"I have an American passport," said San Francisco architect Arvind Iyer. "They know some of us are never coming back. Only Gulf Indians cannot change their citizenship. Giving them the vote is a very good start." Iyer said allowing expatriate Indians to be politically involved could help the country in the future -- but he added that in the meantime New Delhi should be open to expatriate ideas and expertise, not just their money.
"People are looking at NRIs [non-resident Indians] as people with a lot of dollars," Iyer said. "That's not the way to do it. What this country needs is not just capital, but good management skills and expertise from abroad."
Helping hand
Several guests said there were other ways to contribute to the homeland besides giving money.
Minienpoulle, a dentist who donates 10 days of service a year to people who lack medical services, hopes to do that work in India as well.
Vijay Iyer, a student from Germany, said he would like to work in television in India, and maybe eventually go to Bollywood.
Kerissa Munasamy, a fifth-generation South African on her first trip to India, was keen to move there once she finishes her civil engineering degree in Durban, perhaps to work on infrastructure projects.
"I feel so at home here," said Munasamy, 19, whose family was originally from South India. "I didn't experience any culture shock. Everything I was taught to do there in a temple is exactly the same as what people do here."
RSS