What is Diaspora?
A diaspora is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin.
Tamil Diaspora
Among the Indian diaspora, Tamils constitute a substantial number.
They form the overwhelming majority of the Indian population in Malaysia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.
Tamils are in good numbers in Myanmar, Mauritius, South Africa, the Seychelles, the Re-Union Islands, Fiji, Trinidad and Tobago.
These dynamic groups have three identities — first, the Tamil identity; second, the Indian identity, and third, the identity of the countries in which they have settled.
Equally interesting is the phenomenon of the diaspora of the diaspora. From Fiji, Malaysia, and Singapore, the Indian diaspora is migrating to greener pastures such as Australia, Canada, and the U.S.
The Tamil diaspora has excelled in politics, economics, literature, the fine arts, sports, and science.
Challenges faced by the Diaspora
It is closely related to the:
Nature of their migration.
Their numerical numbers.
Their educational and professional attainments.
Their economic clout.
The majority-minority syndrome in the host countries.
Host country policies, their impact:
Tamil tea plantation labourers in Sri Lanka faced many issues in Sri Lanka.
The Burmese government never granted citizenship to thousands of Indian Tamils and expelled them.
The CAA does not include Sri Lanka, where ethnic fratricide has compelled many Tamils to come to Tamil Nadu as refugees. New Delhi terms Sri Lankan Tamil refugees as illegal immigrants and argues that they must go back to Sri Lanka.
Way forward
Improve relations with governments, politically, economically, and culturally.
The second is to protect and foster the interests of Indian minority groups.
The policy towards the Indian diaspora comes under the exclusive jurisdiction of the central government. Even then, State governments can influence policies by building public opinion.
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