R2I Pittsburgh

During my conversation with InfoWorld's Jon Udell, he broached the subject of the Return to India (R2I) Movement, a diaspora experience worth investigating. Save the tech boom in Bangalore, there are a number of similarities between the Indian Diaspora and the Burgh Diaspora. However, I'm not convinced that Pittsburgh expatriates harbor a similar burning desire to return to their homeland.

Nonetheless, perhaps the Pittsburgh region would benefit from Pravasi Bharatiya Divas:

Pravasi Bharatiya Divas aims at bringing the expertise and knowledge of the Indian overseas community to India and integrating it into India's development process. Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is focused to highlight networking opportunities and collaborating them to confer a mutual developing platform. Generating this synergy to excel together towards a bright India along with the Indian overseas community is what Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2007 proclaims with its head held high.

Think of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas as a government sponsored festival in the homeland that celebrates the diaspora. Some Indians might be enticed to return, while others seize the opportunity to do business. At the very least, Pittsburgh could signal to its own diaspora that it is ready to foster a relationship.