.
09:21So much so that we now have a day dedicated to them.
09:24The Pravasi Bharti Divas.
09:27This event was first held in 2003 to mark the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's return
09:32from South Africa in 1915.
09:34Since then, it is held every year for the ambassadors of the world
09:39to celebrate their contribution to the growth of India and the world.
09:42And most importantly, to form a community of people
09:46to help understand their challenges and to harness their collective power.
09:51And so the story of the Indian diaspora is not just about movement.
09:54It's about resilience.
09:56It's about rising beyond borders from indentured labourers on plantations
10:02to presidents, CEOs and changemakers.
10:04They have carried India with them in values, in culture and in spirit.
10:08And today, as they shape the world,
10:22And today as they shape the world, they continue to strengthen their bond with India, because
10:40no matter how far they go, they're never too far from home.
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