PIO festival

The PIO festival showcases the rich culture, history, arts and traditions of the PIOs, featuring various activities for all age groups and backgrounds, including youth and children. The PIO International Festival promises to create a vibrant atmosphere of unity and cultural celebration. Visitors enjoy a wide range of engaging activities and exhibits such as the history and heritage exhibition, the PIO academic conference, the yoga summit, and the Siddha and Ayurveda conference.

“Given the geopolitical challenges India faces in Southeast Asia, the Indian diaspora in the region can play a pivotal role in highlighting India’s diverse contributions across multiple sectors. The diaspora not only serves as a bridge between India and Southeast Asian nations but also fosters deeper cultural, economic and academic exchanges. We remain committed to strengthening bilateral relationships in areas such as culture, academia, technology, and commerce, recognizing that collaboration in these fields will benefit both India and the region,” Mr Sreerangan said.

As India continues its ascent as a global superpower and economic powerhouse, it is essential that the Indian Diaspora receives special recognition for its vital contributions and is empowered to act as ambassadors of India’s growth and influence in Southeast Asia.

Dr Bijay Pratihary of Jamia Millia Islamia, who spoke on ‘India and its efforts to engage PIO: A new approach’ in Malaysia, told this correspondent that the Diaspora can play a critical role when India faces emergencies such as the balance of payments crisis during Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s time. “The Diaspora helped by subscribing to NRI Bond,” he said.

A strong Diaspora can also drive investment and FDI inflow leading to economic growth. He said when China opened its economy under Deng Xiaoping, it was the Chinese Diaspora that initially drove investment in their country of origin, powering China’s rise as a global economic superpower. The same can be said of Israel, according to Dr Pratihary, stressing that the Diaspora played a major role in the making of modern-day Israel after the birth of the Jewish state.

Recognizing the importance of the Diaspora, the Indian government during the time of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee changed its policies, recognizing the Diaspora as a “strategic asset”. This paid dividends when his successor, Dr Manmohan Singh, negotiated the civil nuclear deal between India and the US. The Indian Diaspora is known to have backed and pushed the deal which ultimately ended India’s international nuclear isolation.

Dr Kamalanathan Sappani, a former Secretary of GOPIO International based in Kuala Lumpur, says that while the Festival was successful and its intentions noble, much more can be done on the ground to uplift the condition of Malaysian PIOs who are struggling with poverty. “We need to reach out at the grassroots more often, and hopefully events such as these will catalyze the influential segments and the larger Indian Diaspora to increase opportunities for this neglected segment.”

Indeed it is also time that the underserved segments of PIOs are brought into the mainstream and are made a part of the rising story of the Indian Diaspora in Malaysia.