The PBD Convention: A waste of time and money
COMMENT | The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, the largest gathering for Indians living abroad, has become a feelgood funfair. It is high on emotion, low on substantive content.
The PBD is a huge waste of time, money and resources, as it is increasingly becoming a festival for only rich 'non-resident Indians' (NRIs) for networking and sightseeing.
It gives a major boost to India’s tourism industry. But Indian Malaysians get nothing out of PBD.
Ironically, each year, hundreds of Pakatan Harapan, MIC and Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin (Gopio) members participate in the event.
Malaysia had the largest delegation at the convention, numbering about 400.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this year's edition of PBD, the Indian diaspora conclave, in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi.
Modi delivered his 45-minute speech in Hindi. Malaysians who attended hardly understood what he said.
NRIs across the world forge and take pride in a common identity and heritage, but is all this strength used collectively to make a global impact...
COMMENT | The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, the largest gathering for Indians living abroad, has become a feelgood funfair. It is high on emotion, low on substantive content.
The PBD is a huge waste of time, money and resources, as it is increasingly becoming a festival for only rich 'non-resident Indians' (NRIs) for networking and sightseeing.
It gives a major boost to India’s tourism industry. But Indian Malaysians get nothing out of PBD.
Ironically, each year, hundreds of Pakatan Harapan, MIC and Global Organisation for People of Indian Origin (Gopio) members participate in the event.
Malaysia had the largest delegation at the convention, numbering about 400.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated this year's edition of PBD, the Indian diaspora conclave, in his parliamentary constituency of Varanasi.
Modi delivered his 45-minute speech in Hindi. Malaysians who attended hardly understood what he said.
NRIs across the world forge and take pride in a common identity and heritage, but is all this strength used collectively to make a global impact?
The PBD does not discuss the exorbitant fees needed to study medicine and dentistry in India. Students are forced to look for cheaper destinations abroad, as the cost can be less than half of what the private universities in India charge.
The PBD says nothing about the hardship faced by Indian nationals languishing in foreign prisons. It was reported close to 8,000 of the country's citizens are imprisoned in Gulf countries, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.
Many other issues like social security agreements for Indian nationals working abroad and the shortage of staff in embassies remain unaddressed. The PBD must focus more on those serious issues than just a celebration.
PBD is celebrated on Jan 9 every year, as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandi returned to India from South Africa and led India’s independence struggle.
However, the 15th PBD was postponed to Jan 21 this year in reverence to the sentiments of the larger diaspora to participate in Kumbha Mela and the Republic Day celebrations.
The Indian prime minister gave hope that his government was in the process of relaxing norms and fees related to visa.
However, Malaysians travelling to India are burdened by a steep hike in tourist visas. Over the counter visas, which are valid for one year, are now priced at RM462.56.
The fee is almost close to the price of a flight ticket, thus making most travellers from Malaysia – who travel there for sightseeing, pilgrimage, medical treatment and to go back to their roots – unhappy.
Every year, the Indian prime minister who addresses the gathering will urge the diaspora community to switch from their PIO (People of Indian origin) cards to OCI (Overseas citizens of India) cards.
NRIs is essentially a term used for Indians that live in another country. PIOs and OCIs are people who want to stay connected and involved with India more closely.
OCI is essentially a lifetime visa status, but not all can afford these cards, as it costs about RM1,500.
About 5,000 Indians overseas participated in the event. The PBD conferences began in 2003 as engagement and networking platforms for the Indian diaspora.
The format must be changed, so that in the coming years, issues concerning the Indian diaspora can be addressed in greater detail to ensure positive results.
M VIVEK served as an aide to several former MIC deputy ministers.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
