Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or Pravasi Day is a day to honor the contributions of Pravasis – the Non-Resident Indians. The word “pravasi” is a Hindi term that means migrants. Thus, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas means Non-Resident Indians Day who left their motherland and settled in foreign countries.
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Pravasi Diwas History
The Pravasi Bharatiya diwas, popularly termed as PBD, has been in practice since 2003. The Pravasi diwas celebration date is January 9th. The Pravasi day events happen for around 2-3 days.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention happens under the aegis of the Ministry of External Affairs. The event brings together NRIs from across the globe and discusses ideas that promote mutual benefits.
Till 2015, the Pravasi diwas celebrations occurred annually. From then onwards, the convention is celebrated once every two years.
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Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2021
Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award is the highest award that an NRI can receive from the Indian government. The President of India confers awards to accomplished NRIs that contributed to their fields in both India and abroad.
The list of Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award 2021 is below with the courtesy of MEA Press Release.
| S. No. | Name | Country | Field |
| 1 | NGO Cultural Diversity for Peaceful Future | Armenia | Promoting Indian Culture |
| 2 | Dr. Rajani Chandra D’Mello | Azerbaijan | Medicine |
| 3 | Mr. Baburajan Vava Kalluparambil Gopalan | Bahrain | Community Service |
| 4 | Mrs. Jamal Ahmad | Botswana | Business |
| 5 | Mr. Janakiraman Ravikumar | Cameroon | Closer ties with India |
| 6 | H.E. Mr. Eugene Rhuggenaath | Curacao (The Netherlands) | Public Service |
| 7 | Mr. Debashish Chaudhuri | Czech Republic | Art and Culture |
| 8 | Mr. Mohammed Husein Hasanali Sardharwala | Ethiopia | Business |
| 9 | Sai Prema Foundation | Fiji | Community Service |
| 10 | Dr. Balasubramanian Ramani | Germany | Education |
| 11 | Mr. Lal Lokumal Chellaram | Hong Kong | Community Service |
| 12 | Dr. (Prof.) Muralidhar Miryala | Japan | Science & Technology |
| 13 | Mr. Rajib Shaw | Japan | Education |
| 14 | Mr. Salil Panigrahi | Maldives | Tourism |
| 15 | Dr. Ravi Prakash Singh | Mexico | Science & Technology |
| 16 | Hon. Ms. Priyanca Radhakrishnan | New Zealand | Public Service |
| 17 | Indian Cultural Association (ICA) | Nigeria | Community Service |
| 18 | Dr. Mohan Thomas Lazarus Pakalomattom | Qatar | Medicine |
| 19 | Mr. Jean Regis Ramsamy | Reunion (France) | Media & Community Service |
| 20 | Mr. Siddeek Ahmed | Saudi Arabia | Business |
| 21 | Dr. Anil Kumar Chotalal Mithani | Sudan | Medicine |
| 22 | H.E. Mr. Chandrikapersad Santokhi | Suriname | Public Service |
| 23 | Dr. Shachi Gurumayun | Switzerland | Bio-tech Agronomy |
| 24 | Mr. Vashdev Tikamdas Purswani | Thailand | Business |
| 25 | Mr. Resham Singh Sandhu | UK | Public Service |
| 26 | Mr. Arvind Phukan | USA | Environment Technology |
| 27 | Ms. Nilu Gupta | USA | Promoting Indian Culture |
| 28 | Federation of Indian Associations NY, NJ & CT | USA | Community Service |
| 29 | Dr. Sudhakar Jonnalagadda | USA | Medicine |
| 30 | Dr. Mukesh Aghi | USA/ Singapore | Business |
Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
The youth Pravasi Bharatiya divas also occur around the same date January 8th. The theme of Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is “Bringing together Young Achievers from India and Indian Diaspora”. The event happens under the aegis of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
History of Pravasi Divas
It was on January 9th that Mahatma Gandhi returned from Africa to India in 1915. To mark this milestone event that played a key role in laying the foundation for the Indian Independence Struggle, Pravasi Divas is celebrated on the same date.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas significance
The PBD convention serves as a brainstorming networking event where Indians residing in various parts of the world gather and discuss various social, business, economic and cultural aspects.
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Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Theme
The PBD Convention happens around a theme every year.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas theme in 2021 was Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is “Contributing to Atma Nirbhar Bharat ”. The celebrations happened virtually due to the pandemic.
Facts about Pravasi
- According to a Ministry of External Affairs report, currently, 32 million NRIs are residing in various nations of the world.
- Interestingly, Nepal has the highest NRIs in the world. 14.7% of Nepal’s population comprises Indians.
- The second on the list of countries with the highest number of NRIs in the USA.
The other countries with the highest number of NRIs in the order are:
- Saudi Arabia
- Malaysia
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- South Africa
- Canada
- Myanmar
- Mauritius
Quotes on Pravasi Day
- “Non-resident Indians (NRI) are natural and bright rays of spiritually enlightened India to illuminate rest of the world” ― Shubhangi Gopal Kamble
- “The Indian community is admired all around the world. It is not due to the money but the values the Indian community is living with.” – Indian PM Narendra Modi
- “World is seeing India with immense hope and optimism.” – Indian PM Narendra Modi
- “I welcome all of you and say that there are several opportunities waiting for you in India. Times have changed very quickly.” – Indian PM Narendra Modi
- “First of all, we are Indians and we have a heritage and culture that enriches us to go out into the world and embrace it.”
For more pravasi divas quotes and messages for Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas, please check our huge collection of Indian culture quotes.