A conversation with Indiaspora's Sanjeev Joshipura on Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

Every year on January 9th, Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, or NRI Day is celebrated to commemorate the contribution of the overseas Indian population to India's progress. This year on this occasion, I talked to Sanjeev Joshipura, the executive director of Indiaspora to understand how the Indian diaspora in America has matured to take up more impactful and responsible roles over the last decade.

Founded in 2012, Indiaspora is an American nonprofit organization established to transform the success of the Indian diaspora globally into meaningful impact worldwide. Their areas of focus include philanthropy and social impact, serving as the global connectors to top leaders within the diaspora community. They put in a lot of effort in raising awareness about US-India bilateral relations and facilitating non-party civic engagement within the diaspora in the US.

With a strong background in public policy and business, Joshipura’s experience adds further to the uniqueness of the organization. A naturalized American citizen, he was born and raised in India and migrated to North America in 2000. He is the founder of a US-India business and public policy consulting firm. His work in public policy, American politics, and global government relations includes managing a US Senate election campaign, working as a staff member on Capitol Hill, and advising Congressmen and Senators on economics and international affairs.

A keen observer of India-US relations, Joshipura made some incisive points about the future of the India-US relationship and the role played by the Indian diaspora towards strengthening that tie.

“The bond between India and the US has become stronger with time and now in India across the party lines, there is recognition of the Indian diaspora. The diaspora is being seen favorably as a bridge between India and the US.”

In an article written back in 2015 he mentions that though historically India and the US did not see eye to eye, now with an influx of Indian students and IT professionals in America, the equation has changed. He acknowledged in the article that there will be some thorny issues between the two countries but overall the shift is towards the positive.

When asked what is the Indian diaspora like today and how have they changed, Joshipura observed, “Previously, while Indians focused mainly on educational and professional success, now they are expressing themselves more freely. Now that they are financially more secure, the Indian Americans are branching out into new professions. They are going where they have not been before, in acting, in sports, in art and music.”

He also feels that the Indian diaspora is getting more involved in policymaking and politics now. “Not only is there is a huge plethora in terms of diversity, we see Indians assimilate into the mainstream. The Biden administration has 80 plus people of Indian origin on staff. Today being Indian-American means being an integral part of the mainstream both in the US and globally.”

When asked how the Indian government could help in strengthening the bridge, he said, “I know it may sound like a tall order at this point but what would help make the life of Indian Americans easier is if the Indian national government started thinking of dual-citizenship. Many who become American citizens don’t want to lose their bond with their home country.”

When asked about the recent rise and success of Indian-born professionals and the global impact that it might usher in, he said, “The success of Indian-Americans has brought about an increase in their soft power that helps in influencing policymaking. This in turn strengthens the tie between India and the US. As more and more Indians participate in philanthropy not only in India but also in their local neighborhoods, they continue to become more impactful, in a way that we have not seen before.”

What is new according to him is that philanthropy has bloomed among the diaspora. 2020 and the pandemic saw many Indian-Americans give back not only to India but also locally. That is the next step and an important one in building up soft power and political clout.

When asked if Indiaspora is fighting for any social cause Joshipura explained that the role of their organization is different from other nonprofits in the sense it was like a platform, a catalyst, and a springboard all rolled into one for spawning other community-based organizations. They have funded some and incubated others and that has included a range of organizations, starting from entrepreneurial organizations to those encouraging civic engagement. What further makes Indiaspora stand out is that it aims to connect not only the Indian diaspora in the US but also those in other countries, establishing a global connection making Indians feel like an integral part of the global community.

“We can’t be involved in political activism being a nonprofit with 501c3 status but we do feel strongly about certain causes. We have recently allied with TAFF (The Asian American Foundation), a new group to strengthen advocacy, power, and representation for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to raise awareness of hate incidents against Asians.”

Joshipura is hopeful about the future. The diaspora’s relationship with both India and America has been mainly apolitical and continues to be so but now both the nations recognize that the Indian-Americans have become increasingly influential because of their financial strength and their will to have more say in what happens in their local as well as the global community.