The Indian diaspora has witnessed rich representations fictional in narratives, cinema, theatre, food, clothing, and several forms of popular culture. The uniqueness of the Indian diaspora has been captured through the pages of novels, poetry, theatrical forms, fusion of musical forms, food cultures, and so on. The creative and non-creative representations of the diaspora have been read and discussed widely in the diaspora as well as in the homeland. In the last few decades, there has been the dawn of an Indian digital diaspora through virtual identities The digital spaces are occupied and utilised by the Indian diaspora to reconstruct and build their diasporic identities. The offline identities take new forms in the digital spaces and create spaces for unprecedented diasporic narratives. The Indian diaspora food blogs have sustained popularity for several decades now. The diasporic journeys of the Indian diaspora are brought alive in the food narratives of the diasporic food bloggers. The development of social media platforms has led to the presence of many Indian diaspora virtual pages. and representations.
The Indian digital diaspora is being constructed through self-representations of Indian diasporics in online spaces; representations of the official Indian diasporic digital pages; the digital spaces run by diasporic organizations; educational and skilling networks; and so on. Social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, have abundant representations of the Indian diaspora, especially the younger generations. Indian diaspora stand-up comedians have been gaining recognition in the offline comedy spaces as well as the online social media spaces. Blogs have retained their popularity in the present era, and there are Indian diaspora blog posts on varied aspects of diasporic identities and journeys. The heterogeneities of the Indian digital diaspora are true representations of the rich diversities of the Indian diaspora. The Indian digital diaspora can be argued to be intergenerational and intersectional. The gendered diasporic journeys and lived experiences can be explored through digital narratives. The offline support organisations and networks fighting against different forms of gender-based violence have a strong virtual presence to disseminate information and awareness on gender-based violence in diasporic spaces. There are online networks and support systems formed through the digital narratives of organisations and individuals who are working towards similar causes of the diaspora. The often-neglected lived experiences of the women and the third gender in the diaspora find powerful expression in the digital spaces.
The online platforms are apt to discuss and commence dialogues on topics which do not find a voice in the offline spaces. The digital diasporic spaces give the diasporic youth powerful platforms to assert their identities and narratives. The intergenerational ways of the Indian diaspora are depiction in the diasporic youth blogs and social media content. The Indian Diaspora’s second, third- and subsequent generations form a crucial part of the diaspora. They hold significance for the host land as well as the homeland. A study of the diasporic youth’s choices and lived experiences often reveals the changes in a diaspora through the generations and decades. The stereotypical understanding of the Indian diasporic youth, as confused and lost between two cultures and nation-states, has been challenged and contested through powerful representations of Indian diasporic youth on social media and other forms of digital representation. The spaces occupied by the Indian diasporic youth offer immense possibilities for the homeland. The Indian diasporic youth can contribute to the homeland through the transfer of knowledge, technology, and other collaborations. There remain possibilities of future investments in the homeland if there are stronger connections and ties between the homeland and the diasporic youth. The virtual presence of the Indian diaspora youth is also breaking age-old stereotypes and asserting their multiple belonging/s as a diaspora. The educational online networks communicate the knowledge on contemporary skills needed for the job markets in the adopted land; the admission process of various universities; and so on.
The youth diasporic representations and narratives formed online reflect the journeys of the Indian diaspora from the pre-colonial age to the postcolonial era. The amalgamation of homeland and adopted land identities, cultures, and traditions; the fusion of dance and music forms; the inherited homeland stories, memories and habits; the visits to the homeland; and the negotiations between the private and public spaces in the diaspora by the youth diasporic construct an inimitable digital diaspora. The Indian digital diaspora opens spaces for building and retaining ties with kith and kin in the homeland and across other adopted lands. The Indian Government has official pages addressing and celebrating the Indian diaspora as well as deliberating on the diaspora issues in the adopted land. The diaspora acts as the link between the homeland and the adopted land, and the virtual spaces offer new opportunities for better linkages between the two nation-states. With the Indian diaspora settled in almost every nation-state around the world, the digital spaces are ideal to foster and retain ties between the Indian and the Indian diaspora. Innovative policy-making regarding the Indian diaspora can gain momentum if digital spaces are taken into account and utilised. The online worlds and the experiences in the digital spaces can be understood as a continuation of our real-life/offline experiences. Therefore, there is a need to study and analyse the evolving Indian digital diaspora and its results on the homeland and the adopted land.
There are immense possibilities hidden in the digital diaspora spaces, and harnessing those opportunities would lead to better ties between the homeland, the diaspora, and the adopted land. The unfolding of the interdisciplinary Digital Humanities studies coincides with the growing of digital diasporas around the world. The Indian digital diaspora can be deliberated in academic and non-academic spaces. An intersectional understanding of the digital diaspora would offer multiple, diverse perspectives on the subject. The Indian digital diaspora provides ideas for deeper connections with the homeland at present as well as offer ideas for future association.
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