How many Bobby Jindals can India create? Can the youth of the culturally rich nation take up the task of replicating this living example?
The Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA), on the occasion of the 4th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, being held in Hyderabad, plans to attract young NRIs for the event to cultivate and productively engage the second generation of the Diaspora with India.
"The PBD is a platform for the Diaspora Youth to meet and discover India on
their own. Ten years hence, would these youngsters be willing to come to India and how far would they be curious in knowing about their motherland?" asks S Krishna Kumar, Secretary MOIA.
Indian culture and a hybrid mix of Western and Indian hip-hop genres are the in-thing among the young and even the older generations as well as the larger mainstream.
{{/usCountry}}Indian culture and a hybrid mix of Western and Indian hip-hop genres are the in-thing among the young and even the older generations as well as the larger mainstream.
{{/usCountry}}Keeping this in mind, the MOIA says the PBD would provide a unique forum for students and young professionals of Indian origin to share their views, expectations and experiences and bond closely with contemporary India.
"It would be an excellent opportunity for the Diaspora Youth to forge peer-level partnerships and networks, meet contemporaries. In short, it would be a voyage of discovery," says Krishna Kumar.
The avenues chosen for cultivating Indian culture among diaspora youth include traditional music and dance, religious and ceremonial practice, regional food stalls, ethnic clothing and ornamentation and most significantly, a three-week internship programme, starting from December 19, 2005 to January 9, 2006.
The Internship Programme for Diaspora Youth (IPDY) is meant for youth in the age group of 18-25 years. A group of 29 Diaspora Youth from 10 countries is visiting India at the invitation of Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs.
Creating awareness about the phenomenal transformation-taking place in India and promotion of greater engagement of the younger generation of the Diaspora with India are the key elements of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, 2006.