People of Indian Origin (PIO) living on the island of Guadeloupe, which is part of the Republic of France, celebrated the arrival of Indian indentured workers to that country last weekend. Celebrations were spearheaded by the Guadeloupe arm of Gopio (The Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin.)The delegation from T&T included the vice president of Gopio Caribbean, Deosaran Bisnath, and T&T journalists Sita Persad, Vanni Singh and Shastri Boodan.
There were also representatives from France and other French speaking territories such as Martinique, Maritus and La Réunion.Vayalar Ravi, the Indian minister of Overseas Indian Affairs and minister of Civil Aviation, opened a memorial dedicated to the Indian community that arrived on December 25, 1854. This was the first time an Indian minister of Government visited the island for such an event since the indentured workers arrived in Guadeloupe more than 150 years ago.On Sunday Ravi then joined Bernier Laurent, the mayor of Saint-Francois, Guadeloupe and inaugurated a statue of Mahatma Gandhi.
About the PIO in Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands. It is the first overseas region of France and an integral part of the Republic. As part of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European Union. The Indians arrived on December 25, 1854 as indentured labourers to work in the sugar estates.There are an estimated 30,000 PIO living on the island. Many are eager to learn of their roots. All said they were loyal citizens of the Republic of France who wanted to get in touch with their cultural heritage.
However, the language barrier was the major stumbling block when it came to forging ties with other PIO living in the region. The cuisine of the PIO in Guadeloupe is quite different from that of T&T. Instead of split peas or dhal, the PIO in Guadeloupe eat lentils.Appetisers include cubes of ham, French bread served with grated coconut chutney, and pickles. Meats are curried. However, the cuts are much larger that what is usually served in T&T. No curried duck or geera pork was served, but there was ham and Duck a L'Orange readily available.