Brain drain can be converted into "brain gain" if the nation started looking at the 27-million-strong Indian Diaspora spread across the world as a strength rather than numbers, said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi after inaugurating the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, a facility dedicated to the Indian community abroad, on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on Sunday. In 70 missions worldwide the event was streamed live from New Delhi, with the Embassy of India, Riyadh, and the Consulate General of India, Jeddah, too organizing the event for live viewing of the webcast for the Indian residents in Riyadh and Jeddah respectively. On this occasion, Ambassador Ahmad Javed addressed the audience in Riyadh, while Consul General Md. Noor Rahman Sheikh addressed the audience in Jeddah. Both lauded Oct. 2, as not only the birth anniversary of the "Father of Our Nation Mahatma Gandhi," but also the birthday of our late Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, who coined the famous slogan "Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan" the two members — soldier, farmer — who empower a community and a nation. In his speech after opening the state-of-the-art complex dedicated to overseas Indians, Modi said, "Brain drain worries can be converted into brain gain if we see the Indian Diaspora as a strength rather than counting them just as numbers." "In more than 150 nations of the world whether we have established our mission there or not, I am positive, a Pravasi Bharatiya (Indian immigrant) would have established roots in every place worldwide," Modi said, while extolling the virtues of the community He said: "The collective strength of the Diaspora, which is evident by the rising number of global Indians, should be harnessed by our missions, and the mission leader should forge a bond with the Diaspora such that they work toward helping the community as well as enhancing the role of the mission." He said the world was keener now than earlier "to engage with India". "In such times ‘fear of unknown' can be an obstacle. Our Diaspora can help overcome this. They just have to tell the world that we belong to India," he said. The prime minister stressed on the need to connect with the Diaspora and hailed his predecessor Atal Behari Vajpayee who "coined the idea of Pravasi Bhartiya Divas and it has since continued." Modi also said India has never attacked any other country nor coveted anyone's territory, but has shown its human face in helping not only Indians but other communities in their times of need. He said, "This country has never been hungry for land. We have never attacked any other country. But we have helped others, especially countries that requested us to help their people during natural calamities... like in Nepal etc." He said, rather India has fought for others and even laid our lives for others. "We are a nation that has laid down lives for others. During the two World Wars, more than 1.5 lakh Indians became martyrs. Unfortunately, we have not been very effective in telling this to the world," Modi told the audience. Earlier, Minster of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj said this center is "a memorial for those who went abroad" to earn a living for themselves and their families before the inauguration of the Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra in New Delhi. "This is no ordinary building. This is a memorial for our forefathers who went abroad. This is remembrance for them, it's a proof of our tradition," said Swaraj while thanking Premier Modi for accepting with alacrity to inaugurate the exclusive center for the Diaspora Swaraj said the center represented the beauty and diversity of our heritage as well as India's modernity. "There are many facilities in this center for the pravasis (Diaspora). They can stay in this building as well. It incorporates art and culture of every state of India," she added. The Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra located in south Delhi's Chanakyapuri will serve as the focal point of the institutional framework to benefit from networks with and among overseas Indians. The center is expected to develop into the hub of activities for sustainable, symbiotic and mutually rewarding economic, social and cultural engagement between India and its Diaspora. Among other facilities, the complex has a library, research center, flexible capacity meeting rooms, cultural center, auditorium of 500 capacity, 24 guest rooms, business centers and restaurant. Earlier, Modi, Swaraj and a team from the External Affairs Ministry was taken on a tour of the center, which has on display diverse memorabilia of Mahatma Gandhi, including his autobiography on truth and non-violence, the principles on which he rallied the Indians in their freedom march. Modi and the ministers were also shown the 1,200 feet of roll film and the 16 mm projector, both kept in pristine condition, in the center. The roll film Triumph and Tragedy of Mahatma Gandhi is a 16 mm broadcast film of the 1950 documentary produced by 20th Century Fox; the 23 minutes documentary is narrated by Walter Cronkite and has rare footage from the life of Gandhi.
