[gallery td_select_gallery_slide="slide" ids="26879,26878,26877"] Mir Mohsin Ali Saudi Gazette RIYADH — Charge d' Affaires Hemant Kotalwar, while lauding the Indian community for their commitment and hard work, inaugurated the first "Pravasi Bharatiya Divas" (PBD) at the Embassy here with a call for a sustained dialogue with the Indian Diaspora and emphasizing the government of India promises active engagement with issues of the Diaspora. "The government not only celebrates the success of the Diaspora in different fields, but is sensitive to the needs of the Diaspora. It has set up many Diaspora initiatives to resolve the issues in the interest of the workers. The idea is to have sustained dialogue with the Diaspora. "Originally, previous PBDs were celebrated in different states of India, but this year for the first time every mission all over the world are hosting the PBD. This new format was introduced in order for more Indians to participate in various events that could prove to be brainstorming sessions that could be beneficial to all," Kotalwar said. In his opening remarks, while welcoming all to the first PBD being marked in Saudi Arabia Kotalwar said, "it is a historic occasion as on this day the greatest pravasi (traveler) of all time the Father of Our Nation Mahatma Gandhi came back 101 years ago." He said the PBD is an occasion for people and government to renew bonds with Indian Diaspora to advance mutually beneficial relationship between Indians residing within and without the country. "The Indian Diaspora worldwide has grown both in numbers and importance is extremely mobile for Indians are known today to be over 25 million spread over 110 countries...It is a mix of people in diverse and professional callings — from blue collared workers to white collared experts – in various fields and they are either professionals or entrepreneurs and their contributions to both the countries — the one they are residing and India — have been tremendous and they have consistently achieved laurels for their land of ancestry." "Even in Saudi Arabia the Indian community consists of the largest expat community. On account of their dedication and commitment the Indian community has left a very positive image in Saudi society, For Indians migration to different lands is not new from the ancient times it was the Cholas that spread the Indian culture in South East Asia — remnants of that culture is still viable in Indonesia and Cambodia. "The Diaspora to Europe and US and the Diaspora to the Gulf are recent phenomena from the migration of unskilled, skilled and highly skilled workers. The Indian Diaspora is like grasshoppers that have multiple identities and the common denominator is the devotional bonds to India and its cultural legacy. They cherish it individually and collectively. "The institution of PBD is the celebration of this bonding and the government is committed to strengthen the partnerships and institutions in India to connect with the Diaspora. Not only familial and cultural bonds but social and economical interests," Kotalwar said. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated on Jan. 9 every year to mark the contribution of overseas Indian community in the development of India. In the new format the Indian Embassy set up two panel discussions — both moderated by Saudi Gazette Executive Editor L. Ramnarayan Iyer with four panelists each. An interactive Q&A session followed in both the panel discussions. The first session was a panel discussion on "Diaspora contributing to India's Social and Developmental Efforts", and the second was a panel discussion on "Making India the Preferred Destination for Holistic Health Care" The panelist for the first session included Syed Zia Ur Rahman, Founder and CEO of Yahind.com – NRIs Web Portal Worldwide, Shihabudeen Vavakunju, winner of the PBD Samman and a social worker, Mirza Zaheer Baig, a scientist in KFUPM and an active social worker in Dammam, and Rajiv Shukla, Managing Director, Head of Global Banking & Markets, HSBC Saudi Arabia. The panelist for the second session included Balachandran Nair, a social worker, Irfan Iqbal Khan, Editor-in-Chief at Saudi Commerce & Economic Review, Bijoy D. Das, a yoga proponent and Ayurvedic drugs marketer and Amit Javeri, an entrepreneur in the pharmaceutical industry. The inaugural session saw the speakers stress the various flagship programs of the government like Make in India, Swachh Bharat and Clean Ganga mission in which Non-Resident Indians can focus on and weigh how best to contribute. They highlighted the fact that they can participate through India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians and urged the Indian community to participate in development projects in India. Shukla, stressing that he was speaking in an individual capacity as an Indian, highlighted the need for Diaspora to become a major source of foreign direct investment (FDI), market development (including outsourcing of production) and technology transfer. And for this the government back home needs to work with the Diaspora to ease regulations and improve transparency indices. Diasporas have assumed a new importance. Their potential as "bridges" between societies and states is being globally acknowledged. And this was discussed at length in Q&A session where people proposed ideas to seek new ways to connect. The second session saw the panelist plug for the alternative route that could help in medical tourism. Capabilities of the Indian medical fraternity and the cost effectiveness, if marketed properly could enhance the prospects of India and the world benefitting from medical tourism. The panelists also summed up the fact that medical tourism, if many of the parameters like infrastructure, ease in traveling and verification of the standards in the holistic health, could be driver for major economical benefits. They felt that with the emergence of newer needs and with India establishing a firmer footprint as a healthcare delivery destination, medical tourism is likely to gain impetus. Any proposition that adds value, funds, and builds India's credibility and visibility globally can only lead to economic traction, a scenario that will eventually benefit the domestic industry and help propel its growth. The lively Q&A session saw the proponents of the modern medicines take on the supporters of the traditional medicines, but in the end all agreed an integrated approach to wellbeing could be the new concept that would drive tourism. Dr. Hifzur Rahman, second secretary at the Indian Embassy, welcomed the guests and Embassy staff also actively participated in this event. Students of International Indian School Dammam presented the colorful cultural program and mesmerized the audience with dances on "Mile Sur Mera Tumhara".
