‘NRI means Naturally Returns to India,Normally Returns to India’

The term ‘N.R.I.’ should be described not as ‘Non Resident Indian’ but as ‘Normally Returns to India’ or ‘Naturally Returns to India’, noted author, columnist and writer Gunvant Shah said today while speaking at a symposium organized at the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries(GCCI) in Ahmedabad.

“Mahatma Gandhi was the most prominent NRI. There are many NRIs who keep whole India in their drawing room through presence of Indian music, films and books. When I went to America, I saw in one Gujarati home there was a presence of ‘Sarth Gujarati Jodani Kosh’, I also saw Gujarati literary magazines like Navnit Samarpan and Akhand Anand in some of the Gujarati houses in America. A psycho-cultural, psycho-social and psycho-spiritual bridge between India and NRIs is very strong,” Shah said.

Recalling his conversation with Tushar Bhatt, an ex-resident editor of Times of India’s Ahmedabad edition, Gunvant Shah said “Tusharbhai told me, should a person kill his wife because Marilyn Monroe is very beautiful? And should a person kill his mother for that reason? Those Gujaratis who want to let Gujarati language die for the sack of English language are such people. I am not opposing English, because it is necessary, and those who oppose English are in fact foolish. But at the same time those who oppose Gujarati language for the sack of adopting English language are even more foolish.”

Narrating how he witnessed presence of Gujarati language at various international places during his tours, Shah said “You walk out side of the JFK airport and you would see something written in Gujarati script – Bahaara javaano rasto. In World Trade Centre’s elevator, Gujarati script was present – Bhale Padharya. You travel in British Airways from India and you would be listening all the instructions in Gujarati, Hindi, English and French languages.”