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Society
2006: The Year of Indian Diaspora
by
Aroonim Bhuyan
 When
Sunita Williams soared into space with a container full of samosas,
the term 'Indian diaspora' acquired a new meaning altogether. With
samosas to munch on and the holy book Gita to read, Williams will be in
space for six months where she will be the flight engineer of the
International Space Station. So, for the next six months at least, the
20 million or so Indian diaspora will not only be spread across 110
countries of the world, but one of them will be in space as well!
Sunita's father is of Indian origin while her mother is Slovenian. "I am
half Indian, I'm sure Indian people are looking forward to seeing
(another) person of Indian origin (after Kalpana Chawla) flying up in
space," she said. With her achievement coming in the last month of 2006,
Sunita has capped what has been one big year for the Indian diaspora.
Indian origin people made news in all fields, be it sports, industry,
entertainment, politics or literature.
In March, Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, popularly known as Monty Panesar,
made his debut as a spinner in the England cricket team against India in
Nagpur. In the 10 Tests he has played till now, he picked up 32 wickets,
including a series-winning display against Pakistan, making him a
national icon in England.
Only the other day, in the course of the ongoing Ashes series Down
Under, the turbaned 24-year-old from Luton became the first spinner to
take five wickets at Perth, widely considered a fast bowler's paradise.
Nicknamed 'Python', he also signed a 300,000-pound book deal in his very
first year in global cricket.
At the FIFA World Cup in Germany, a footballer of Indian origin came
under the spotlight. Vikas Dhorasoo took the field for France against
Switzerland in a group match, playing in the midfield alongside Zinedine
Zidane. In the process, Dhorasoo, whose forefathers migrated from Andhra
Pradesh to Mauritius, became the first footballer of Indian origin to
play in the World Cup finals.
Also in June, news came involving another member of the Indian diaspora
that shook world industry. European steel maker Arcelor, the world's
largest steel company, agreed to an Euro 26.5-billion takeover bid by
NRI steel tycoon Lakshmi Narayan Mittal.
August was indeed a big month for the Indian diaspora. On Aug 14,
India-born Indra Nooyi was appointed chief executive officer of
$33-billion global convenient foods and beverages company PepsiCo. She
became one of only a handful of women to head a top US company.
Soon after her appointment, Forbes magazine named the 49-year-old Nooyi
as the world's fourth most powerful woman after German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chinese Vice Premier
Wu Yi.
On Aug 23, Anand Satyanand, a person of Indian origin (PIO), took over
as the new governor general of New Zealand. He is the first person of
Asian ethnicity to become the Queen's representative in New Zealand.
Satyanand began his speech on the steps of New Zealand's parliament in
Wellington with a "Namaste, Namashkar, Sat Sri Akaal, greetings
to everyone!"
Soon afterwards, another PIO, Bharrat Jagdeo, was re-elected president
of the Caribbean nation of Guyana. This is his third consecutive term in
office since he took charge in 1999.
And in October, Kiran Desai, daughter of prominent Indian origin writer
Anita Desai, created literary history by becoming the youngest woman to
win the prestigious Man Booker Prize for Fiction at the age of 35.
Desai won the award for her second book, 'The Inheritance of Loss',
described by reviewers as "radiant, funny and moving family saga" and
"the best, sweetest, most delightful novel". Born in India Sep 3, 1971,
Desai is currently a student at Columbia University's creative writing
course.
Hardly had the euphoria of Desai's achievement died, when India-born
Western classical music conductor Zubin Mehta was honored by the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in December.
Born in Mumbai April 29, 1936, Mehta has conducted some of the most
prestigious orchestras including the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, New
York Philharmonic Orchestra, Montreal Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles
Philharmonic Orchestra. Kennedy Center chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman
called Mehta "a world treasure".
Among other recognitions, Thomas Kailath of Stanford University was
inducted into the Silicon Valley Engineering Hall of Fame; Indo-Canadian
scientist Asit K. Biswas received the 2006 Stockholm Water Prize, known
as the Nobel Prize for environment; Kamla Persad-Bissessar became the
first woman to be made leader of the opposition in Trinidad & Tobago's
parliament; Indian American pioneer Appu Kuttan was awarded the 2006
Champions of Digital Literacy Inspiration Award; NRI industrialist Lord
Swraj Paul was appointed the inaugural chancellor of University of
Westminster; and Lord Karan Billimoria became the first Parsi to enter
Britain's House of Lords.
At the year-end, India's ministry of overseas Indian affairs was
feverishly engaged in putting the final touches to the Pravasi Bharatiya
Divas, the annual conclave of the diaspora, whose sixth edition is to be
held in New Delhi Jan 7-9. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate
it. The government will, like previous years, honor key diaspora
performers and achievers.
From a time when the diaspora and the mother country had drifted poles
apart, efforts on both sides have not only revived the emotional
umbilical bonds but put the diaspora on the national agenda and made the
country proud of the achievements of its sons and daughters who had left
the country's shores to make their mark around the world.
December 27 2006
By arrangement with IANS
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Society
The Week of December 24, 2006
Indo-Pak
Peace Talks: Moving on the Wrong Track by Rajinder Puri
2006 : The Year of Indian Diaspora by Aroonim
Bhuyan
Bloody 2006: No End to Violence in 2007 by
Col. Rahul K. Bhonsle
Words Meaning Changes and Misuse by Bush & Bin Laden
by Gaurang Bhatt, MD
In 2006, Courts Put the Fear of Law in the High
and Mighty by Rana Ajit
Can It Be The Beginning of The End of Partition?
by Amulya Ganguli
A Bold Judiciary Augurs Well for the Nation by
Maxwell Pereira
A Samuel Pepys of Emergency India by V.
Sundaram
Which God's Own Country by J. Ajithkumar
Communist Turnaround : From 'Land to Tiller' to
'Land to Tatas' by Amulya Ganguli
Communalism or Affirmative Action by Ram
Puniyani
Counting on People by Swapna Majumdar
A Tribute to a Poet by V. Sundaram
Urban Floods: Bane for
the People by VK Joshi
Tackling the
Water Crisis by Mini Sharma
In Quest of Space Colonization by Subra
Narayan
Psoriasis by Dr. Savitha Suri
Toxic Blood by Yasmin Rimi
Investing in Indian Real Estate: Is Your Checklist
Complete? by Sandeep Donald Shah
Why is Literature Indispensable for Human Life?
by TA Ramesh
Three Cheers for Thuggee Raj! by V. Sundram
Recognition for NARI's Work - A Report
The Village Bride of Beverly Hills a Book
review by K. Bharati
A Lonely Christmas in Jerusalem Shoshana
Kordova
Exposing the Hidden Half by Devindra Kohli
Porn & Mainstream Media Boundaries have become
Blurred by Elsa sherin Mathews
Mothers' Help: Home Surveillance Systems by
Gagandeep Kaur
Kerala's Feisty Fisherwomen by Nilanjana Biswas
Maternal Mortality: Civil Societies Call for Action
by Anil Gulati
The Olympics in London by Rajesh Talwar
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