Diaspora Diplomacy: Soft Power, Lobbying and India’s Global Influence

Introduction :

In recent news, India has overtaken Japan to become the fourth-largest economy in the world. “We are the fourth-largest economy. We are a USD 4.19 trillion economy according to IMF data.” said Subrahmanyam during a press conference following the 10th NITI Aayog Governing Council Meeting , as reported in the April 2025 edition of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook. Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam had said that –

“ The future of India’s development and global influence not

only depends on Indian citizens but the strength of our diaspora, their successes are India’s pride.”

So the development of India is not just dependent on the Indian citizens but also the strength of our diaspora, The strength of the Indian-origin community worldwide of over 35 million, settled outside of the United States as well (UK-1.5 million, Canada- 1 million, South Africa- 1.2 million and the Middle East- 6 million) about 15.85 million Non- resident Indians (NRI) and 19.57 million Person of Indian Origin (PIO) who are foreign nationals. The PIO category was abolished in 2015 and merged with the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) category. The Indian diaspora significantly contributes to the Indian economy through remittances, investments like Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), and other economic activities. Remittances, in particular, are a major source of foreign exchange for India. According to the World Bank, are a vital source of household income for low-and middle-income countries like India. The latest World Bank Migration and Development Brief, released in November 2022, said, “For the first time a single country, India, is on track to receive more than $100 billion in yearly remittances.” In 2014 the Indian Diaspora transferred $70.39 billion to their Indian families, and also private remittances sent from abroad to India for around 3.5 per cent of India’s GDP. In fact, the Indian Diaspora private remittances exceeded the average foreign direct investment that had come to India in 2015 and which is US $44.9 billion , Indian Diaspora to donate for the trusts, NGOs and many other sectors. Even the Indian Diaspora can adopt many villages and they can develop their own villages so that other people will also get the benefits of the Indian Diaspora directly.

History of Indian Diaspora : ( Indentured labour , Brain-drain , today’s skilled labour)

The term “Diaspora” is derived from the Greek word diaspeirein, ‘dispersion’. This word’s meaning evolved over a period of time and now refers to a person or group of people belonging to the same cultural back-ground and origin but residing outside of the country for differing reasons. India and Diaspora have a very long history that goes back thousands of years. Indian merchants, sailors, travellers, monks, teachers and scholars have travelled over the world. They have from the earliest recorded history established ‘Little Indias’ in central Asia, the Arab peninsula, on the East African coast, in South and SouthEast Asia. These early diasporas had spread Indian religions, culture and even participated in the setting up of kingdoms with ties to the Indian subcontinent in these spaces. In the European colonial period Indians had been taken as ‘indentured labour’ to distant British and French colonies spread across the planet, from Fiji in the East to the Caribbean islands in the West. Free Indian traders and professionals had followed in the wake of the indentured labour to almost all these locations. In the period of the Cold War and the end of the USSR (Soviet Union) the situation almost changed. After the introduction of economic reforms (liberalization, privatization and globalization) in Indian economic policy in the 1990s, Indian economy integrating with the global economy led to the massive migration of ‘Indian skilled labour’ to Western countries. This was mostly due to the improve-ment of India’s people’s living standard, better education facilities and highly inspirational youth seeking better employment opportunities from different parts of the world. When the first groups of postcolonial Indian students left for academic studies in the UK and USA, they were dubbed as the ‘brain drain’ and strongly criticized for turning their backs on a developing India (Third world country) to cast in their lot with the rich Western world. It needs to be said here that the majority of these memIndianbers of the ‘brain drain’ continued to hold onto their Indian passports and became the NRI.(Non-Resident Indian) The ongoing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention in Indore is the 17th edition of the event, occasion of the return of Mahatma Gandhi to India on January 9, 1915 from South Africa. In this event India’s prime minister Narendra Modi said that –

” Diaspora should be looked at, not just in terms of its numbers, but also in terms of its strength. Modi said that for years the term “brain drain” has been in vogue. But if we look at the Diaspora as our strength, we can convert this into “brain gain”

Indian diaspora politics, India’s Soft Power & Lobbying :

Soft Power is also a dominant and hard power in international relations. The concept of Soft Power discourse in international relations originated during the early 1990s. The first Thinker of this concept was Joseph Nye. He defined soft power as the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payment. Furthermore, Soft Power has three components according to him, namely: Culture, Ideology, and Foreign policy. India’s soft power is not a recent phenomenon. India has been projecting its soft power for centuries. Historically, India has been a melting pot for innumerable numbers of religions, communities, languages, cultures and its practices over centuries. Yoga, Ayurveda and Bollywood have laid the foundation for promoting the soft power of Indian foreign policy in the present days.

