Address by Her Excellency at the 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention

• The Honourable Shri. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India;

• The Honourable Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India;

• Other Ministers of Government of the Republic of India;

• The Honourable Shri. Mohan Charan Majhi, Chief Minister of Odisha;

• Chief Ministers of the different States in the Republic of India;

• Distinguished members of Parliament of the Republic of India;

• Distinguished Dignitaries from abroad and Members of the Indian Diaspora;

• Members of the Media

• Ladies and Gentlemen.

Namaste and Good Morning.

As I speak to you today, I am a bag of mixed emotions.

One part of my heart is filled with happiness and delight at the honour and the privilege which have been bestowed on me to be your Chief Guest at this 18th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention.

Another part of my heart is filled with sadness and regret that circumstances do not make it possible for me to be physically present with you in Odisha today. Ever since I received the momentous news that I had been selected to be the Convention’s Chief Guest this year, I have thought and spoken of little else. My almost every waking hour since then has been filled with anticipation and with planning, as I set about doing everything I could to make sure that all was in place for my travels. When it became clear that circumstances were such that I was not going to be able to travel to be with you in person today, I felt a deep and overwhelming disappointment. That pain is greatest of all today, as I think of all that the Convention offers and means to the Indian diaspora, and of the fact that I am not able to be there in person with you.  While I am grateful for  the technology that allows me to address you today, I am still very much looking forward to the day when I can be with you in person and when I can experience India in all its beauty and majesty, firsthand. I hope and I pray that that day comes soon.

But, the thing that fills my heart the most as I speak with you today, is gratitude to the Republic of India for having chosen, as part of the Convention, to focus on the contributions that the Indian diaspora has made to cultural, social and economic development globally. It is impossible to overstate how uplifting it is to members of the Indian diaspora to know that the country of our origin carves out for us this sacred space during the Convention to reach across the seas, to find us in whatever parts of the world we are, and to embrace us. For us, it is an act of sublime love, poured out upon us by a nation and a people who have made some of the greatest contributions to the upliftment of the world that our planet has ever seen.

India’s contributions to the world’s development are remarkable, and are reputed to include, among many other legendary accomplishments, the fact that the world’s first university is said to have been established in Takshashila in 700BC; Ayurveda is widely acknowledged as the earliest school of medicine known to humans; the art of navigation is said to have been born in the Sindhu river, 6000 years ago; algebra, trigonometry and calculus were first developed in India – with India being the first country in civilization to use the zero as a symbol and in arithmetic operations; the game of chess is believed to have originated in Eastern India; the decimal system is widely acknowledged to have been developed in India; and India’s very own Sushruta is widely acknowledged to be the father of surgery.

That a nation so great should pause and remember its descendants, is, in and of itself, cause for tremendous celebration.  I am therefore immensely thankful that the Republic of India has chosen to shine its powerful light on the contributions that – faithful to the source from which the spirit that animates their efforts comes – the Indian diaspora has made to cultural, social and economic development across the wider world. Over the last two decades, this Convention has served, not only as a platform for collaboration between India and its diaspora, but also as a means of recognising the spirit of resilience, determination and service that has characterised the journey of persons of Indian descent the world over. In conferring the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the Government and the people of India give powerful expression to their commitment to strengthening the ties between India and all of her children throughout the world.

In the case of persons of Indian descent in Trinidad and Tobago, those ties run deep. India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Trinidad and Tobago following our independence from the United Kingdom on  August 31, 1962. But our country’s ties with India long precede that date.  Our relationship goes back to May 30, 1845, when the first ship – the ‘Fatel Razack’ – carrying 225 Indian indentured workers, reached the shores of Trinidad, then a British colony. For 72 unbroken years thereafter, more than 143,000 Indians came from cities and states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal and many others, reshaping the social, demographic, economic and cultural landscape of Trinidad and Tobago forever. They were a fascinating mix of peoples, languages, traditions and belief systems, all united in search of a new life.

