History
Introduction
The people of Indian origin (PIO) are one among the main diasporas of the world. The other are Anglo-Saxon, Jews, Japanese, Malays and Chinese.
All of these other main diasporas are organised networked group they have benefit in the business world, full education facilities for their children and effective socio-political lobbying. GOPIO visualises the international PIOs as one such group.
A well-networked and strong international PIO community will ultimately be able to cooperate proactively with other diasporas in a borderless world. Together, the PIOs are a diasporas of strength and substance; separated you are minorities around the world. The new millennium is a globalized world of diaspora civilisations.
The Indian diaspora has a contributing role in the development of the world. Think Global and Act Local.
GOPIO was conceptualized in UK in 1988 at a PIO International Convention and was effectively launched in September 1989 in New York,USA. Subsequent biennial GOPIO International Convention were held in Paris, France(1992), Montreal, Canada (1994), Mauritius(1996) and Durban, South Africa(1998).
The Sixth International GOPIO Convention was held in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, Dec 2000. The International GOPIO Secretariat is in Mauritius. GOPIO since its begining in New York in 1989, has organized conferences, seminars, talk s, discussions and other activities, aimed at emphasizing PIO activities and at highligting its serious concerns for effective international networking and development of PIO entrepreneurs.
GOPIO has also tirelessly worked on ways to prepare the PIO business challenges ahead and to help place them in a position to excel in the international scene in new millennium. In additional to business activities, GOPIO has also directed its energies to areas of youth and cultural and youth exchange program.
Gopio Formation
The current trend of going global is now a reality for the PIOs. That the world is to become a global village was taken note in the late 1970s. GOPIO which was conceptualised in 1988 in the UK ,organised by BOPIO (British Organisation of People of Indian Origin) following along the Mega Trend thinking of a global village.
This was futher resolved to form as a world organization at a Convention of Overseas Indians of about 40 country representive with about 3000 participants in New York in 1989.
This First Convention of Overseas Indians from 27th August to 3rd September 1989, was organised by National Federation of Indian Amarican Associations (NFIA). That the Diasporas will be natural grouping of people , in a closely networked global village, is currently quite well understood by the public and politically acceptable to goverments.
The PIOs need to understand that they have much to gain by actively participating in the village process. For instance, is there a possibility to identify within this ongoing process pf globalization, the next phase of dynamic growth and sustainable development for the PIO community.
Common Histories
The forefathers of the PIO people of South Africa, Reunion and South East Asian countries mainly left India from a particular region in south india while the PIO people of Mauritius,Fiji and the Caribbean countries are mainly from today’s State of Bihar, in India.
However, together all these PIOs from India have a number of similarities in their many phases of socio-economies history of about 150 years. Their separate histories in various countries are littered with indentical suffering and almost similar struggles to arrive at their current status of being much better off than their forefathers.
Today, together they are appoximately a community of 20 million. GOPIO expects the PIO Community to arise into a major global community for the well being of themselves as well as for all people of the world .
This guideline is well entrenched in the principal objective of GOPIO. That PIOs, networked globally, shall togethar aspire for the wellbeing of the PIO Community and the people of the world. As of now,the PIO Community is still a nation bound community.
The average PIO is very much a local, identifying his strength and opportunities within his country.
