Making a point is Shri Harbhajan Singh – others are Lord Swraj Paul, NRI, U.K., and Prof. S.S. Mohapatra former

General Secretary All India Congress Committee.

BIG THREE

Chapter...Championed the Cause for NRIs and PIOs

URING his numerous visits to various countries the world over - Harbhajan Singh met a large number of Indians from different States of India coming from urban and rural country side and making fortunes having settled in the country of their choice and further raising families. With his interactions with the Non-Resident Indians and Peoples of Indian origin he learnt about their difficulties and problems and decided to help them in his own humble way, concerned as he was, on seeing about their plight first hand.

So without losing any time he got himself busy seriously in right earnest and formed a society. Thus NRI Welfare Society of India was the result and he got it Registered functioning from his residence D-253 in Defence Colony New Delhi - 110 024. Naturally, as the

D“ With his

interactions with the Non-

Resident Indians and Peoples of Indian origin he

learnt about their difficulties and problems and decided to

help them in his own humble

way.”

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Shri Harbhajan SinghGeneral Secretary NRI

Welfare Society of India presenting

NRI excellence award to Mrs and Mr Trinetra Bajpai

NRI from Soudi Arabia

...shows Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award

he received from (Madanjeet Singh the Goodwill

Ambassador United Nations Educational Scientific and

Cultural Organization, Paris, Seen with him Satish Batra

NRI from Germany.

Shri Harbhajan Singhand Minister Overseas Indian

Affairs Jagdish Tytlerpresenting

NRI excellence award to Mrs and Gauhar Nawab

from United Kingdom

founder member, he was the Secretary General and the moving spirit behind the Society. With his personal influence he invited all the political heavy weights to join the NRI Welfare Society in other key positions and members to give a boost to the cause that was dear to him.

Dr. Bhishma Narain Singh a former Union Minister and Governor of Assam and Tamilnadu, a staunch believer of Gandhian philosophy, has been associated with the Society for more than a decade and is the President of the Society.

Shri Vasant Sathe, another Senior Congress Leader and former Union Minister, has been associated with the Society since its inception. He played a glorious role and was instrumental in his pursuing the issue of dual citizenship with the authorities.

Dr G.V.G Krishnamurthy, a legal luminary, one of the strongest pillars of the Society took care of the legal issues and related legal aspects.

Another heavy weight Prof. S.S. Mohapatra former Secretary AICC, gave his all out support to NRI cause.

Harbhajan Singh set up the Society at a time when the words NRIs and PIOs were alien to Indians. Generally speaking the ordinary people did not know as to what the words stood for. For Harbhajan Singh was a great visionary and was quite ahead of his times. Slowly and steadily others too Rajiv Gandhi, Narain Datt Tiwari, Narasimha Rao, Chandrashekhar, Inder Kumar Gujral, Deve Gowda, Arjun Singh, M.V. Rajasekharan, Minister Planning, Tarlochan

“ Harbhajan Singh set up the Society at a time when the words NRIs and PIOs were alien to

Indians.”

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“With his personal

influence he invited all the political heavy weights to join

the NRI Welfare Society.”

90

Singh, Parliamentarian and Chairman National Minorities Commission, A M Singhvi Spokesman AICC, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Shivraj Patil presently the Union Home Minister. Dr Manmohan Singh the then Finance Minister, Sunil Dutt, joined for the great cause and it seemed that the day was not far off when things will work out for the betterment of the NRIs and persons of Indian Origin

…Helped Make Possible The Return Of The NRIs

Thus those sons of the soil who had left the country almost empty handed and had worked wonders with their hard work and earned fortunes settled in their respective countries saw a ray of hope and gave the much needed momentum by joining the NRI Welfare Society and attending the Society-held International Congresses year after year permanent dates from 24-28 January in Delhi and Jaipur a 4-day annual feature. Concrete results followed before every body to see.

NRI Commissioner was appointed to look into the genuine grievances of the NRIs and PIOs.

A separate Ministry was created to look into the problems of the PIOs and NRIs. Jagdish Tyler was the first to head the Ministry meant for Overseas Indian Affairs followed by Oscar Fernandes. Vayalar Ravi took over from where Fernandes left.

Overseas Indian Card was started on the lines of American Green Card with some changes.

The Government of India headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh as also earlier by Atal Behari Vajpayee, his

“Society-held International

Congresses year after year

permanent dates from 24-28

January in Delhi and Jaipur a 4-day annual

feature. Concrete results followed before every body to

see.”

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W D

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TH

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5

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predecessor celebrated NRI Diwas for the last 5 years whereas Harbhajan Singh celebrated 25th International Congress of NRIs from 24th - 28th January in 2005 at New Delhi and Jaipur - A congregation of more than 600 NRIs participating from various parts of the world offering them a golden opportunity to invest to their advantage also bringing them to their roots - for the love of their Motherland.

