Opinion We can’t rely on the NRI diaspora to be India’s advocates in foreign lands. It’s time for a broader canvas

Before engaging with these forums, many foreign participants held views about India that were neutral at best, and often tinged with outdated stereotypes or simple non-awareness. However, something remarkable happened. Those who attended programmes in India left with transformed perspectives. In these forums, after our conversations, many expressed genuine surprise at how limited their understanding had been about India.

This experience crystallised an insight: Expecting the Indian diaspora to be the primary defenders and advocates of India in foreign lands is not just unrealistic, it may be strategically misguided.

The Diaspora’s Precarious Position

The recent debate on the role of Indian-Americans remaining silent amid shifting US policy stances on India raised one view about the active role diaspora ought to play in favour of India within their own domestic politics. This expectation overlooks a fundamental reality: Diaspora communities worldwide are navigating their own complex identity negotiations. They are balancing assimilation with heritage, professional success with cultural roots, and local political realities with emotional ties to their homeland.

Asking them to vocally defend India on contentious geopolitical issues, especially when their own acceptance in host countries remains fragile, is asking them to risk their hard-won social and professional capital. The silence isn’t indifference; it’s often strategic survival.

A More Sustainable Approach

My interactions at global forums revealed a more effective pathway: Rather than relying on diaspora advocacy, India should focus on creating authentic, positive experiences for foreign nationals themselves. When locals in other countries develop a first-hand understanding and appreciation of India, they become natural advocates, not out of ethnic loyalty, but from informed conviction.

This requires a multi-pronged strategy. First, we may call upon the NRIs and Indian visitors to take up their role as cultural ambassadors. But with a crucial difference — instead of asking them to defend India, we may equip them to present a cohesive narrative that transcends internal divisions. Too often, our fragmented identities – based on caste, region, religion, and political affiliations – travel with us. An Indian entrepreneur from one state speaks dismissively of another region. Professionals carry partisan political debates into international spaces. Social divisions become our calling card.

What if, instead, we rise above these differences when representing India globally? What if every Indian abroad, regardless of their domestic political stance, committed to presenting a unified vision aligned with India’s global ambitions?

Institutionalising Engagement

The transformation I witnessed among forum participants points to the power of structured engagement.

We should establish more exchange programmes involving civil society leaders, think tank scholars, journalists, and mid-career professionals from target countries. These programmes may offer authentic experiences by genuine engagement with India’s complexity, innovation, and aspirations. When a German civil society leader spends three weeks working with Indian NGOs, or when an American journalist embeds with Indian startups, they return not as tourists but as informed stakeholders.

Curating the Tourist Experience

India receives millions of international tourists annually, yet we leave their narrative largely to chance. We must be more intentional. Tourism infrastructure may include cultural orientation that goes beyond historical monuments to showcase contemporary India, its technological prowess, democratic vibrancy, and global contributions. Every tourist should leave India with stories that counter prevailing stereotypes, not reinforce them.

Here’s a simple but impactful idea: create compelling short audio-visual content for Indian international flights. Before NRIs and Indian visitors land abroad, give them a concise primer on how they can contribute to India’s soft power, not through aggressive advocacy, but through confident and informed representation. Share conversation starters about India’s achievements in space technology, digital infrastructure, renewable energy, democratic governance and scores of other arenas. Make every traveller a potential ambassador through knowledge, not obligation.

The Path Forward

India’s global image cannot rest on the shoulders of a diaspora caught between two worlds. Instead, we must invest in making India understood, respected, and valued by people worldwide, regardless of their ethnic background. This means more exchange programs, better-curated tourist experiences, strategic cultural diplomacy, and equipping our travellers with tools to share India’s story confidently.

When foreign nationals themselves become advocates for India based on knowledge and experience, we achieve something far more valuable than diaspora loyalty: we build genuine and sustainable global goodwill. That is the strategic imperative we must pursue.

Avinash Pandey is a civil servant in the Indian Revenue Service, Government of India. Views are personal and do not reflect those of any organisation or the government