Since our November issue, India has been serenely coasting through this extended festival season which began with Diwali last month, and much water has flown under the bridge. The nation is agog with the whistle-stop rallies and tours of the political persona of all hues, even as the election fever hots up, with several states going to the polls this coming month. What with a general parliamentary election also looming large on the horizon in 2014, the whole country is abuzz with electioneering, opinion polls, and what not, not to mention several sensational skeletons tumbling out of the most unlikely of cupboards. All this hullobullo has sort of overshadowed some other eventful happenings that can have a bearing on this land of a Billion and more, like the Regional PBD that just concluded in Australia. Nevertheless, it’s an exiting time to be in, and we at NRI Achievers have tried to walk a tightrome, steering away from political issues and controversies, and staying with the mainstream of our mandated contextual framework.
The 7th Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2013 that took place in Sydney over three days during 10-12 November this year, with it’s central theme, “Connecting for a Shared Future – The Indian Diaspora, India & The Pacific,” is the focal theme of our cover story this month, and we bring you fleeting glimpses of the several activities that took place during the RPBD this time down under. We also bring you a curtain-raiser on the upcoming big event on the Pravasi calender, the 12th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, India’s flagship annual event for its Disapora, which this time round, will take place in country’s capital, New Delhi, during january 2014.
And then of course, our regular segments are all there for you to browse through, ranging from news culled from the worlds of business, sports, cinema, heritage, culture and architecture, and yes, our ubiquitous travelogue that is the favourite of many of you, which takes you to littoral Kochi in God’s own country. Heritage takes you on a time-warp to dwell a bit on the elusive details of the building of the famous Golden Temple of Amritsar, the Harimandir Sahib. Our new additions from the last issue, the two columns on Vaastu & Astrology, have been welcomed by many, and continue, not to mention our regular takes on real estate and property, health and wellness, and similar.We are sure you will like our presentation and portrayal of the Diaspora world and the mother land in this evolving mix of content, and as ever, we welcome your feedback on what you like. So do share with us your wish-list on what more you would like us to feature in this magazine of yours.