Our experience at 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 

The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas is celebrated once in every two years, to mark the contribution of the Indian Overseas Community in the development of our country.  It is celebrated on 9th January to commemorate the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India in 1915, which heralded a new era in the Indian Freedom Movement. To mark this day, the tradition of celebrating Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) started in 2003. Established in 2000, it is sponsored by the Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India.

This celebratory event is held from the 8th to the 10th of January every other year in a selected city in India.  I have been living in Doha, Qatar for the past 28 years and feel immensely overjoyed to make a hat trick this year by attending three consecutive Pravasi Bhartiya Divas held at Varanasi, Indore, and Bhubaneswar in 2019, 2023 and 2025 respectively. The event was held virtually in 2021, owing to the global pandemic.

At the wonderful event this year which was held at Bhubaneswar, we were given a warm welcome at the airport according to Indian traditions with garlands & tilak, connecting us with the divine land of India. We attended the long yet engaging speeches by our esteemed President, Smt. Droupadi Murmu, our dynamic Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi, the Minister of External Affairs, Sh. S. Jaishankar, among others.

There was a Valedictory Session and Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards Ceremony to commemorate the exceptional Overseas Citizens of our country and the superb cultural shows filled with the grace of Indian traditional dance forms and the soothing rhythms of classical Indian music.

Among all these events, I overly enjoyed the preferential treatment we received for the blessed darshans in crowded temples of Puri, especially the Jagannath Temple, which was built in the 11th century. I feel extremely bestowed to have been able to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath Ji and have his Prasad. Jagannath Ji’s Prasad is sought immensely in the Vaishnava tradition and is considered to be exceptionally pure and sacred. It is prepared in earthen vessels which are broken after use and fresh pots are used for making the next Prasad. The temples of Odisha stand testament to the wonderful ancient culture of India and in particular of Odisha.

Though it was a hectic trip, I enjoyed going around the beautiful city of Bhubaneswar. I was made the Team coordinator of my team. The role gave me more opportunities to enjoy and interact, along with some responsibilities. I respectfully thank the Indian government for arranging this mega event for the Indian Diaspora. It was a experience worth remembering!

Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!

Dr. Sunita Chaturvedi

Doha, Qatar.