New Delhi, Feb 11
India shares a symbiotic
relationship with its 25 million diaspora spread across the world and
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has welcomed entrepreneurs, investors and
professionals from the diaspora to take part in the India growth story,
said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj here Wednesday.
Speaking
at the inauguration of the International Conference on "Indian Diaspora
and Cultural Heritage: Past, Present and Future" organised by the
Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), the minister said the
Indian diaspora "has emerged as an important and unique force, making a
positive difference in all fields of human endeavour, from economics to
politics".
"We hold our heads high when members of the diaspora
are appreciated, honoured, respected and recognised for their
outstanding contribution in their respective countries of residence. The
success and prosperity of the diaspora is our asset, as much as a
strong and a self-reliant India is to the diaspora. We are determined to
work closely with the diaspora for mutual benefit," she said.
"We
share a symbiotic relationship. To put it simply, in India's march
forward to its rightful place in the comity of nations, our fates are
bound together."
Sushma Swaraj said that India is today
"witnessing an unprecedented resurgence of interest from around the
world. The intense exchange of high-level visits and the qualitative
change in the nature of our interaction with the world since our
government has taken over is proof, if proof is required, of the growing
esteem with which the world sees us".
This, she said, "needs to be buttressed and reinforced by presenting a more sophisticated and evolved understanding of India".
She
mentioned the recent adoption of the International Day of Yoga by the
UN, with a record 177 countries co-sponsoring it, as an example of the
global appeal of India's soft power.
"This soft power is anchored
in our philosophical traditions, our consistent message of peace,
harmony and co-existence, the attractiveness of our customs and
traditions, textiles and dresses, dance and music, and, of course of our
cuisine. The Indian diaspora has not just preserved these but has also
played an important role in promoting and propagating these valuable
symbols of who we are."
She said the conference over the next
three days would deliberate on the various aspects of India's culture
and heritage and she would be keen to receive their feedback and
suggestions, especially on preserving and further popularizing the
intangible aspects of culture.
"If intangible cultural heritage
is not nurtured, it risks becoming lost forever, or frozen as a practice
belonging to the past. Preserving this heritage, revitalizing it, and
passing it on to future generations is therefore a moral imperative,"
she said.
Earlier in the speech, Sushma Swaraj spoke of the
journey of the thousands of Indian indentured labour in the 19th century
to Africa, Mauritius, and the Caribbean, Suriname and Fiji.
She
termed their journey as a "saga of supreme courage, unbending will,
unwavering belief in their faith, culture and traditions and triumph
against all odds".
She said the Indian diaspora has retained its language, dress, ceremonies and traditions.
"It
celebrated the same festivals that it did in India, sang the same
songs, played the same music - in short, it retained its essential
Indianness even as it adapted to the local milieu."
"Just as the
diaspora has maintained its links with India, India truly values its
linkages with its diaspora," she said, and added that "to pay tribute to
the journey of India's indentured labourers, to honour their pioneering
spirit, resilience, endurance, and preservation of sense of origin,
traditions and culture, the government of India installed a memorial in
Kolkata in January 2011. Recently, we have commissioned to build a
monument dedicated to the arrival of Indian indentured labourers in
Guyana."
