GRFDT

Extant literature on Indian diaspora overwhelmingly underscores the economic aspects of this phenomenon. The Indian diaspora is often conceptualized and understood in terms of economic remittances, investment, technology and skill transfer, etc. So much so that other aspects, especially the political one is relegated to the background. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to rectify this situation by proposing to define and delineate a new sub-field of the Indian Diaspora Studies, namely Indian Political Diaspora. Much of the discussion here is focused on the Indian political diaspora located in the metropolitan countries of Europe and North America, and that too in relation to the diaspora-homeland relationship since the late nineteenth century. It is argued that whereas during the colonial period the major political engagement of the Indian diaspora was to strive for India’s independence, in the post-colonial era the engagement of the New Indian diaspora has shifted mainly to lobbying for the country and its socio-political development. In the 21st century, the social media has significantly enhanced the quantum and efficacy of the highly diversified and occasionally fractured political engagements of the Indian diaspora.