Milles To Go ……
By Sunitha Srinivasan
Picture this: three accomplished professionals move from Tamil Nadu to Munich, ready to take their careers to the next level. What usually tops the to‑do list in such a situation? Settling into a new country…. finding the right schools for their children, and—let’s be honest—locating the nearest Indian store that sells fresh coriander!
If you thought of these, you’d be right. That is generally how life unfolds for most Indian expatriates, which is precisely why the protagonists of this story stand out. Even as they navigated a new culture and country, their ambitions extended far beyond the personal. They were already thinking about how to build something larger and more enduring.
Meet Selvakumar Periasamy, Nirmal Raman Kannaiyan, and Vasanthkumar Ravikumar—three individuals united by a shared desire to strengthen ties between India and Germany.
Their journey began when Selva, along with eight others, co‑founded the Tamil Sangam in Munich. Over the next five years, he served in multiple roles, including President and Vice President, carrying a significant portion of the organisation’s operational responsibility. Like many expatriate associations, the Sangam initially focused on bringing the community together through festivals such as Diwali, Pongal, and Tamil New Year. It was an effective way to build friendships and foster a sense of belonging. However, under Selva’s leadership, it soon became clear that this was not going to be just another cultural collective. The intent was to go further and create a meaningful impact.
A turning point came in October 2020, when Selva represented Germany at the Global Yaadhum Oorae Conclave, organised by the Government of Tamil Nadu in collaboration with the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI). This virtual event sought to strengthen connections within the global Tamil expatriate community through culture, language, business, and investment. What struck Selva the most was the journey of the US Tamil diaspora, which had evolved into a powerful force for business promotion and international collaboration. They had moved beyond cultural engagement to exert a tangible economic influence.
That realisation planted a seed. Perhaps it was time for the Tamil Sangam in Germany to expand its mandate—to step into business and geopolitics, and to actively contribute to Indo‑German engagement?
With this broader vision, one of Selva’s earliest initiatives as President was a campaign to save the Indology Department at the University of Cologne. Facing closure due to chronic funding shortages and institutional apathy, the department’s future looked bleak. This was no ordinary academic unit: it offered instruction in all Indian languages, with a strong emphasis on the South Indian languages, particularly Tamil. Selva and his team mobilised Tamil Sangams across Europe, reached out to the media, and engaged political leaders in both Europe and India to raise the necessary funds to keep the Department going. Despite all these efforts, progress was slow.
The breakthrough came with a strategic shift in thinking. Drawing inspiration from the establishment of the Tamil Chair at Harvard University—where business support had been decisive—the team began actively engaging the business community and used their support to reach out to the relevant Government and media bodies. It was a stupendous effort by this team of volunteers, and the results were transformative. A total of €137,500 was raised from the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Tamil communities across Europe, thereby securing the future of one of Germany’s oldest Indology departments and reinforcing the belief that business‑led collaboration could achieve what community advocacy alone could not.
This experience set the stage for what followed. The idea of a formal business alliance had been taking shape, but the true catalyst arrived in 2024, when Mr Vinod Solomon, Secretary General of SICCI, led a high‑powered delegation of 30 members to Germany. This was not a routine overseas visit; it was a mission focused on long‑term collaboration. Selva and his team were tasked with facilitating meaningful business‑to‑business and government‑to‑government interactions. The pace was intense—meetings, introductions, and negotiations followed in quick succession. By the end of the visit, it was evident that something significant had been born—if not yet in name, then certainly in purpose.
By September 2024, this evolving sense of purpose had taken formal shape with the official launch of the German India Business Alliance. Conceived as a trusted bridge between India and Germany, the alliance seeks to enable meaningful collaboration across business, start-ups, academia, and government by leveraging knowledge, networks, and execution support. As articulated in its vision statement: “We aim to empower entrepreneurs, enterprises, and talent to scale successfully across borders by reducing cultural, regulatory, and market-entry barriers, and by fostering long-term, sustainable Indo-German partnerships.”
GIBA began with a core team of eight committed individuals, led by Selva, Nirmal, and Vasanth. What started as a mission quickly gathered momentum, evolving into a credible and structured platform for bilateral engagement.
