THE High Commission of India celebrated the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), Indian Diaspora Day, at the Swamy Vivekanand Cultural Centre, Bel Air, Georgetown, on Thursday.

The key part of the event was the interaction of Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister of India with the Indian Diaspora across the Globe from the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra in New Delhi through a live video conference.

The live streaming of the interaction with the Indian Diaspora was arranged from 08.30hrs in Georgetown.  During the video interaction, the minister of external affairs directly addressed the Indian Diaspora and interacted with the Indian community in eight selected cities, i.e. Perth, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Doha, Mauritius, London, Paramaribo and New York.

It was followed by a live Questions and Answers Session when Dr. Jaishankar responded to questions from the Diaspora members on important Diaspora issues.

The PBD-2020 in Guyana was attended by around 150 invitees, including Indian Diaspora members, Indian nationals and their families and Indian students, among others. During the event, Indian High Commissioner, Dr. K.J. Srinivasa, addressed the gathering and spoke about the significance of marking the PBD and the important role of Indian nationals and Diaspora in the overall development of India.

The high commissioner also reiterated and encouraged the Indian community in Guyana to maintain regular contact with the High Commission for mutual benefit as well as to partner with the High Commission in furthering the existing friendly bilateral relations and cooperation between the Governments and people of India and Guyana.

PBD is celebrated on January 9 to mark the contribution of Overseas Indian community in the development of India. January 9 was chosen as the day to celebrate this occasion since it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the greatest Pravasi, returned to India from South Africa and led India’s freedom struggle which changed the lives of Indians forever.

PBD is an important occasion for India to connect more closely with the Diaspora and engage them in the ongoing transformation in India while also being responsive to their aspirations and concerns.

PBD conventions have been held since 2003 to connect India to its vast overseas Diaspora of over 30 million across the world and bring their knowledge, expertise and skills on a common platform. These conventions provide a platform to the overseas Indian community to engage with the government and people of the land of their ancestors for mutually beneficial activities.

These conventions are also very useful in networking among the overseas Indian community residing in various parts of the world and enable them to share their experiences in various fields. During the event, individuals of exceptional merit are honoured with the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award to appreciate their role in India’s growth. The event also provides a forum for discussing key issues concerning the Indian Diaspora.

The Government of India also organises Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (RPBD) to allow participation of the Indian diaspora who are unable to attend annual Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in India. So far, eight Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas have been held at New York, Singapore, The Hague, Durban, Toronto, Mauritius, Sydney and Los Angeles. These have elicited enthusiastic support from the Indian Diaspora and the local government and have been highly successful.

Donald Ramotar, the then President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, was the chief guest of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas held at Gujarat in January 2015.