RIYADH, 26 June — To commemorate independence hero Mohandas Gandhi’s return to India from South Africa on Jan. 9, 1915, India will celebrate Jan. 9 from next year as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Indian Diaspora Day).
This was disclosed to Arab News by Muhammad Zia-ur-Rahman, president, Indian Doctors, Engineers, Architect and Lawyers Society (IDEALS), who has received a communication from the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi.
The event will be celebrated for three days in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
According to J.C. Sharma, secretary at the External Affairs Ministry, and Dr. Amit Mitra, secretary-general of FICCI, the decision to celebrate Jan. 9-11 every year as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was taken by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee following the recommendations of a committee on the Indian Diaspora chaired by Dr. L.M. Singhvi.