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Articles: News | Kathrada coming to Diaspora meet
- Mr. Ravi Kumar Sunkara
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New Delhi: Ahmed Kathrada, noted anti-apartheid leader of Indian origin and long-time associate of Nobel peace laureate Nelson Mandela, will be the chief guest at India's next annual conclave to connect with its vast diaspora.
The conclave, called the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, is scheduled in Hyderabad Jan 7-9 and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it was announced at a press conference here Thursday.
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will honour some outstanding members of the Indian diaspora at the concluding ceremony, which coincides with the day when Mahatma Gandhi came back to his home country from South Africa in 1915.
Kalam had honoured Kathrada, who lives in South Africa, at an event in January this year.
Unlike the past three years, the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Hyderabad will have a partner state Andhra Pradesh. The co-organiser - the ministry of overseas Indian affairs - expects some 2,000 overseas delegates to attend the event.
Secretary to the ministry Krishna Kumar also launched a new logo and a special web site - www.pbd2006.org - with provisions for online registration, hotel booking, information about the event and sightseeing details.
Some grand cultural events have also been planned this year in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). The cultural programmes had to be called off at this year's event due to the devastating tsunami in December.
India has been hosting the diaspora event to connect with its 25 million strong diaspora spread over 110 countries. While the first two events were held in the national capital, the third in the series was shifted to commercial capital, Mumbai.
The other co-organisers for the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas are the Andhra Pradesh government and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
'The focus of the event will be on business outcomes and will be balanced by a cultural extravaganzas, gala dinners and entertainment to reinforce traditional ties and refresh cultural links that bind our diaspora,' Kumar said.
'We hope to make some significant announcements at this forum,' he added.
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