Little India

Overall, Brickfields in Kuala Lumpur—long labeled Little India in the Malaysian capital city—wore a festive look as celebrations and the convention carried on for four days. The PIO platform ushered in streams of energetic and influential visitors from a vast range of segments to exchange ideas and experiences to form a cohesive charter for a stronger and constructive relationship between the Indian Diaspora in Malaysia and India.

A gathering of this nature was the perfect platform for the Diaspora to not only emotionally connect with the country of their origin but also towards making India stronger economically, culturally and technologically.

“The 15th GOPIO Event at Malaysia held recently is both exciting and topical as both the GOPIO and Malaysia are important for the Indian Diaspora. They represent a crying need for a strong connection with India, the home country for so many persons of Indian origin. In the present context this is important and crucial,” says Dr. A Didar Singh, former Secretary, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, who oversaw a large number of Diaspora events, including PBDs, during his tenure.

The theme of the 15th GOPIO International Convention was focused on PIOs across borders: Global collaboration for unity and collective growth. The convention comprised four conferences, the Youth Conference, Academic Conference, Socio-cultural Conference and the Global PIO CEO Global Summit (which is a networking and leadership summit).

Positive outcome

At the conclusion of the youth conference a PIO Youth Nexus was launched and it was decided that a PIO Youth Council would be established. The academic conference will establish a PIO Academic Council for PIO research and development.

Similarly, the PIO CEO Nexus was launched to establish a progressive network amongst PIO CEOs globally to nurture future global PIO CEOs. Work on these initiatives will start soon, said Mr A. Ravendiran Arjunan, the Chairman of the GOPIO International Convention and Secretary General, GOPIO International.

Social and cultural councils will also be established, Mr Arjunan said, adding that the organisation was now “looking into the technical details”. He highlighted that the aim to enhance the role of PIOs was for total growth of global PIOs. As many as 11 countries participated in the event in Malaysia with 60 international participants.

The PIO Day festival was held for the second time this year to celebrate PIO Day from September 14 to 16. It coincided with the convention to enable international participation for both the events. The PIO Day celebration was jointly inaugurated by Minister K.V. Singh and Malaysia’s Digital Minister Mr Gobind Singh Deo. Besides cultural programs and traditional games, Ayurveda, Sidha, yoga, heritage, films and cinema conferences were held.

PIO day

The PIO Day is organized in recognition of the contributions and sacrifices of the forefathers in nation building. Mr Gunasekaran Sreerangan, President of GOPIO Malaysia, said: “This is an opportune time for us to strengthen our ties, especially given our geographical proximity. PIO Day is essential for us to gain India’s attention. India’s High Commissioner, H.E. Mr. Reddy, has played a significant role in elevating the position of Malaysian PIOs.”

Mr Gunasekaran Sreerangan

PIO Day received significant recognition during the India-Malaysia Joint Conference, held in the wake of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s recent visit to India, according to Mr Sreerangan, adding Prime Minister Narendra Modi personally acknowledged the PIO Day and highlighted its importance in fostering cross-national ties and cultural exchanges between India and Malaysia.

This level of international recognition cements PIO Day as a vital platform for diplomatic engagement and cultural diplomacy, elevating it beyond a community event to one of global significance, said Mr Sreerangan. “In this regard we have taken the right approach by inviting the Minister of State from the Ministry of External Affairs for two consecutive years and will continue the same in the years to come,” he stressed.