ABSTRACT
Indian society was shaped over the millennia by invaders, traders, and to a lesser extent by refugees. But now there is a twist to history in that society, its mores, patterns of life, and more important, its economic well-being are being influenced not by immigrants but by migrants going out of India and leading their lives in other countries. Several countries in the Commonwealth of Nations permit dual citizenship but India has always felt that there were several legal hurdles in granting dual citizenship. The magnitude of remittances to developing countries has increased rapidly in recent years. Each year they have been and continue to be higher than foreign direct investment and, in the case of a few other developing countries, the official aid flows. The houses are sought to be equipped with modern technology and as a consequence items that were once considered luxuries are now considered to be elements of a minimum standard of life.
