WE ALL KNOW HOW IMPORTANT it is to be called by the right name. As entrepreneurs, we spend a considerable amount of resources to come up with just the right name for our companies and products. Names create an immediate impression, whether they are the names of a product, a company, or a person. Accordingly, I can't imagine someone naming anything of importance in a negative fashion: as “non-” something or other. Yet, everyone in our country of origin insists on calling us “Non Resident Indians” (NRIs)-and, even more astonishingly, we just smile and accept this label as our appropriate designation.

Are we “Indians” only if we reside in India? Or does being Indian reflect an infinitely complex mix of culture, values, and mores that we adhere to, whether we are residing in India, the U.S., or Timbuktu? If the answer to the former question is “yes,” then it's difficult to see why we need to distinguish between those of us who live in India and those of us who reside in the U.S. Is the NRI classification a mere outdated legacy of the British rule in India? Perhaps, British officials decided to come up with this designation after getting tired of all the “problems” created for them by Indians returning from abroad (Gandhi, Nehru, etc.). NRIs of the present day seem to have inherited this stereotype as they are being blamed for funding fundamentalist organizations in India. A few months back, ethnic newspapers in the U.S. were filled with ads which read, “Did Our Generosity Fund the Carnage in Gujarat?” (we refused to run the ads, much to the chagrin of our Sales Department). What's more, a recent news story quoted I.G. Patel, the former Director of the Reserve Bank of India, as saying: “I earnestly request NRIs not to donate money to spread hatred in India, neither to the VHP nor to Islamic fundamentalists.” Do you know anyone living in this great country who sends money to India in order to “spread hate”? On the contrary, Indians in the U.S. never seem to tire of doing good for India. Our friends in India should count the number of non-profit organizations in the U.S. whose sole purpose is to benefit India. By some estimates, over 75 percent of India's much-vaunted Foreign Exchange Reserves are made up of deposits from these much-maligned NRIs.

As much as 50 percent of China's $40 billion in Foreign Direct Investment comes from “overseas Chinese.” Note that they are not called “Non Resident Chinese.”

India is celebrating “Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas” on January 9 to coincide with the date when Mahatma Gandhi returned from South Africa to India to make history. At least the name is a good start. It's not “NRI Day”; it's an “Indian Staying Abroad Day.”

As high-price consultants tell entrepreneurs, marketing and branding starts at home. We need to get our home country to classify us in the “right” way before we can show the world how good we are. In our hearts, we all want to do good for India. IT services and BPO have great potential for India. But we must first make an effort to acquire a non-negative name so that our impression in India is improved.

With this food for thought, we at siliconindia wish all of you a very happy and prosperous 2003.