E-Paper
Prime Minister visits Apravasi Ghat
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Apravasi Ghat in Mauritius where the first indentured labourers from India were brought in 1840s.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday visited Apravasi Ghat where the first indentured labourers from India were brought to Mauritius in the 1840s by the British.
The prime minister, on the third day of a four-day visit to Mauritius, unveiled a commemorative plaque at the Ghat. He also had a look around the place and made a noting in the visitor's book.
"I bow my head in homage to those who climbed these steps in centuries gone by and through their toil created a jewel in the ocean that shines bright today and will shine even brighter in the years to come," went Manmohan Singh's noting.
The Apravasi Ghat marks the site through which 450,000 indentured labourers from India first set foot in Mauritius between 1830s and the 1920s, marking one of the great waves of migration in recorded history.
To mark the arrival of the first batch of indentured labourers in Mauritius, Nov 2 is celebrated as the Apravasi Divas and a commemorative ceremony is performed at the Apravasi Ghat - that was called the Coolie Ghat till 1987.
About 68 percent of Mauritius' population of 1.22 million are of Indian origin, about 52 percent of whom are Hindus.
The prime minister was later given a civic reception at the Vivekananda International Convention Centre here by some 50 religious and socio-cultural organisations.
Among those present included P.K. Jugnauth, deputy prime minister and L.D. Dookun-Luchoomun, minister for arts and culture. The cultural centre was built in October 2003 with financial aid of about 15 million dollars from India.
Speaking on the occasion, Manmohan Singh said: "Relations between India and Mauritius cannot be fathomed in words. The presence of so many friends of India here is a testimony to your affection for our country."
Emphasising the concept of unity in diversity prevalent in India and Mauritius, he recalled the contributions of Swami Vivekananda. "Over a century ago, Swami Vivekananda addressed the Parliament of Religions at Chicago. His message was heard the world over - a message of the essential oneness of spiritual values of all world religions."
"I take this opportunity to felicitate you and thank you. Our relations are the relations of heart and blood - of kinship born of shared heritage and culture, I am happy to see that our common culture, customs, festivals and beliefs find the fullest expression here even after so many generations," he said.
