Introduction: The problematic of Punjabi diaspora

Hardly a day passes without some media story of a Punjabi diaspora related issue, be it an NRI sponsored sports tournament, an NRI marriage gone sour, news of an NRI investment or philanthropic project or an NRI related crime. During the annual Punjab-level Pravasi Bhartiya Divas melas numerous media stories circulate on how Punjabi NRIs may be able to potentially undertake crores worth of foreign direct investment in Punjab and in 2006 this was estimated at 5,000 crore (Mohan, 2006). Over the past few years there have also been numerous stories about diaspora-based Sikhs who are undertaking various philanthropic projects in Punjab and India and how the Punjab Government is matching the funds (total value of 7.5 crore) collected by NRIs to modernize 43 villages over the next few years or so (Sethi, 2006). Whether the NRI funds will be realized or not is debatable, but there is no doubt that this growing awareness and interest in diaspora and diaspora-related news are the outcomes of the spread and diffusion of globalization technologies, which have led to the widening, deepening and transformation of diaspora-homeland relations over the past three decades.

But the same media very rarely asks who or what the Punjabi diaspora is or what its major constituents are. Is Punjabi diaspora synonymous with the Sikh diaspora? Is the use of the term Punjabi diaspora a misnomer and is it simply denoting a regional identity? So let us start with a general observation, which is in keeping within the context and spirit of this book. It is that if there was ever a case study, which would demonstrate the limitations of the way in which the term diaspora has been used and conceptualized, Punjabi diaspora would be a good starting point. Punjabis in the diaspora – and here the author would want to limit himself to Punjabis who have their origin in the contemporary Indian Punjab – are a very heterogeneous group in terms of religious beliefs, socio-economic class, phases of settlement, caste, and contexts of migration. Motives and migration experiences differ greatly as some may be leaving for permanent settlement due to family or corporate sponsorship from abroad, due to marriage, temporary work contract in the Gulf, or irregular or circular migration.