Author: Rajendra Prasad and Prakash C. Jain
Publisher: GRFDT
In today’s globalized world the importance of its diaspora for any country cannot be overstated. Bound by a very strong sense of belonging and long-distance nationalism as well as family and kinship networks, diasporas often have a wide variety of engagements with their respective homeland. These include economic and socio-cultural remittances, economic investment and partnerships, political lobbying and many other kinds of developmental
and welfare activities. In return, the home countries try to retain their loyalty and engagements by rewarding the diaspora leadership and prominent members with national awards and honours. India is no exception in this regard, particularly since the beginning of the 21st century when the Pravasi Bhartiya Day and Pravasi Bhartiya
Samman Awards were instituted. This article presents a preliminary analysis of the Pravasi Bhartiya Samman Awards, numbering 296, which have been given so far to the distinguished members of the Indian Diaspora by the Government of India. The analysis is done in terms of only three criteria, namely the awardees’ international/ regional distribution/location, gender and work-category. It is also argued that numerically strong Indian Diaspora communities tend to get more awards than others.