THE INDIAN diaspora(侨民群体), which numbers around 37m, is the world’s biggest. It may also be the most successful. It has a compelling(有说服力的) case to make, especially in America, home to more than 3m people born in India. The median(中位数的) Indian-American household earns $151,000 annually, around 75% more than the figure for America as a whole. And many Indian-Americans occupy top jobs in business, technology and politics—think of Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, Zohran Mamdani and Kash Patel(四位印裔美国知名人物).
印度侨民约有3700万人，规模居全球之首，或许也是最成功的一群。他们尤其在美国颇有说服力——美国有超过300万印度出生的人口。印裔美国家庭年收入中位数为15.1万美元，比全美整体水平高出约75%。许多印裔美国人占据着商界、科技界和政界的顶层职位——想想桑达尔·皮查伊、萨提亚·纳德拉、佐兰·马姆达尼和卡什·帕特尔。
Such achievements are celebrated back in India, not just by relatives but also by a proud nation. Newspaper reports and WhatsApp forwards diligently(勤勉地、不遗余力地) catalogue(一一罗列、编目) the accomplishments of anyone with an Indian connection, however remote(无论多么遥远/牵强). Recent examples include Navi Pillay(南非法官、2026年诺贝尔和平奖得主), the South African judge awarded this year’s Nobel peace prize, whose ancestors left India in the 19th century, and Anil Menon, the world’s first Malayali(马拉雅利人（印度喀拉拉邦族群）) astronaut, a reference to his parents’ origins in the south of India.
这些成就在印度国内备受赞颂，不仅亲属引以为荣，整个国家也深感自豪。报纸报道和 WhatsApp 转发会不遗余力地罗列任何与印度沾边者的成就，哪怕关系再远。近期的例子包括南非法官纳维·皮莱——她今年获得诺贝尔和平奖，其祖先在19世纪离开印度；还有阿尼尔·梅农——全球首位马拉雅利宇航员，这一称呼指的是他父母来自印度南部。
The state encourages such enthusiasm. For years after independence, India tended to look down on(瞧不起、轻视) its diaspora, disparaging(贬低的、轻蔑的) emigrants for deserting the homeland and contributing to a brain drain(人才外流). But as their numbers grew and the economy boomed, the relationship changed. In the 2000s, during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) first term in power nationally, the party sought stronger ties with Indians abroad as a way of advancing India’s interests and boosting its own coffers(金库、资金) (overseas Indians are believed to be enthusiastic donors to the party). Under Narendra Modi, those efforts have become more intense. The prime minister’s foreign trips often include rallies in stadiums packed with adoring non-resident Indians (NRIs)(海外印度人（法律身份）).
印度政府鼓励这种热情。独立后多年里，印度往往瞧不起侨民，贬斥移民抛弃祖国、造成人才外流。但随着侨民人数增长、经济腾飞，双方关系发生了变化。2000年代，印度人民党（BJP）首次在全国执政期间，该党寻求与海外印度人建立更紧密的联系，以此推进印度利益并充实本党金库（据信海外印度人是该党的热心捐款者）。在纳伦德拉·莫迪治下，这些努力变得更加密集。总理的出访常常包括在体育场举行集会，现场挤满了崇拜他的海外印度人（NRI）。