The new scheme should go a long way in giving the diaspora a reassuring sense of belonging a need voiced in a myriad ways, from V.S. Naipaul's circling re-examination of the land of his forefathers to the annual trousseau-shopping trips by NRIs to sanctify betrothals in faraway lands. Now, PIOs need no longer queue up seeking visas outside Indian missions; by investing a mere $1,000, for the next 20 years they can travel visaless to India and take advantage of the host of benefits offered to NRIs -- from acquisition of property to access to educational institutions. More importantly, the estimated 15 million PIOs along with the six million NRIs stand to gain substantially from opportunities opening up in the health, housing and software sectors. Question is, will they merely limit themselves to lucrative, safe investments -- like the Resurgent India Bonds which mopped up $4.2 billion last year -- or will they go for long-term,though risky, ventures? Cynics would plump for the former, but the goodwill inspired by the scheme could well bear fruit and translate into more concrete measures.

However, make no mistake, the PIO's utility is essentially political. Having penetrated bastions of authority in their new homes, PIOs could help put forth New Delhi's point of view in this era of competitive trade blocs and unipolarism. In Ivy League colleges, in weighty think-tanks and increasingly in political circles, people of Indian origin have already started influencing policymaking. And as the higher echelons of decision-making in the West become more multicultural in the coming century, PIOs could render the sort of service that the Chinese diaspora did in the 1980s and 1990s. But in the end, one should not forget the deep cultural ties that bind PIOs and India. Music, literature and art know no physical barriers -- it is at this level that the most meaningful interaction can take place, an interaction that would surely spill into thefinancial and diplomatic spheres.