Prime Minister Narendra Modi is applauded for remarks praising the descendants of Indentured Indians (girmitiyas) in his 135th edition of Man ki Baat (Oct 25). He has been the only Prime Minister of India to so recognize the enormous contributions and extolling the virtues of the girmitiyas in their home countries and to India. The PM has been written to give consideration of a prominently posted monument in Kolkata (perhaps near the depot from where the girmitiyas boarded the ships to take them to different parts of the globe that would lead to the establishment of the Indian diaspora that is now found in so many countries in the developing as well as developed world.
This writer attended the diaspora programs in Trinidad, Guyana and New York attended by the PM and watched his addresses to the diasporas in so many countries not the least being Fiji, Mauritius, Seychelles, Netherlands, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Durban, Kenya, Uganda, among others. He always gave a consistent moving tribute to the Girmitiya community, honouring their courage, resilience and enduring legacy during indentureship as well as by their descendants. The girmitiyas faced immense hardships to build new lives in countries. He praised them for confronting adversity with hope and perseverance, while preserving their cultural heritage, faith, traditions and ancestral connections to India — powerful recognition of the dignity, sacrifice and historic contributions of the descendants of Indian indentured labourers. He also highlighted their outstanding contributions to the cultural, economic and spiritual development of their adopted homeland, noting that the descendants of Girmitiyas are defined today not by the struggles of their forebears, but by their success, service and values. His remarks also underscored your commitment to preserving Girmitiya history, strengthening ancestral ties and recognising the achievements of the global Indian diaspora.
The PM’s gestures and remarks have underscored the enduring bond between India and descendants of the girmitiyas, giving renewed recognition to a community whose history deserves to be remembered, respected and celebrated by the world. The PM is viewed as a statesman by the diaspora. He is deeply admired. I traveled around the diaspora and interviewed people. He has followers everywhere. As a fourth generation Indian from Guyana, a diaspora specialist, Indologist, ‘Modi Bhakt’, defender of Modi and BJP government and India in Guyana and Caribbean press, follower and writer on Modi ji, prolific writer on the Caribbean girmitiya diaspora and other Indian diasporas, I wrote on several of his events. I also wrote a PhD Dissertation on Modi’s Leadership as a Statesman. Girmitiyas are pleased with the policy of Modi ji on the diaspora, especially on OCI.
The PM has a magnetic personality. I met the PM multiple times before he became PM and during his tenure as PM. We met at several PBDs and in Trinidad some 27 years go at a Hindu forum when Shri Basdeo Panday was PM. I also met the Indian leader in Guyana (December 2024) and Trinidad (July 2025) and attended all his programs in both countries). Ravi Maharaj ji and I always spoke fondly of his visit to Trinidad including at his home following the death of his daughter almost three decades ago. I attended all his diaspora events in New York going back to September 2014 also met him at the August 15 celebrations in 2014, right after his election as PM, at the President’s home where he was the Chief Guest. President Pranab and Senior Leader LK Advani were also there.
Ther is great respect and admiration for Modi ji worldwide by the diaspora. He is saluted for his attitude towards the girmitiya diaspora who numbers about thirteen millions globally in the developing and developed world.