Port of Spain: With elections in the state barely a few months away, Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not let go the chance of making a Bihar connection while on his official visit to Trinidad and Tobago, nearly 15,000 km away from Patna.
The tiny island nation has a population of just 13 lakh. Nearly 45% of citizens are of Indian origin, their ancestors having travelled as indentured labourers from Bhojpuri-speaking districts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh during colonial times. Port of Spain, the capital city of Trinidad and Tobago, also has a Patna Street.
“Banaras, Patna, Kolkata, and Delhi may be cities in India, but these are also names of streets here,” PM Modi said.
He was accorded a grand welcome to the country with Bhojpuri chautaal (folk songs) and dhol beats. Thirty-eight ministers, including the country’s prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar turned up in traditional Indian attire, in what was a grand spectacle.
Calling Kamla ‘Bihar ki Beti’, Modi hailed her achievements. “The ancestors of PM Kamla were from Bihar’s Buxar. She has also visited the place. People consider her the daughter of Bihar,” he said.
Ram Lakhan Mishra, a native of Bhelpur village in Buxar, migrated to Trinidad and Tobago in 1889 as a labourer and settled there. Kamla Persad, one of his descendants, became the first woman prime minister of the nation a century later in 2018.
The Prime Minister invoked Bihar’s rich heritage, calling it a source of pride not just for India, but for the entire world.
“Bihar’s heritage is the pride of India and the world. The state has shown the way to the world in various fields like democracy, politics, and diplomacy for centuries. New opportunities will emerge from Bihar in the 21st century,” PM Modi said.
Praising the journey of the Indian community to Trinidad and Tobago, he said: “They left their soil but not their soul. They were not just migrants, they were messengers of a timeless civilisation.”
This was his way of connecting to the lakhs of Biharis who continue to travel beyond the state’s boundaries in search of a better livelihood. Despite facing difficulties, they take pride in their roots.
Modi had a gift for the Indian diaspora. The sixth-generation members of Indian-origin citizens will now be eligible for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. This will allow them to live and work in India.
The Prime Minister also shared photographs of a dinner event with Kamla. What was unique was not just the menu, but how it was served – on Sohari leaves. There was a Bihar connection in this as well. In that state, food is traditionally served on sal or banana leaves. The term Sohari has roots in the Bhojpuri language, meaning “food for the Gods”. The leaves are common at religious gatherings in Bihar.
