This is the first trinidad and Tobago visit of an Indian Prime Minister after 1999.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leaving on a visit to 5 countries since Wednesday. First of all, he will visit the African country of Ghana. After this, he will visit Namibia via Trinidad & Tobago, Argentina and Brazil. A chair has also come into the discussion before this tour. The special thing is that this chair kept in the Parliament of foreign soil is mentioned by the people of India and India. PM Modi will go to this Parliament and will also give his speech in front of the chair there.
PM Modi will travel to 5 countries during an 8 -day foreign tour. Under the second stop of the yatra, PM Modi will visit Trinidad and Tobago. PM Modi is traveling to this country on the invitation of Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Prasad Bisacer. He is coming to this Caribbean country for the first time as Prime Minister. Also, after 1999 i.e. after 25 years, an Indian Prime Minister is also the first bilateral visit.
This chair came in discussion before the journey
Prior to the visit, Secretary (South) in the Ministry of External Affairs Nina Malhotra said that the speaker's chair in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago was gifted by India, which reflects the 'strong democratic and parliamentary traditions between the two countries. Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margerita mentioned this chair during her visit last year and also shared a photo on social media.
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This chair has come into the discussion again before PM Modi's visit. This chair was given by India on 9 February 1968 as a gift to Trinidad and Tobago. Trinidad and Tobago was liberated from the clutches of British rule on 31 August 1962 and India gifted a chair to the Parliament of this country to make it memorable and to keep their friendship historic.
India gifted 57 years ago
This incident has passed now to be 57 years. But this chair, which is nearly 6 decades, is still kept in Parliament in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago and speakers sit on it and conduct the action. Right now there is speaker Jagdev Singh and at this time he uses this chair.
This chair gifted by India is an excellent example of Indian style. This chair prepared from wood was being prepared in India for many years. However, Trinidad and Tobago became independent in 1962, while this chair was gifted to the Caribbean country after 6 years of independence.
Indian High Commissioner gifted the chair
The Government of India, led by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, decided to give Trinidad and Tobago, who was liberated from British rule, to give the chair of a speaker of Parliament as a gift. According to the parliamentary proceedings of Trinidad and Tobago, this program of handing over the chair on behalf of India took place on 9 February 1968. It was gifted by the then Indian High Commissioner Muni Lal to Trinidad and Tobago.
The proceedings to give the gift from India began at 1.37 pm on 9 February 1968, when the speaker was Arnold Thomasos and he told the MPs present that the High Commissioner Muni Lal would gift him a special thing on behalf of the Government of India and the people. Then according to the records of the local parliament, this gift was given to the Parliament there at around 1.45 pm. On this, the members present there played applause. Then the proceedings were postponed at 1.55 pm.
India's old relations with Trinidad-Tobago
It is said that there was a delay of 6 years in gifting the chair prepared in a special way. This chair was prepared from a specific type of wood and it took a long time to prepare it due to the illness of one of the 2 artisans who carved it on it and due to this it was delayed. Like Trinidad and Tobago, India also gifted the chair to the Parliament of Surinam.
India also gifted Surinam a chair (FB)
The relationship between India and Trinidad and Tobago is quite old. The relations between India and this Caribbean country started from mid -1800s when on May 30, 1845, the first ship with 225 Indian Girmitia laborers reached the banks of Trinidad. Then this country was also part of the British colony. The process of carrying Indian laborers continued here even further. Today, the number of people of Indian origin here is about 42 percent of the total population. Citizens of Indian origin are considered politically very powerful in this country.
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