The Hidden Influence of India’s Diaspora

The Indian diaspora, one of the largest and most influential in the world, has made significant contributions across various sectors globally. Indian-origin CEOs are leading the world’s top multinational companies. The first name that comes to mind is Pichai Sundarajan, also known as Sundar Pichai, who is presently the CEO of Google and Alphabet. There are several others also in the list such as Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; Leena Nair, CEO of Chanel; Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM; among others.

The world of chess was also surprised by the phenomenal rise of Indian chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who was the world’s chess champion from 2007 to 2013. The way he won his first world title was never seen in the world of chess. This brought a lot of attention to the game of chess in India. Indian-origin grandmasters also feature in the list of 44 youngest grandmasters as of April 2024. 

The Indian diaspora have also played a major role in NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Agency) space exploration efforts. Kalpana Chawla, hailing from Punjab, in the Northwestern region of India became the first Indian woman to go to space in 1997. And it was also another Indian, Dr Swathi Mohan, the Guidance and Operations Lead at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for whose efforts NASA was successful in landing its Perseverance Rover on Mars in 18 February 2021. 

The India-Greece Relationship

Greece, with its rich history and strategic location, has attracted a vibrant Indian diaspora over the years. While the community might not be as large as in other parts of the world, its influence on the Greek economy and society is undeniable. 

Dimitrios Galanos, a Greek, became the first European Indologist gaining world reputation. His translations of Sanskrit texts into Greek made knowledge of the philosophical and religious ideas of India available to many Europeans. Born in Athens, in 1760, he spent 47 years in India, where he translated many Hindu texts into Greek and compiled a Sanskrit-English-Greek dictionary of over 9,000 words. He died on 3 May 1833 in Varanasi, India. A “Dimitrios Galanos” Chair for Hellenic Studies was established at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India in September 2000.

On Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Greece Prime Minister’s recent visit to India, both the countries’ leaders acknowledged the long-standing cultural relationship between India and Greece, welcoming efforts to promote bilateral exchanges in music, dance, theatre, films, literature, museums, archives and festivals. Both the countries have also “discussed ways to advance collaborative education partnerships between Greek and Indian Universities, as well as partnerships between scholars and think tanks focused on regional and international issues, utilizing the full range of networking initiatives including the MOU between Raisina Dialogue and Delphi Forum.”

The Silent Force

The Indian diaspora has also been instrumental in leading growth and innovation in the business world. Under Sundar Pichai’s aegis, Google’s revenue has grown significantly. Both YouTube and Google’s cloud business are expected to make over US$100 billion by the end of 2024. Paid subscribers in YouTube also surpassed the 100 million mark in January 2024, up from 80 million in November 2022.

Another tech giant, Microsoft has also witnessed phenomenal growth under Satya Nadella. The company’s market cap hovers around US$3 trillion. It’s revenue has nearly tripled since his takeover as the company’s CEO in 2014. It is Mr Nadella’s decisive betting on strategic startups that have put Microsoft in the lead. He greenlit the acquisition of LinkedIn for US$26 billion in 2016. Two years later, he bought the open-source software code repository GitHub for US$7.5 billion in stock. One of his biggest bets, is the latest acquisition of video game company Activision Blizzard for US$75 billion. 

Hopes for India

Overseas Indians, while deeply connected to their host countries, maintain a strong emotional and cultural bond with India. Their vision for India is shaped by a desire for progress, stability and global leadership.

The Indian diaspora hopes for continued foreign policies that foster better migration policies and trade relations with India’s partners. They also appreciate how the Modi-led government has maintained its strategic autonomy with Russia, while continually improving its ties with the US. 

India continues to strengthen its bilateral relations with Greece. In Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ latest India visit, both leaders emphasized the importance of enhancing cooperation across various sectors, including political, economic, security, defense, maritime and cultural domains. The leaders discussed significant international and regional developments, underscoring their shared values of democracy, freedom and respect for international law. They also expressed their commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties, particularly in areas like maritime security and economic connectivity.

The Horasis India Meeting, co-hosted by the Hellenic-Indian Chamber of Commerce and Economy and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), is one vital step towards cementing India-Greece relations. The event is scheduled to take place between 15-16 September 2024 in Athens, Greece. 

Photo Caption: The Parthenon of Athens