Lord Swaraj Paul
L N Mittal
Mira Nair
M Night Shyamalam
Sabeer Bhatia
Vikram Seth
Dr. Amartya Sen
Gurinder Chadha
Dr. Deepak Chopra
Salman Rushdie
Deepa Mehta

Recognise these names? What do all these men and women have in common?

All of the people named above are successful, famous, and Indian. And all of them have chosen a new country to be their home. They are what we call "successful and famous NRIs". And mind you, this list is by no means exhaustive. There are scores of Indians who have made it big internationally. And then there are the NRIs who are not so famous, yet they are very successful in their chosen countries of residence.

So what is it that makes us Indians great immigrants? Why is it that most Indian immigrants (even if they were no good in India) are able to make money and secure a future for their children, in their adoptive countries? Here's a look at some of the qualities that makes us great 'immigrant material'.

English, Thy Conquereth All

The Brits left us with a love, an affinity and an aptitude for English, the international language. English serves as the passport into foreign lands and can literally take you places. Our skills in this department never go un-noticed and they help us settle into the fabic of the adoptive country.

Indian Education

Everyone knows it! Indian education is ranked amongst the best in most countries. Our degrees are internationally accepted and recognised. So this gives us another edge over other immigrants.

We Like To Please

Maybe this is another legacy of the British occupation of India. Yes, we like to be in good books of everyone and we have a tendency to please. We especially like to please 'people in positions of power'. Obviously this works well for us!!!

Hungry For Success

Indians have this hunger for success that keeps them from being content with what they have. So even if an Indian goes to USA and works as a waiter in a restaurant, he'll always be aspiring to 'have his own place some day'. 'Ambition' is what they call it, right?

Conditions Back Home

Most immigrants come from such backgrounds in India, that they'd shudder at the thought of ever returning back home. They have no choice, but to be successful abroad!

High Tolerance For Others

We are known to be a tolerant community. So much so, that we like to blend into whatever culture we adopt. We learn their language, we accept their food, we even look down upon our country of origin if it helps us in being accepted.

We Are Smart

Last, but not the least, we are clever and skillful. We know how to get things done in our favour. We know how to improve our chances of getting that Green Card (we even pay prospective spouses for contract marriages to get it). We know how to tap opportunities and we never let them pass us by. That's a good thing, really.

No wonder, we make great immigrants. Not only do we manage to contribute to the economy of our adoptive country, we also boost the Indian economy with our investments etc. Wonder why some people call us 'Brain Drain'! Well, let's save that discussion for another day....