In just over a year, GIBA has expanded both its reach and influence. Today, it has eight core executive members, more than 20 domain‑specific volunteers, and a social media following exceeding 3,000. Its growing stature is reflected in partnerships with nearly 20 industry chambers and associations, and in its role as the recognised business event partner of the Consulate General of India in the Munich and Frankfurt regions. The alliance also works closely with over 50 MSMEs and startups, supporting them in achieving concrete business outcomes.
GIBA’s engagement spans governments in both countries. In Germany, it collaborates with the governments of Bavaria, Hessen, and North Rhine‑Westphalia. In India, it works closely with the administrations of Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, and discussions are underway with Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. These partnerships are designed not only to advance business interests but also to deepen economic and cultural ties and strengthen support systems for the Indian expatriate community.
Further strengthening its impact, GIBA has entered into a strategic partnership with Innovation Hub RheinMain. This collaboration aims to facilitate cross-border business development, enable innovation-driven market entry, and promote sustainable, long-term economic cooperation between Germany and India.
Internally, GIBA is guided by a committed executive team and a think tank led by Sameer Gahlot, its Director of Strategic Affairs in Delhi, ensuring that the organisation’s initiatives are firmly grounded in research and policy engagement. Reflecting its diverse character, Luca Myska, a German national based in Munich, plays a key role in expanding GIBA’s footprint in Karnataka. Further strengthening its inclusive vision, GIBA has launched a Ladies’ Wing. Recently, this group signed a partnership agreement with FICCI FLO. Their focus is on fostering entrepreneurship, leadership, and meaningful professional networks among women.
Sustainability is another of GIBA’s key focus areas. They hosted a Sustainability Business Circle in September 2025 and, buoyed by its success, are now preparing to host a Sustainability and Green Hydrogen Summit in partnership with the University of Rosenheim in Bavaria. The alliance’s growing influence was also evident at the Tamil Nadu Startup Global Summit, where it curated a German pavilion and led a large delegation of business leaders, reinforcing its role as a bridge between the innovation ecosystems of India and Germany.
Looking ahead, there is so much that the GIBA team would like to achieve – of course, their prime focus remains the fostering of closer ties between their home and host countries, but there is so much more on the anvil. For a start, they would like the governments of the two nations to understand each other’s ecosystems at a more granular level. To cite a case in point, as per a recent law, parents and parents-in-law of Indians living in Germany may immigrate to the country if their offspring holds a skilled worker residence permit, provided that the said permit was issued on or after 1 March 2024. However, this does not apply to people who have been living in Germany before 2024. (https://digital.diplo.de/elternnachzug) GIBA endeavors to lobby with the government to make this law applicable to all Indian immigrants, regardless of when they arrived in Germany. If they succeed, it would be a huge feather in their collective caps – it means so much to Indians to have family around during festivals and important occasions like the birth of a child!
They are also working on ensuring that the cultural, legal and statutory hurdles that foreign companies face when they embark on cross-border operations are minimised so that they can focus on the business on hand.
Since its inception, both the Government of Tamil Nadu’s MSME Department and the Department of Non–Resident Tamils have been steadfast supporters of GIBA’s initiatives. With the encouragement and assistance of the Department of Non-Resident Tamils, GIBA established a Non-Resident Tamil desk in Munich last year, which has been actively supporting start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures in the region. In addition, a collaborative effort involving the MSME department, SICCI, Startup TN, and GIBA is currently underway to develop an Indo-German Innovation Corridor in Coimbatore. This ambitious initiative is expected to be inaugurated in early 2026 and aims to foster innovation, collaboration, and cross-border entrepreneurship between India and Germany.
There is still so much they want to do. To paraphrase Robert Frost, they have promises to keep and miles to go before they sleep. In a remarkably short span of time, they have already achieved what many organisations take years to accomplish. This is made all the more extraordinary because every GIBA initiative is pursued alongside demanding full-time careers. And yet, when you listen to these people speak, there is no hint of weariness. Instead, what you hear are dreams unfolding, ambitions taking flight, and a quiet determination that refuses to slow down. This passionate group is not daunted by the long road ahead – they welcome it! They clearly relish the many miles yet to be travelled before they can rest!
