Mainstream WeeklySince 2003, the 9th of January each year is celebrated as Pravasi Bhartiya Divas or Non-Resident Indians Day. The day marks the return of the single most influential Indian emigrant, Mahatma Gandhi, from South Africa on this day in 1915. The growth in influence of the Indian diaspora is visible by such a celebration because the Indian diaspora has been there since colonial times but it was recently that the need to celebrate this diaspora was felt by the Indian government. This also offers an opportunity to closely look at the diaspora’s making and evolution through the ages. One fact that we shall bear in mind is that the South Asian diaspora is largely a result of British imperialism and the policies applied to further it. However, there has been a transformation in the pattern and behaviour of migration among this diaspora after 1947, speeding up in the recent past. These are the two aspects we shall focus upon.
Formation of The South Asian Diaspora
Ever since the advent of Colonial rule in India, the Colonial rulers were fascinated with the classification and categorization of the indigenous people. This led to the formation of some bewildering policies on the part of the British which were best manifested in their administrative policies. India had always had roving bands performing multiple duties in order to earn their livelihood and sustain the intermittent life between villages and towns. With the arrival of the British, these bands or itinerant groups were considered as a threat and soon branded as criminal tribes. Be it the Banjaras or the Thugs, all of them were labelled as criminal tribes. We must know that the British at that time were not only ruling India but had huge imperial designs world over. Thus,