'Adventurous story of migration': Madagascar PM inaugurates exhibition on Indian diaspora

Madagascar PM Christian Ntsay on March 27 inaugurated an exhibition based on the Indian Diaspora at the Indian embassy in Antananarivo. While taking to Twitter, the Indian embassy in Madagascar informed that along with the PM, Madagascar Foreign Minister Tehindra Zanarivelo Oliva and Indian Ambassador Abhay Kumar also attended the event. PM Ntsay paid floral tributes to Mahatma Gandhi and after inaugurating the exhibition he said that it was important to preserve the memories and to promote them as well. 

Ntsay said, “The Indian community in Madagascar is very important for India and for Madagascar. I recommend this exhibition as an initiative of the Indian Embassy because it is very important for the Malagasy people to understand that all the things that we are seeing now did not start from zero and that this journey is very important to understand because it is part of our common history”. 

Indian community acts as ‘vital bridge’ 

During the event, Indian Ambassador Abhay Kumar also said that the Indian community in Madagascar acts as a “vital bridge” between the two countries. He recalled the time he arrived in the East African country two years ago and said that he had a dream to create a memorial for the Indian community in Madagascar. Kumar said that this exhibition is a small step in that direction and further added that it has come to life today with consistent efforts and contributions from the members of the Indian community. 

The envoy added, “This exhibition tells their fascinating and adventurous story of the migration to Madagascar. I believe this exhibition will act as a seed in creating an Indian Memorial in Madagascar and will grow in the coming future as more and more families will share the stories of their struggle and success in Madagascar”. 

It is worth mentioning that people from the Indian state of Gujarat sailed across the Indian Ocean in dhows to Madagascar. Today there are around 17,500 persons of Indian origin in every part of Madagascar and play a crucial role in its society and economy. India also has maritime links with the East African nation for several centuries and the Indian Ocean remains a strong link between the two countries. 

(With inputs from ANI)

(Image: @IndembTana/Twitter)