At the outset, a Very Happy New Year.

We are excited about hosting the first INDIA EMPIRE NRI Awards. You can find all the coverage about the event in the next issue. Some big names are being recognized for the efforts they have put in to make a difference to the lives of people in their country.

We are also institutionalizing the Award. Which means, each year, the awards will be held on January 10, the day after the conclusion of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas. For our first Award, we received nominations from all over the world, including from far outposts.

Encouraged by the response, we are going to start accepting online nomination for the 2011 awards from January 15.

So I would urge you to tell your friends and those interested in filing, to begin the process early. Of course merit is the only criteria for the awards. We want to maintain world class standards, and recognize world class achievers.

We also plan to bring out a book on those who received the Awards this year. The book should be ready by July 2009. So you could look for details in our subsequent issues.

And, of course, we are back to that time of the year when a rush of diaspora activity takes place in India. This time the big event, the 8th PBD convention, is being held in New Delhi. We have a feature on the PBD and the main initiatives taken for the benefit of the diaspora by the Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs.
Actually, in his own way, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been doing a lot to encourage the diaspora to participate in India’s progress. During his visits in November to the USA and to Trinidad and Tobago (for CHOGM), the prime minister had separate meetings with the Indian community in both countries. He spent considerable time with those present, asking many of them individually to seek out India as a destination to further their interests, cultural, and economical.

Apart from the serious business of events, I thought I’d introduce you to Raul Bermudez through our pages. I met him in the Caribbean last year, and again this year. He has a wife whose mother was East Indian. Probably that is one reason why he is in love with India. He plans to introduce a cricket board game from the Caribbean into this country very soon. When I think of the enormous success of the Trinidad and Tobago cricket team that was recently here, I know why he wishes to do that.

The point I’m making is that these connections India is making with its diaspora go beyond the immediate.

May you find an abundance of peace this year.