00:00A border replica of the Fatal Razak, Prime Minister Kamala Posada-Bissessa retraced
00:05the journey that began 181 years ago with the arrival of the first East Indian indentured
00:11labourers to Trinidad.
00:13The reenactment at the Heritage Dam in Clark Road, Penal, commemorated the arrival of immigrants
00:18whose contributions would help shape the nation's social, cultural and economic landscape.
00:24But for the Prime Minister, the observance was also deeply personal.
00:28During her address, Prime Minister Posada-Bissessa reflected on the life of her greater grandmother
00:34who arrived in Trinidad in the 1880s and endured hardship while building a new life in unfamiliar
00:40land.
00:41And therefore I ask, could Samaria have ever imagined that the same roads and mud tracks
00:49she once walked upon in such poverty, that that hardship that she endured, that those footsteps
00:55will be retraced by her own great-granddaughter, not as an outcast, but as an MP and as a Prime
01:02Minister of this very nation.
01:05She once struggled to survive and find acceptance.
01:09The Prime Minister said her great-grandmother's story reflects the experiences of thousands of
01:15Indian immigrants whose perseverance laid a foundation for future generations.
01:20Indeed, the story I shared with you, Samaria, and thousands like her became part of the larger story
01:27that built Trinidad and Tobago itself.
01:31India's High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago also addressed the gathering highlighting efforts
01:36to preserve the shared history between the two countries and strengthen ties with the Indian diaspora.
01:41Prime Minister Modi has reiterated the importance of honoring, honoring and reconnecting
01:48our Girmitia legacy, including in Trinidad and Tobago.
01:52And it is in this context that we are working closely with the National Archives of Trinidad and Tobago
01:59for potential collaboration for its upgradation.
02:02He also encouraged eligible members of the diaspora to take advantage of India's overseas citizenship program,
02:09which has been extended to later generations of descendants.
02:13I'd also take this opportunity to convey, Excellency, that we are working hard on the promotion
02:18of the overseas citizenship of India card scheme, for which our Prime Minister has announced
02:24issuing of this facility up to the sixth generation of the diaspora.
02:29A number of workshops have been organized in different places in the last few months,
02:35and it is our sincere effort that the diaspora of Trinidad and Tobago maximize availing this scheme.
02:43As the nation marked Indian arrival day, the ceremony served as a reminder of courage, sacrifice and resilience
02:51of those who crossed the oceans in search of opportunity and whose descendants continue to help shape Trinidad and Tobago
02:58today.
02:59Sharla Kistu, TV6 News.
03:01Sharla Kistu, TV6 News.
03:04Sharla Kistu, TV6 News.
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