I stand before you (virtually), living that new life, 180 years after the first ships bearing Indian immigrants departed for Trinidad. I am deeply aware of the enormous significance of the voyage these immigrants undertook and of the resilience that was required for them to make the decisions they made, face the challenges they faced and not only survive, but thrive in their adopted homeland. Today, the descendants of those indentured workers, now in their fifth and sixth generations, form nearly 42% of the total population of Trinidad and Tobago – the largest numerical presence of persons of Indian descent anywhere in the Caribbean – and constitute an integral part of the economic, political and social fabric of the country. Trinidad and Tobago has learned and benefitted immensely from the traditions and values of our citizens of Indian descent— we have learned and benefited from the courage, resilience, willingness to sacrifice and steadfastness that they showed throughout all that they endured. As a developing nation, we face many of the same challenges that other developing nations do. But we have the signal advantage of being able to draw upon the rich legacy of the courage and the determination of our citizens of Indian descent; and we have, in doing so, been able to create a stronger, more resilient nation.

And so, I am grateful to India, to my ancestors, and to their values, for helping build Trinidad and Tobago into the nation that it is today. The Trinidad and Tobago that all of its citizens are proud to call their home today, is the product of a mix of many varied and beautiful historical influences, including and especially the influence of our Indian heritage. 

That a nation that owes so much to India, should have one of its citizens selected to be the Chief Guest at this Convention, is an honour beyond compare. I am deeply humbled at having been selected as your Chief Guest and for the honour of being bestowed the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award this year. I am humbled to now belong to the group of other awardees from Trinidad and Tobago, including former Prime Ministers Basdeo Panday and Kamla Persad-Bissessar; former government minsters, Winston Dookeran and Dr. Lenny Saith; High Court Judge Justice Frank Seepersad; and our National Council of Indian Culture. I am also humbled to join other Caribbean citizens who have also been bestowed this honour, including Sir Shridath Ramphal; the Honourable Bharat Jagdeo; Yesu Persaud; Kenneth Benjamin; Ramdien Sardjoe; and Guna Sekhar Muppuri – to name only a few. And I am tremendously humbled to have been included among all of this year’s awardees – from Australia to the United States of America – all of them remarkable individuals who have left an indelible mark on their nations, and enriched their societies in countless ways. Their achievements mirror those of the over 30-million strong Indian diaspora around the world, whose influence has shaped and continues to shape the countries they call home. I am humbled by and I am grateful for, all of them.

I am especially grateful today for the ties that continue to bind India and Trinidad and Tobago. I am happy to be able to report that those ties are stronger today than they have ever been, and that both countries continue to benefit immeasurably from each other’s knowledge, experience and expertise. We share unerasable historical ties – including our love of cricket: I am told that Brian Lara is as loved in India, as Sachin Tendulkar is in Trinidad and Tobago; our trade relations are robust – with Trinidad and Tobago exporting iron, steel, ammonia, aromatic bitters and other products to India, while importing pharmaceuticals, cashew nuts, fabrics, diamonds and other goods in return; and we enjoy a rich cultural cooperation, with countless agreements fostering the exchange between us of arts, music and more. India’s kindness and generosity to the people of Trinidad and Tobago are legendary, and have been shown, time and time again, including during the crisis of the COVID-19 Pandemic, when 40,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines arrived in Trinidad and Tobago, as a result of the gracious response from the Honourable Shri. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India to a letter sent by the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago. That act of kindness only further strengthened the longstanding relationship between the Governments and people of both countries. Today – by means of this ceremony, and always – by reason of our shared history and values, and by reason of the kindness and generosity that exists between both nations, our hearts are joined with the hearts of the people of India; and our destiny is inextricably entwined with yours. It is my hope and prayer that our nations will continue to thrive, hand in hand, learning from each other, benefiting from each other and growing together.

I have to say that I am also tremendously moved by the emphasis placed on young people in the Convention. Yesterday’s programme was dedicated entirely to the youth – I believe that this can only augur well for the future. The youth are the engine of growth and development in any society; empowering and supporting young people are vital for their and their societies’ growth and development. We all look forward to seeing today’s youth, inspired and encouraged by yesterday’s discussions, taking up the mantle of becoming tomorrow’s leaders.

In closing, I would like to again express my sincere gratitude to the Government of India for the honour of this award. As a daughter of the Indian diaspora; as a national of Trinidad and Tobago; and as a citizen of the world, I thank the Government and the people of India for your continued dedication to and emphasis on the role of the Indian diaspora in achieving a goal common to all people – a safe, harmonious world in which all can grow and thrive in peace and prosperity.

Thank you once again.