E-Paper
Bihar creates 'discover your roots' package for NRIs
Bihar has put together a tourism package for NRIs, particularly Biharis living outside the country, to acquaint them with their roots.
Bihar has put together a special tourism package for non-resident Indians (NRIs), particularly Biharis living outside the country, to acquaint them with their roots.
The 'Discover Your Roots' package will allow people of Bihari origin to visit their forefathers' villages. The package would particularly target people of Bihari origin living in Fiji, Mauritius, Surinam, Guyana, South Africa and other countries.
"We have devised a special package -- roots tourism -- aimed at attracting NRIs, particularly Biharis, to their roots in the state," said Ashok Kumar Sinha, an official of the Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation (BSTDC).
The package was initially mooted last year but failed to take practical shape.
"Now we are working hard to attract people of Bihari origin back to Bihar," Sinha said.
The government is banking on thousands of non-resident Biharis and people of Bihari origin living across the world who might have a desire to visit their native villages.
A large number of people from Bihar, known as Girmitiya labourers, travelled to various parts of the world in the 19th century to serve as indentured labour on sugarcane and rubber plantations.
Thousands of third or fourth generation Biharis now live in Fiji, Surinam, Mauritius and South Africa. Most are well off and play a significant role in the socio-economic and political structures of their adopted countries.
BSTDC has approached embassies and the central tourism ministry to get information about people of Bihari origin in these countries. It has also made a video CD containing information on hotel accommodation in the state with room rates in dollars, sightseeing facilities and details of historical and tourist attractions.
"Our aim is to boost tourism but we want to connect people of Bihari origin with Bihar because many of them would have lost track of their roots over the years," Sinha said.
Ajay Kumar, social researcher and owner of bihartimes.com, a website for Bihari NRIs, said most people sent abroad as indentured labour belonged to Chapra, Gopalganj, Bhojpur, Siwan and East and West Champaran districts.
BSTDC has requested the embassies to provide data about Bihari NRIs. Based on the information, their origins could be traced and BSTDC would prepare customised tourism packages.
The Bihar government claims there are about 10 million NRIs of Bihari origin around the world.
But tourism department officials said foreign tourists accounted for only 3.37 per cent of the total foreign tourist inflow to Bihar.
