08 jan 2012
JAIPUR: If India is today a loveable grandma to the millions of people of Indian origin (PIO) living in the West Indies, Guyana, Fiji, Mauritius and other countries, Kolkata certainly has a role to play. It was from the Kolkata port that nearly 148,000 indentured labourers sailed for Trinidad and Tobago between 1845 and 1917. And they certainly did well for themselves. One of their descendents is Kamla Persad Bissessar, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who was the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave on Sunday. The conclave is being held in Jaipur.
"I am a grandmother myself and know the relation that children usually share with their grandmoms. Trinidad and Tobago will always remain our mother but India is our grandmother. It was from here that people travelled to, worked and settled down in Trinidad and Tobago. There was no social networking sites in those days. People just sailed with Bhagavad Gitas and Korans clutched in their fists. Even today, we celebrate Diwali and Holi in Trinidad and Tobago. The people there still dance to the beat of the 'tasha' as they do to local instruments," said Bissessar, quoting lines from Gandhi and Tagore.
Sources said that Bissessar has plans to visit Kolkata where a memorial has been built for those who sailed to foreign shores and settled there, bringing about agricultural and overall socio-economic development. The Kolkata Memorial was inaugurated on January 11, 2011, at the Kidderpore Depot by Vayalar Ravi, minister of overseas affairs. Since then, the structure has been a must see for PIOs visiting India. A large number of them were present in Jaipur on Sunday when Bissessar delivered her address.
"We certainly know of Calcutta. That is the place from where our ancestors left India. It is from Kolkata that our ancestors set sail. My granny would give a vivid description of their arrival to the big city, from their village, for the onward voyage across the seas. I can't trace the village in Bihar where my grandparents came from but Calcutta is certainly worth a visit," said a delegate from Trinidad and Tobago. It is another matter altogether that there is no participation from West Bengal in the conclave. States like Bihar and Jharkhand are participating though and are also holding separate sessions.
The day also saw minister for overseas Indian affairs Valayar Ravi assuring the audience that measures would be taken to protect rights of Indian workers working abroad. There is good news for workers from West Bengal who work under terrible conditions abroad. In the recent past, there have been several complaints from family members of such workers. The body of one worker from Howrah lay in a morgue in the United Arab Emirates for a month as his employers wouldn't take the responsibility of sending it back home. It took Ravi's intervention to bring the body back to Howrah.
"There are five million Indian workers employed abroad. Nearly 40% of the country's total remittance comes from them. We are also taking steps to protect their labour rights and prevent the exploitation of women. Even the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has drawn our attention to these problems. We have drawn out bilateral agreements with several countries and set up Indian Community Welfare Funds under the control of the embassies. These funds are to be utilized for food, shelter and legal assistance to the workers. We have also set up a Indian Workers' Resource Centre in Abu Dhabi where all job contracts will be recorded. More such centres will come up in other countries," Ravi said.
Trinidad and Tobago will always remain our mother but India is our grandmother. Even today, we celebrate Diwali and Holi in Trinidad and Tobago. The people there still dance to the beat of the 'tasha' as they do to local instruments
JAIPUR: If India is today a loveable grandma to the millions of people of Indian origin (PIO) living in the West Indies, Guyana, Fiji, Mauritius and other countries, Kolkata certainly has a role to play. It was from the Kolkata port that nearly 148,000 indentured labourers sailed for Trinidad and Tobago between 1845 and 1917. And they certainly did well for themselves. One of their descendents is Kamla Persad Bissessar, the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, who was the chief guest at the inaugural session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas conclave on Sunday. The conclave is being held in Jaipur.
"I am a grandmother myself and know the relation that children usually share with their grandmoms. Trinidad and Tobago will always remain our mother but India is our grandmother. It was from here that people travelled to, worked and settled down in Trinidad and Tobago. There was no social networking sites in those days. People just sailed with Bhagavad Gitas and Korans clutched in their fists. Even today, we celebrate Diwali and Holi in Trinidad and Tobago. The people there still dance to the beat of the 'tasha' as they do to local instruments," said Bissessar, quoting lines from Gandhi and Tagore.
Sources said that Bissessar has plans to visit Kolkata where a memorial has been built for those who sailed to foreign shores and settled there, bringing about agricultural and overall socio-economic development. The Kolkata Memorial was inaugurated on January 11, 2011, at the Kidderpore Depot by Vayalar Ravi, minister of overseas affairs. Since then, the structure has been a must see for PIOs visiting India. A large number of them were present in Jaipur on Sunday when Bissessar delivered her address.
"We certainly know of Calcutta. That is the place from where our ancestors left India. It is from Kolkata that our ancestors set sail. My granny would give a vivid description of their arrival to the big city, from their village, for the onward voyage across the seas. I can't trace the village in Bihar where my grandparents came from but Calcutta is certainly worth a visit," said a delegate from Trinidad and Tobago. It is another matter altogether that there is no participation from West Bengal in the conclave. States like Bihar and Jharkhand are participating though and are also holding separate sessions.
The day also saw minister for overseas Indian affairs Valayar Ravi assuring the audience that measures would be taken to protect rights of Indian workers working abroad. There is good news for workers from West Bengal who work under terrible conditions abroad. In the recent past, there have been several complaints from family members of such workers. The body of one worker from Howrah lay in a morgue in the United Arab Emirates for a month as his employers wouldn't take the responsibility of sending it back home. It took Ravi's intervention to bring the body back to Howrah.
"There are five million Indian workers employed abroad. Nearly 40% of the country's total remittance comes from them. We are also taking steps to protect their labour rights and prevent the exploitation of women. Even the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has drawn our attention to these problems. We have drawn out bilateral agreements with several countries and set up Indian Community Welfare Funds under the control of the embassies. These funds are to be utilized for food, shelter and legal assistance to the workers. We have also set up a Indian Workers' Resource Centre in Abu Dhabi where all job contracts will be recorded. More such centres will come up in other countries," Ravi said.
Trinidad and Tobago will always remain our mother but India is our grandmother. Even today, we celebrate Diwali and Holi in Trinidad and Tobago. The people there still dance to the beat of the 'tasha' as they do to local instruments
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