Just like to know how many Goans from outside London have registered for the convention. In Toronto, the number was small and I am not sure about the number in Muscat. At the Toronto convention, Goans who lived in the vicinity of the venue did care to attend the convention. I attended two of these Goan conventions and played a role in the 1988 Toronto convention and I am still in doubt if these conventions carry the conviction of helping Goans abroad become more Goa-focussed and also improve their "Goanness". I covered one Pravasi Divas but found it was a big tamasha with more than half the delegates indulging in social networking. The workshops were attended by ten to 12 people and the primary sessions were one-quarter full. I attended one Global Organisation of Indian People (GOPIO) in New York and was shocked to see even New Yorkers keep away from it. Some said that it was a ego-inflating event for some families who were running GOPIO then, and still does. But GOPIO seems to have evolved into a bigger body with chapters in many countries. The Pravasi Divas meet helps the government make one or two big announcements favouring the Indians who have foreign citizenship and NRIs, particularly in the Middle East. It has been criticized as a show to pamper the foreign-based Indians who always want a little extra from the government. The overseas Indians, on the other hand, feel that they be considered integral part of India and need to be cared for because they contributed greatly to the Indian coffers through remittances back home.
Eugene Correia
