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India’s diaspora

By KESLS RAM
Narendra Modi's secret weapon: India's diaspora
https://www.economist.com/international/2024/03/27/narendra-modis-secret-weapon-indias-diaspora

Indians abroad have long played a disproportionate role in politics at home, going back to India's fight for independence. Many of the anti-colonial movement's leading lights, including Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohandas Gandhi, spent years studying in Britain. Trained as lawyers, they used the ideas they had absorbed to argue for freedom back home. Some of the most notable post-independence prime ministers, including Indira Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, also spent long periods abroad.

Since then, India's diaspora has grown in size and influence. Some 18m Indians who retain their nationality live abroad, according to the un. That makes them the largest diaspora in the world, followed well behind by Mexicans (11.2m) and Russians (10.8m). If those who have relinquished their Indian passports are included, the number may exceed 32m, according to the Indian government's estimates.


Best Regards
Seetha Ram

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