Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) is an international network of people of Indian origin (PIO).
GOPIO was founded at the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin in New York City in 1989. The name GOPIO was adopted by the Steering Committee formed after the First Global Convention. The initial thrust of GOPIO was fighting human rights violation against people of Indian origin.
Although this has been improved in the last decade, human rights violations continue to be a major issue for PIOs living outside India. GOPIO has now set its priorities in pooling its resources, both financial and professional, for the benefit of PIOs, the countries they come from and India. [1]
GOPIO's Founder President is Dr. Thomas Abraham who served since inception till 2004. Inder Singh took over as president in 2004 and served till 2009 when Lord Diljit Rana, a member of the House of Lords in London was elected. Lord Rana was followed by Ashook Ramsaran who served from 2011 to 2016. Niraj Baxi of Silicon Valley, California served from March 2016 to December 2017. The incumbent president of the GOPIO is Sunny Kulathakal from Bahrain. The Founder President was elected again as the Chairman of GOPIO in 2016. In 2009, GOPIO launched GOPIO Foundation For People of Indian Origin with Dr. Thomas Abraham as its first Executive Trustee. [2]
The Indian Pentecostal Church of God (IPC) is the largest Pentecostal Christian Denomination in India. It has over ten thousand congregations around the world. Its organisational headquarters is at Hebronpuram, Kumbanad, Kerala, India. IPC churches has some similarities with Kerala Brethren especially in orthodoxy and eschatology where IPC founders and large group of early members were from this denomination. IPC shares its beliefs with Assemblies of God, Sharon Fellowship Church and other similar churches. However, it distances itself from TPM and similar legalistic denominations. IPC churches has a tendency to stray from ecumenism, as several of its leaders often denounce high church liturgy as a method of worship, instead embracing low church congregational worship.
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is a celebratory day observed on 9 January by the Republic of India to mark the contribution of the overseas Indian community towards the development of India. The day commemorates the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to Mumbai on 9 January 1915.
Abid Hussain was an Indian economist, civil servant and diplomat. He was India's ambassador to the United States of America from 1990 to 1992 and a member of the Planning Commission from 1985 to 1990.
Karan Singh is an Indian politician and philosopher. He is the son of the last ruling Maharaja of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, Sir Hari Singh. He was the prince regent of Jammu and Kashmir until 1952. From 1952 to 1965 he was the Sadr-i-Riyasat (President) of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the Republic of India. He is the chairperson trustee of the Dharmarth Trust of Jammu and Kashmir which maintains 175 temples in north India and works in other areas such as historical preservation.
Dr. Joy Cherian is the first Asian American and first Indian American Commissioner at the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Thomas Abraham is an Indian and is the founder president and chairman of the Global Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), having previously founded the organization and served as its president. He was the Convener of the First Global Convention of People of Indian Origin held in New York, where GOPIO was formed. Earlier, Dr. Abraham served as the executive trustee of GOPIO Foundation. He is also president of Innovative Research and Products, Inc., Stamford, CT, US, a multi-client market research firm in new generation technologies specializing in advanced materials, nanotechnology, electronic components, energy generation and storage devices, etc.
Dinesh C. Paliwal is an Indian American business executive. He was the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Harman International, a provider of audio and infotainment systems for the automotive, consumer, and professional markets, from 2007 to 2020. Paliwal currently serves on Harman's board of directors.
Indianisation also known as Indianization, may refer to the spread of Indian languages, culture, diaspora, cuisines, economic reach and impact since India is one of the greatest influencers since ancient times and the current century has been called the Indian Century.
Remittances to India are money transfers from non-resident Indians (NRIs) employed outside the country to family, friends or relatives residing in India. India is the world's top receiver of remittances, claiming more than 12% of the world's remittances in 2015. Remittances to India stood at US$68.968 billion in 2017 and remittances from India to other countries totalled US$5.710 billion, for a net inflow of US$63.258 billion in 2017.
