SUMMARY
- PM Modi received a traditional Bhojpuri Chautaal welcome in Port of Spain, marking the first Indian PM visit to Trinidad & Tobago since 1999.
- He praised the Indian diaspora’s role in shaping the Caribbean nation and reaffirmed deep cultural and historical links.
- With 45% of Trinidad’s population of Indian origin, Modi’s outreach is both diplomatic and emotional, spotlighting the UP-Bihar diaspora.
From Chhapra to Port of Spain: Why Modi’s Caribbean Visit Carries Global Weight
On July 4, 2025, PM Narendra Modi became the first Indian leader in 26 years to set foot in Trinidad and Tobago—a nation where nearly 45% of the population traces its ancestry to India, primarily from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. His arrival was not just a ceremonial gesture—it was a symbolic reclamation of a long-neglected diaspora relationship that has spanned generations and oceans.
Greeted by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and a rousing Bhojpuri Chautaal performance, Modi used his visit to shine a light on the emotional and cultural ties between India and its Caribbean family. On X (formerly Twitter), he wrote: “A cultural connect like no other!”—underscoring the spiritual continuity of language, music, and memory that has survived colonial indentureship, globalization, and migration.
This trip, which follows high-impact engagements in Ghana, Namibia, and Argentina, signals India’s deepening strategic footprint across the Global South. But in Trinidad, it’s not just about trade or treaties. It’s about cultural kinship as soft power.
PM @narendramodi in Trinidad & Tobago:
— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) July 4, 2025
“OCI cards will now be extended to the sixth generation of the Indian diaspora.”
A powerful step to honour shared roots and strengthen the eternal bond with Bharat.#PMModiInTrinidadTobago#PMModiInTrinidad pic.twitter.com/GymSBKtpEb
A Diaspora Built on Memory and Modernity
- PM Modi hailed Indian-origin citizens in Trinidad & Tobago for contributing to the nation’s progress while preserving their cultural roots.
- He met with the Indian community and celebrated the survival of Bhojpuri, folk arts, and Hindu rituals in the Caribbean.
- MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal noted that most Indian-origin Trinidadians hail from Chhapra, Ara, Siwan, Banaras, Ballia, and Azamgarh.
Unlike typical state visits dominated by economic frameworks and strategic briefings, Modi’s engagement in Port of Spain had an unmistakably emotive tone. Addressing a packed Indian community event, he invoked the stories of indentured labourers who sailed from Calcutta’s ports in the 19th century to sugar plantations in the West Indies. What they carried, and preserved, he said, was not just faith—but language, rhythm, and resilience.
In doing so, Modi positioned the diaspora not as passive observers but as active co-architects of Trinidadian nationhood. And for a country with just 1.3 million people, where Indian-origin citizens form the largest ethnic group, that acknowledgment matters deeply.
Why This Visit Was 26 Years in the Making
- The last Indian Prime Minister to visit Trinidad and Tobago was Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999.
- PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar welcomed Modi with full ceremonial honours and called him “a transformational force who has refined governance in India.”
- Modi’s arrival follows India’s broader diplomatic charm offensive across Africa and Latin America.
According to Jaiswal, this was not just a routine bilateral stop—it was a long-awaited diplomatic reset. Despite the significant Indian demographic presence in the Caribbean, no PM-level outreach had occurred for over two decades. Modi’s arrival was, thus, seen as a moment of political validation for the Indo-Trinidadian community.
Trinidad & Tobago, while small in size, has long played an outsized role in India’s global cultural imagination. From calypso songs with Sanskrit lyrics to Indo-Caribbean politicians holding national office, it’s a space where the Indian diaspora thrives not as a minority—but as a mainstream force.
Culture as Diplomacy: Bhojpuri on the World Stage
- The visit featured a traditional Chautaal folk performance, symbolic of Bhojpuri-speaking migrants’ heritage.
- Modi spotlighted Bhojpuri, folk theatre, and Ramayana traditions that still flourish in Caribbean festivals.
- He gifted cultural artefacts that highlight India’s soft power—from Pashmina shawls in Ghana to Bidri vases in Port of Spain.
Chautaal, a high-energy folk form typically sung during Holi, was more than just a welcome performance—it was a political and cultural affirmation. For decades, Bhojpuri speakers in the Caribbean have fought to retain their language amid Anglicization and creolisation. That their cultural expression was chosen as the ceremonial welcome for India’s Prime Minister was no accident—it was a declaration: our culture has endured, and it matters.
In a global moment when identity politics dominates headlines, India’s projection of civilizational diplomacy—using shared language, faith, and history as tools of engagement—is increasingly distinguishing its foreign policy. Modi’s Caribbean outreach may not match the economic scale of his G7 summits, but symbolically, it may prove just as enduring.
Modi’s Caribbean Pivot: What Comes Next?
Modi’s visit is expected to open new doors for bilateral cooperation in education, healthcare, digital governance, and heritage conservation. While no major trade agreements were signed on this leg of the journey, the political capital built during this trip could shape future collaboration in climate resilience, diaspora engagement, and commonwealth diplomacy.
And as India continues to push for permanent UNSC membership and Global South leadership, countries like Trinidad and Tobago—once overlooked—could become critical allies in multilateral negotiations.
For now, PM Modi’s Caribbean visit has reawakened historical memory, rejuvenated diaspora bonds, and reminded both nations that identity, like diplomacy, is most powerful when rooted in respect.
