This January, I traveled to the unexpectedly frigid city of New Delhi as an intern to attend the second annual Pravasi Bhartiya Divas (PBD) conference (translated: Nonresident Indian Day). Hosted by the Indian government, the conference brought together Pravasi Indians (including foreign citizens of Indian origin and Indian citizens abroad), state and national Indian government officials, and resident Indians to strengthen cultural and business networks.

The 1,500 Pravasi delegates at the conference represented nearly 20 million people of Indian origin living in 132 countries around the world (of which, 1.6 million are in the US). The emigration of these Indians is a touchy subject in India however, for historical reasons. There are still painful memories of Indians exported as laborers during the British colonization. More recently, educated Indians have contributed to a controversial “brain drain” by leaving the country for better opportunities abroad. The PBD conference, in this perspective, represents the first serious effort by the Indian government to bridge the divide between the diaspora and their country of origin.

At this year’s conference, priority was given to the issue of youth in the diaspora. A two-week internship program preceded the three-day conference and a youth plenary session was added to the conference schedule. As interns, we assisted with several small projects; I was responsible for creating a directory of news, television, and radio media around the world that catered to local Indian populations. I also had an opportunity to meet and network with senior officials from many government and public sector agencies. Most rewarding, however, were the close relationships that we interns developed with each other and our Indian colleagues working to put on the conference.

As a Harris School student eager to apply my knowledge, I was excited to be in the midst of a national policymaking environment that was likely to contribute significantly to India’s governance. I was impressed with the thoughtful comments of Indian leaders, often derided for their poor planning, on issues of growth and international collaboration. The future genuinely seemed bright, with room for young people interested in making a difference.

The most exciting moments of the internship were during the conference, when I could observe both delegates and government officials network and strategize. In particular, Prime Minister Vajpayee’s optimistic inaugural speech established that the Indian government was serious about investing in this outreach effort. Building on recent legislation he enacted legalizing dual citizenship, the Prime Minister unveiled a broader policy framework, including less stringent investment policies for foreigners as well as budgeted plans for a several-million dollar Pravasi Bhartiya center to help coordinate NGOs managed by diaspora communities working in India.

Although India is not the only nation whose development issues fascinate me, the cultural ties I already felt as an Indian-American were accentuated by the optimism permeating the PBD conference. I encourage other MPP students to seek out such events if they have the opportunity, especially those with an interest in international policy. In my case, the internship was independently arranged and seeking resources on campus to support my internship was challenging, but it was an incredible opportunity that I am glad to have seized. As my first professional experience with the public sector, my internship has left me eager to pursue further opportunities both in the US and abroad, and I feel fortunate to have had this opportunity.