Overseas Indians, officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs) are Indians who live outside of the Republic of India. According to the Government of India, Non-Resident Indians are citizens of India who are not living in the country, while the term People of Indian Origin are people of Indian birth or ancestry who are not citizens of India, but are citizens of other nations and may additionally have Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), with those having the OCI status known as Overseas Citizens of India. According to a Ministry of External Affairs report, there are 32 million NRIs and OCIs residing outside India and overseas Indians comprise the world's largest overseas diaspora. Every year 2.5 million Indians migrate overseas, which is the highest annual number of migrants in the world.
Vasu Chanchlani was an Indian-Canadian serial entrepreneur, philanthropist and trans-nations builder. He is co-founder of the Sigma Group of Companies and a founding member of the Canada India Foundation. He is also an investor in dozens of companies globally consisting of start-ups and turn-arounds. He is best known for his efforts towards improving Canada-India relations through his philanthropic activities and engagement with Indian Diaspora to serve bilateral interests of both Canada and India. Most recently, Vasu was awarded the Top 25 Canadian Immigrants award by the Canadian Immigrant magazine. On January 9, 2014, his excellency shri Pranab Mukherjee, President of the Republic of India, conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA), the highest honour bestowed on non-resident Indians, by the Government of India.
Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin and their spouses which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. Despite its name, OCI status is not citizenship and does not grant the right to vote in Indian elections or hold public office. The Indian government can revoke OCI status in a wide variety of circumstances. As of 2020, there are 6 million holders of OCI cards among the Indian Overseas diaspora.
Azad Moopen is an Indian healthcare entrepreneur. He is the developer of many healthcare facilities in Asia-Pacific. He is also the chairman and managing director of Aster DM Healthcare, a healthcare conglomerate in the Middle East and India founded in 1987.
Sitaldas Kewalram Motwani, BBS, JP is a Hong Kong industrialist, publisher and social worker. He typifies the successful Hong Kong Indian businessman.
Satjiv Singh Chahil is an India-born American global inter-cultural and inter-disciplinary innovator and business executive.
Ram Labhaya Lakhina is an Indian entrepreneur and community leader living in Oegstgeest, Netherlands. He was the first Chairman of the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO). He is the Founder, former Chairman and now Chairman Emeritus of the Netherlands India Chamber of Commerce and Trade (NICCT), serves as a Chairman of the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Foundation, and is one of the founders of The World Forum for Ethics and Business.
Ashok Kumar Mago, Distinguished Alumni of Naveen Jindal School of Management at University of Texas at Dallas is an Indian born American business person and the founder Chairman of Greater Dallas Indo American Chamber, now known as who is known for his involvement of the Senate India caucus. He was awarded the Padma Shree, the fourth highest civilian award, by the Government of India, in 2014, for his services to the trade and industry.
Shamsheer Vayalil Parambath is an Indian radiologist and businessman. He is the founder, chairman and managing director of VPS Healthcare Group, and the vice chairman and managing director of Amanat Holdings, a healthcare and education investment company. As of June 2019, Vayalil has a net worth of US$1.4 billion.
Surinder Mohan (Suri) Sehgal is an Indian-American philanthropist with a long career as a crop scientist, seedsman, entrepreneur, and leading expert in the global hybrid seed industry. His research and professional successes in the areas of plant breeding and genetics, agbiotechnology, intellectual property, business management, and seed industry development were carried out in executive capacities in several companies in the United States, Belgium, and Germany. After the divestment of a group of four seed companies that Sehgal founded and ran with his wife, Edda Sehgal, the couple created two nonprofit organizations to promote rural development in Suri's country of origin: Sehgal (Family) Foundation in 1998 in the US, and S M Sehgal Foundation in India. The foundations’ work focuses on water security, food security, and social justice with particular emphasis on women's empowerment. A proponent of corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability, Sehgal has also provided support individually and through the foundations for projects related to agriculture research, the preservation of biodiversity and the conservation of natural resources.
Know India Programme abbreviated as KIP is a government initiative by the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India for the Indian diaspora between the age group of 18 to 30 years. It was launched on 8 January 2014, on the occasion of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in New Delhi. The purpose of the Know India Programme is to help Persons of Indian Origin youths familiarize with their roots and contemporary India and provide them an exposure to the country of their origin. From 2016, six KIPs a year are being organised.