SINGAPORE, December 8, 2001: Work is underway on a book that charts the history of migration from India, and the impact that Indians living overseas have on their host nations. The brainchild of Singaporean Indians, the book will chart the social, economic and cultural impact of overseas Indians. International experts on the Indian diaspora have spent the past two days in Singapore discussing the best ways of collating and presenting this information. Several Indian Singaporean businessmen were inspired by The Encyclopedia of the Chinese Overseas, which was published here in 1998, and which describes past and present Chinese communities around the world. The South Asian studies program of the National University of Singapore organized the workshops, which started on Thursday. They were supported by the Singapore chapter of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin. Program coordinator Peter Reeves says it will take at least three years to collect all the research and information the team needs from contributors around the world. He expects the book to take five years to produce. For more information, e-mail lordsiva@cyberway.com.sg.
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