Trinidad and Tobago: The "Mini Bihar" in Caribbean
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited the Latin American country Trinidad and Tobago often referred as “Mini Bihar”
The country has over 40 per cent of its population from the 'Girmitiya' (meaning agreement in Awadhi) community who traced their roots from Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh
The people of the Girmitiya community are descendants of indentured labourers who were taken to the Caribbean island by Britishers in mid of the 18thcentury. The 1st such batch of the labourers from Bharat had arrived in the island nation in 1845
The community since then have become an integral part of the island nation, contributing immensely in its economic growth
Prime Minister Modi during the visit calls the PM of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad Bissessar, a ‘daughter of Bihar’ referring to her ancestral root in Buxar district
Despite extreme hardship, the Girmitiya community in the tiny island nation not only succeeded in making a name for themselves but they also managed to keep their cultural identity intact in a far fledged foreign land
A major chunk of the population in the country follows the Sanatan Dharma and cherished their ancestral roots via festivals, arts, music, etc. The tiny island also has a street named after Bihar’s capital Patna and a pilgrimage site called ‘Ganga Dhara’ in Blanchisseuse where pilgrims gather to commemorate Ganga Dashahara