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Indian Diaspora:
Contours and Contents by Rup Narayan Das
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Ever since the diaspora issue caught the imagination of academia and the media, there has been a proliferation of books and literature on various aspects and vignettes of the diaspora. But what distinguished the present volume, The Encyclopedia of Indian Diaspora, is not its sheer size and magnitude which runs into 416 fullscape pages of fine print interspread with rare photographs and documents culled from precious archival sources, but the high quality of research by qualified academics from prestigious and premier universities written in a very lucid and free flowing language that keeps the reader's attention engaged. What has added grace and elegance to the book is the foreword by no less a person than the President of Singapore S.R. Nathan who shares an umbilical cord with India.
 The increasing attention and focus on studying the problems and potential of the Indian diaspora can be attributed to a number of factors, the most important being the irreversible and unstoppable process of globalisation breaking the physical and emotional barriers of the nation state. The integration of the world economy, the migration and reverse migration of people have also brought to the fore the socio, economic and political issues having a bearing on migration and reverse migration.
Yet another important aspect of the potential of the diaspora pertains to its increasing importance and its power and role in influencing policies of the countries of their adoption. As the diaspora is mainly composed of non-state actors, they are viewed not only as minorities in their particular society, but also as important entities vis-à-vis their countries of origin. The role played by the non-resident Indians in the US in getting the Indo-US nuclear deal through in the labyrinth of the US Congress speaks volume of the clout of the Indian diaspora in the US.
It is in this context that The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora can be said to be the first comprehensive survey of Indian communities around the world. As regards contours and the contents of the volume, President Nathan in the foreword to the Volume writes that the encyclopedia attempts to capture in a single volume the varied nature of the Indian diaspora with its cultural and linguistic diversity, a feature resulting from the many different locations where Indians have settled; the careers of professions in which Indians have excelled; and the many other ways in which Indians have flourished in over 60 communities worldwide. The diverse origins of the Indian diaspora, the development of its distinctive communities, and the talented and often gifted people which it comprises, are insightfully depicted in this book.
The volume is edited by Brij V. Lal, himself a product of the diaspora and president of Pacific and Asian History at the Australian National History. The other distinguished members of the editorial team include Peter Reeves, head of the South Asian Studies programme at the National University of Singapore and Rajesh Rai of the South Asian Studies programme at the National University of Singapore.
Over 30 writes-ups show the initiatives taken by these communities and the contributions they have made both internationally and to their host societies, in areas as diverse as literature, cuisine, popular culture, sports and political life. The greater part of the book consists of 44 country/region profiles covering all parts of the world. Written by over 60 scholars from across the globe, most of whom are from the diaspora, the encyclopedia provides insights into the experiences of people about whom much is often assumed but little is actually known.
A select bibliography appended to the volume is a ready reference to undertake further study and research on the subject. No doubt the volume would be immensely beneficial to scholars, academia, policy makers and the media alike.
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January 2007
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