Dr. Satish Batra from Germany was chosen as

President NRI with voice vote.

There were NRIs galore everywhere. Trinetra Bajpai, a high profile business executive and Sr. Vice President of the Manso Group, the pioneer in Petrochemical Industry their field - from Saudi Arabia - a great source of strength to the Society is the International President of the Society. Other important ones, the guiding lights are Gauhar Nawab of London from the Hospitality Industry - Euro Group of Hotels - By bringing together the NRIs from the world over on his one and the only platform Harbhajan Singh cast them into a potential force to reckon with. His NRI Welfare Society of India deemed its privilege to honour NRIs - the sons of the soil and daughters of the nation - who had kept the name of the country high and today contributing to the economy of the country by sending forex to their dear and near ones back home in India - with Hind Rattan Awards.

By bringing them into the mainstream and their untold investments in core sectors, hospitals, educational institutions, NGOs and charitable institutions gave them publicity through his well - brought out 4 - colour

“ More than 600 NRIs participating from various parts

of the world offering them a

golden opportunity to invest to their advantage also

bringing them to their roots - for the love of their Motherland.”

“ The Government of India headed by Dr. Manmohan Singh as also earlier by Atal

Behari Vajpayee, his predecessor celebrated NRI Diwas for the last 5 years

whereas Harbhajan Singh celebrated 25th

International Congress of

NRIs.”

... with Shri G.V.G. Krishnamurthy former Chief Election Commissioner of Indiacelebrating the success of conference

A letter of appreciation from External Affairs

94

95

... with Dr. Manmohan Singh the then Union Finance Minister

Magazine titled NRI - LINK from his own 5 Star Printers in Karol Bagh New Delhi .

To mention a few NRIs would not be out of place. Mrs Manish Sagar - Canada, Dr Varghese Manicketh - Italy, Binay Kumar Dutta - Nigeria, P. V. S. Sagar-Nigeria, Dr. Steve Surujbally Guyana, South America, Hathangadi Hemant Rao Dubai, Kamal Lochan Das Oman, John D' Mello - Saudi Arabia Gopinath Mandal-Bahrain, P. Kuruvilla Raju - Bahrain, Mrs Indira Rao Donthineni U. K, A. J. Sabju Yaqoob Dubai, Sarjit Singh Myrrpurey U. K, Ashok Bhambhani, U. S. A, Dr Prafulla V. Wani, Abu Dhabi, Harish K. Bajaj, Newzealand, Ram Aggarwall, U. K, MNS Swamy - Canada, Dr Bansi P. Kashyap-U. S. A, Dr Pandare S. Sugathan-Brunei, Sam Dara Dastur - Saudi Arabia, Dr Sameer Kalandan - Qatar, Dr Dev Sharma Thambirajan - U. K., Vevegananthan Thambirajah - U. K.,

96

Hon’ble Al Saleh Al Saleh, Commerce Minister, Bahrain

Dr. C. K. Govind Rao - U. S. A.,Lawrence F. Mendonca - Dubai, Madhav V. Amin - Saudi arabia, Ramesh D. Kalicharan - U. S. A., Giriraj K.Modani - Myanmar, Shantaram B. Valke - Saudi Arabia, Mathews P. Kurien - Saudi Arabia, Dilip George - Saudi Arabia, Shyam K. Parashar - Saudi Arabia, G. Satheesan - Malaysia, Ashok K. G. Poduval - Malaysia, Jaswinder Singh Rana - Canada, Capt. Mukunray Patel - U. K., Dr. Inderpal S. Chadha - U. S. A., Dr. Indresh Khanna - Malaysia, Dr. Hemchander K. Rao - Australia, K. Narayanan Nair - Zambia, Jagdev Singh Purewal - U.K.

97

Presenting a bouquet to Smt. Pratibha Patil the then Governor of Rajasthan at Jaipur

Words fall short to describe his inspiring and appealing personality. His charisma was enviable and deeds worth all the applaud and appreciation. His business skills impeccable and precise. He was a man of different and many moods. He was calm, in control, passionate about his work and humanitarian par excellence. His grace and qualities were near perfect. He dared not only to dream but achieved the same with gusto and in record time too.

“He was calm, in control,

passionate about his work and

humanitarian par excellence.”

98

... with Shri K.R. Narayanan the then President of India

His inner urge to do something for the journalists of the small medium newspapers, for the Non-Resident Indians, for NRIs investments for the country after his heart India - his patriotism for the Nation’s unity and his love for the family, friends was par excellence.

Kudos to the thorough gentleman and his achievements. Surely he showed the dream come true - the way to go - the right way.

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“After his heart India - his

patriotism for the Nation’s unity and

his love for the family, friends was par excellence.”