HN_ANI2_OD_BHUBANESWAR_PM_NARENDRA_MODI_18TH_PRAVASI_BHARTIYA_DIVAS_10-31-57

ETVBHARAT

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00:00Referring the Pravasi Bharatiya Samana Award, the government and the people of India give powerful

00:06expression to their commitment to strengthening the ties between India and all of her children

00:12throughout the world. In the case of persons of Indian descent in Trinidad and Tobago,

00:19those ties run deep. India was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with

00:26Trinidad and Tobago following our independence from the United Kingdom on August 31, 1962.

00:35But our country's ties with India long precede that date. Our relationship goes back to May 30,

00:431845, when the first ship, the Fatal Razak, carrying 225 Indian indentured workers,

00:51reached the shores of Trinidad, then a British colony. For 72 unbroken years thereafter,

00:59more than 143,000 Indians came from cities and states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal,

01:08and many others, reshaping the social, demographic, economic, and cultural landscape of Trinidad and

01:15Tobago forever. They were a fascinating mix of peoples, languages, traditions, and belief systems,

01:23all united in search of a new life. I stand before you virtually living that new life,

01:32180 years after the first ships bearing Indian immigrants departed for Trinidad.

01:39I am deeply aware of the enormous significance of the voyage these immigrants undertook,

01:45and of the resilience that was required for them to make the decisions they made,

01:50face the challenges they faced, and not only survive, but thrive in their adopted homeland.

01:57Today, the descendants of those indentured workers, now in their fifth and sixth generations,

02:04form nearly 42 percent of the total population of Trinidad and Tobago,

02:09the largest numerical presence of persons of Indian descent anywhere in the Caribbean.

02:14And constitute an integral part of the economic, political, and social fabric of the country.

02:21Trinidad and Tobago has learned and benefited immensely from the traditions and values of our

02:27citizens of Indian descent. We have learned and benefited from the courage, resilience,

02:33willingness to sacrifice, and steadfastness that they showed throughout all that they endured.

02:40As a developing nation, we face many of the same challenges that other developing nations do.

02:47But we have the signal advantage of being able to draw upon the rich legacy of the courage

02:53and the determination of our citizens of Indian descent. And we have, in doing so,

03:00been able to create a stronger, more resilient nation. And so I am grateful to India,

03:07to my ancestors, and to their values for helping build Trinidad and Tobago into the nation that it

03:13is today. The Trinidad and Tobago that all of its citizens are proud to call their home today

03:20is the product of a mix of many varied and beautiful historical influences,

03:25including and especially the influence of our Indian heritage.

03:30That a nation that owes so much to India should have one of its citizens selected to be the chief

03:37guest at this convention is an honor beyond compare. I am deeply humbled at having been

03:44selected as your chief guest and for the honor of being bestowed the Pravasi Bharatiya Saman

03:51Award this year. I am humbled to now belong to the group of other awardees from Trinidad and Tobago,

03:59including former Prime Ministers Basdio Pandey and Kamala Prasad B. Sessa, former Government

04:04Ministers Winston Dukkaran and Dr. Lenny Seath, High Court Judge Justice Frank C. Prasad,

04:11and our National Council of Indian Culture. I am also humbled to join other Caribbean citizens

04:18who have also been bestowed this honor, including Sir Sridhar Ramphal, the Honorable Bharat Jagdeo,

04:25Yesud Prasad, Kenneth Benjamin, Ramlyan Saju, and Gunasakar Mupuri, to name only a few.

04:35And I am tremendously humbled to have been included among all of this year's awardees,

04:40from Australia to the United States of America, all of them remarkable individuals who have

04:47left an indelible mark on their nations and enriched their societies in countless ways.

04:53Their achievements mirror those of the over 30 million strong Indian diaspora.

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