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Content View Hits : 32024| India Must Use Culture To Connect With Others In Asia |
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HYDERABAD (India), Jan 9 - India must use its cultural advantage to connect with countries in Southeast Asia and East Asia as it can prove beneficial to both parties, MIC vice-president Datuk G. Palanivel said Monday. He said India should have more links with Southeast Asia and East Asian countries. The Thais, Indonesians, Malays, Vietnamese, Cambodians, Loatians, Koreans, Chinese and the Japanese have cultural affinity with India, he said. "In these countries, the Indian Diaspora can be found. We can help to enrich relations between India and our respective countries. Culture is soft diplomacy and India should use it," he said in a paper presented at the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, better known as the Indian Diaspora Conference, which ends today. MIC president and Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu is leading a 240- strong Malaysian Indian delegation to the conference. There are about 25 million people of Indian origin living in about 110 countries worldwide and Malaysia has the largest concentration of about two million people of Indian origin. Indian cultural values could promote global harmony and development, champion gender justice and stem the rise of racial, ethnic and communal conflicts, said the Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister. In another Malaysian presentation by Prof Dr N.S. Rajendran of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, he outlined three reasons why networks have not been successful in connecting the vast majority of people of Indian origin living outside India. Firstly, he said, these networks were only undertaken by interested individuals and limited to small groups of individuals. Secondly, there were no systematic and concerted effort to connect people representing interest groups to use these networks, he said. Lastly, he said, poor administration and organisation of networks was causing minimal connectivity among people of Indian origin. MIC deputy youth chief S. Ramis told the more than 2000 delegates attending the conference that the event should not turn out to be an annual carnival. "With the international links and exchanges, we should strive towards social transformation and economic cooperation with coordinated initiatives throughout the world. This should be the heartbeat of the Pravasi," he said. He said the people of Indian origin living outside India should break barriers and cooperate directly among themselves and with the most successful and knowledgeable sectors of the community. "We need joint action, coordination and solidarity. We must create and support networks that facilitate the communication and spread our successes and difficulties. "We've to embrace the world, by taking each other by hand. Let there be no mistake. "Let not the Pravasi be merely identified as the re-awakening of the spirit of brotherhood and goodwill among Indians all over the globe. "Let it not aim at fostering harmonious cooperation among us. Its implications must be greater. Its claims must be greater," he added.
by S. Retna Source: Bernama - January 09, 2006 |