Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) 2015 has many firsts to its credit. For Narendra Modi, who enjoyed a rock star status among Indians overseas during his tenure as chief minister of Gujarat, it was the first as prime minister. The event also had a major focus on Mahatma Gandhi for the first time, since it was started in 2003, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his return to India from South Africa on January 9.

Lost in the frenzy of the prime minister's address to the non-resident  Indian (NRI) community and the commemoration of the Mahatma's return was another first of sorts for PBD — a much bigger outreach to the Indian diaspora from the UK, with high profile participation from that country. For good measure, two Indians from the UK — Lord Raj Loomba, philanthropist and founder of the Loomba Trust, and Nat Puri, industrialist and founder of the Purico Group — were awarded the prestigious Pravasi Samman for 2015.

"The people of Indian origin in the UK have never been roped in by the Indian government for the PBD in a big way and over the past few years the connection had completely dwindled. But minister [of external affairs] Sushma Swaraj's visit to London for the regional PBD last October had set the stage for a much more meaningful interaction between Indians in the UK and her ministry," said Loomba, who has set up Loomba Foundation, a high profile charity that supports poor widows and their children in India.

Loomba, a peer in the British House of Lords, added that the British high commissioner in London Ranjan Mathai had set up a committee in the run-up to the London PBD of prominent Indian entrepreneurs in the UK. "As members of the committee, we helped in organising the event and also got the opportunity to interact with minister Swaraj and bring to her attention some of the issues that we faced as people of Indian origin. The fact that she gave us a patient hearing and has addressed many of the problems has translated into a greater interest in the PBD event this year," he added.

Emotional Connect

Like Loomba, British Liberal Democrat politician Navnit Dholakia too sees a much greater interest in PBD 2015 among Indians in the UK than ever before. "The recent elections in India have been historic and engaging with the new government gives many of us a golden opportunity to take a greater interest in the robust political process in the Indian democracy ," Dholakia said. He added that for many people of Gujarati origin like himself, the fact that they had immigrated from East Africa didn't in any way dilute their Indian roots and connections. "I now have an apartment in Ahmedabad and keep coming back; for our families moving to East Africa was for economic reasons, but India is where the emotional connect is," he said.

Most members of the high-profile delegation from the UK at PBD 2015 felt that the regional PBD held in London last year had set the stage for greater engagement between the people of Indian origin in the UK and the Indian government.

"There had been some negative reports regarding Modi in the UK media after the Indian elections, which caused unhappiness among the Indian diaspora, especially the large number of people of Gujarati origin," said Diljit Rana, a leading hotelier in Northern Ireland and a member of the UK House of Lords. But the huge mandate that Modi won in the elections silenced his critics and this being the first PBD after that it is providing the right platform for Indians from the UK to come here and show their support, he added.

Significantly, UK MP Priti Patel, who is a Gujarati of East African origin, had strongly criticised a BBC programme on PM Modi just after his election as not objective. In a letter to BBC director general Lord Tony Hall last May, Patel, who is also exchequer secretary to the treasury and British prime minister David Cameron's India diaspora champion, wrote: "Many in the British Indian community, particularly those of Gujarati origin, were offended by the reporting about prime ministerelect Narendra Modi."

Patel, a special guest at the PBD in Gandhinagar this year, said during the inaugural event that the Gujarati community in the UK was upbeat about PM Modi's election. "Everywhere we hear about the coming of good days [achhe din]. The UK wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with India in building these good days," [achhe din]. The UK wants to stand shoulder to shoulder with India in building these good days," she said.

Source: ET