Since its independence, India started building relations with global as well as regional powers people like Swami Vivekananda’s principle of ‘diverse culture & spirituality’, M.K.Gandhi’s principle of ‘Non-violence’ and ‘Ahimsa’, Pandit Javaharlaal Nehru and his thoughts on ‘Unity in Diversity’ and many people shaping the India’s soft power in the world order. The best example of Indian diaspora’s soft power is The ‘US-India nuclear deal’is a very good example of intermediary role played by the Indian diaspora. This deal shows the power of the Indian American lobby also the ‘Sam Pitroda’ is one of the best examples who are responsible for the telecommunication revolution in India However According to C.Raja Mohan “The biggest instrument of our soft power is the Indian diaspora.”

How and When Diaspora Lobbying Succeeds or Fails :

Successes and failures of diaspora lobbying have always been varied political, social, and economic issues. However, depending on the nature of the problems confronted, the politics of the host country, and how unified the Indian diaspora is on a particular issue, Indian-American lobbying experiences differ in some ways.

H-1B Visa Advocacy The Indian-American diaspora has lobbied for setting higher caps on H-1B visas and more beneficial immigration policies, especially through organizations such as the US-India Business Council (USIBC) and other advocacy Talking aboutCanada and elsewhere, opposed the CAA and organized public demonstrations and protests against it – often in alliance with Muslim organizations in the local community who were demonstrating against India and the bilateral relationship with Canada, and we say that Khalistan Issue is persistent challenge and backlash. in Canada, the UK, and the US. These groups engage in lobbying, protests, and fundraising, often creating diplomatic friction with India. India views these activities as undermining its sovereignty and national integrity. Relations between India and host countries like Canada, where India has accused the Canadian government of not doing enough to curb pro-Khalistan activities. The recent allegations of Indian government involvement in the assassination of a Khalistani leader on Canadian soil further exacerbated these tensions, leading to a significant diplomatic spat.

Challenges of Diaspora and Comparative Politics :

When we talk about Comparative Diaspora Politics, we also need to evaluate other diasporas that can be useful in understanding their approaches.China’s Diasporachina’s approach to its enormous diaspora is strategic in nature. China spends very little time focusing on cultural ties but rather focuses on economic investment and technology transfer generally through mg of state-controlled or state-influenced entities. This year’s diaspora developments for the world’s most populated country are ongoing. China’s efforts are particularly relevant as China faces similar dilemmas in managing political dissent from its diaspora, which also faces accusations of transnational repression. Israel’s Diaspora The Jewish diaspora, most notably in the United States, represents one of the most effective political lobby groups. Their effectiveness stems from a deeply-rooted sense of group identity, extensive organizational apparatus, clever and timely sponsorship of elected political officials, and a focus on limited foreign policy goals affecting Israel’s national security. The Indian diaspora is not a single ideology. It is a complicated and fragmented diaspora in respect of religion, region, language, caste, and politics. For example, while many in the diaspora, especially first and second generation migrants, may not be incredibly supportive of the political current in India.

Post independence international migration has many important aspects which has shaped India’s political economy & indian diaspora is played a very significant role in making of the foreign policy, but the some challenges like race discrimination against indian people, low-skilled worker and Blue collar workers may not find comfortable in there work place, and Indian diaspora’s biggest challenge is the changes in Donald Trump policies (America First) to against the legal or illegal immigration and Indian students examples like – ‘Birthright citizenship’, limitations on ‘optional practical training’ (OPT) etc…Western nationalism, is a very exclusive identity, and competitive interests, presents a limited worldview.

To foster a more harmonious global society, we should look to broader philosophies such as Rabindranath Tagore’s concept of ‘universal nationalism’ and ‘universal brotherhood’ .This perspective prioritizes shared humanity and cooperation between the two or many states. beyond that ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’, meaning “The world is one family.” This vision is about creating an ecosystem that not only meets our needs but also contributes to global well-being.

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References :

1.https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/indian-americans-students-hold-protests-against-caa-in-us-cities/articleshow/72902130.cms#:~:text=Indian%2DAmericans%2C%20 students%20gold%20 protests,AUTO

2. https://academic.oup.com/isr/article/19/4/597/4732605

3.https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/big-win-for-persecuted-minorities-us-based-advocacy-group-welcomes-centres-caa-move-5221603

4. Mohan C. Raja, 2003, Indian Diaspora and Soft-Power, 2003, The Hindu.

5. Nye Jr, Joseph S (2006), “Think Again: Soft Power”, Foreign Policy, Available

at: http://foreignpolicy.com/2006/02/23/think-again-soft-power/,

(Accessed on 27 November, 2018).

6. 23 Nye Jr, Joseph S (2004), Soft Power: The means to Success in World Politics,

Public Affairs, New York, 2004.

7. Junuguru Srinivas. Modi’s Cultural Diplomacy and Role of Indian Diaspora.

Central European Journal of International and Security Studies 13, no. 2: 74–90.

8.The Hindu (2018), “Lok Sabha Speaker invites Indian Diaspora to invest

in Make in India”, The Hindu, 12 January, 2018.