The Indian diaspora in the Caribbean: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered an impassioned address in Port of Spain, underscoring India’s imminent rise as one of the world’s top three economies and highlighting the country’s deepening global influence through technology, infrastructure, and cultural diplomacy.
Modi, speaking to a packed gathering of over 4,000 people—including Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, cabinet ministers, lawmakers, and local dignitaries—framed India as a land of boundless potential. His remarks came during the second leg of a five-nation tour, marking the first official bilateral visit by an Indian prime minister to Trinidad and Tobago in over two decades.
“In a few years, India will be among the top three economies of the world,” Modi declared to thunderous applause from a crowd infused with pride. “The fruits of India’s growth and progress are reaching the most needy. For New India, even the sky is not the limit.”
This rhetoric is far from mere political hyperbole. India’s GDP recently overtook the UK’s to become the world’s fifth-largest economy, and it is projected by several international institutions—including Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley—to rise to third place behind the US and China by the early 2030s. According to the International Monetary Fund, India’s economy grew by over 7.8% in 2024, buoyed by surging domestic demand, strong exports, and state-led industrial policies.
Modi’s speech placed particular emphasis on India’s technological and digital revolutions. “Today, India is the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world,” he said. “Nearly 120 of our startups have achieved unicorn status. What is more heartening is that nearly half of these startups have women as directors.”
He pointed to India’s national missions in Artificial Intelligence, Semiconductors, and Quantum Computing as “the new engines of growth” that would define the 21st century. Modi described these programs as not only industrial initiatives but societal transformations, democratizing innovation across sectors and geographies.
“Innovation is becoming a mass movement in India,” he asserted. “Our youth are not just dreaming big—they are building the future.”
The AI mission alone has seen a doubling of central investment in AI research parks and public-private partnerships over the past year. With over 40 AI Centers of Excellence and partnerships with academic institutions like IITs and IISc, India has emerged as a serious global contender in deep tech development.
Modi spotlighted India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as an example of grassroots digital transformation. “Nearly 50% of the world’s real-time digital transactions now happen in India. UPI has made sending money as easy as sending a good morning message,” he quipped, drawing laughter when he added, “And faster than West Indies bowling!”
In a landmark move, Trinidad and Tobago has become the first Caribbean nation to adopt India’s UPI platform, allowing real-time peer-to-peer and cross-border transactions. This integration is expected to ease remittances and boost financial inclusion among the large Indian-origin population and wider Caribbean diaspora.
“This is fintech diplomacy,” said Dr. Anirudh Bhaskar, a digital economy analyst in Mumbai. “India is exporting not just products but platforms. That’s a shift in soft power dynamics.”
Modi’s visit was as much about rekindling ancestral bonds as it was about economic diplomacy. He hailed the Indian-origin population in Trinidad and Tobago—descendants of indentured laborers brought under British rule in the 19th century—as “messengers of a timeless civilization.”
“They left the Ganga and Yamuna behind but carried the Ramayan in their hearts,” Modi said poetically. “They were not just migrants. They were cultural ambassadors. Their contributions have enriched this nation economically, culturally, and spiritually.”
Over 40% of Trinidad and Tobago’s population traces its roots to India. The island’s calendar is peppered with Indian festivals like Diwali, Phagwa (Holi), and Ramleela. Bollywood music is popular, and Indian cuisine is part of daily life. Modi’s remarks struck a powerful chord with the local population.
He also offered symbolic gifts: a replica of the Ram Mandir of Ayodhya, water from the Sarayu River, and holy water from the recent Maha Kumbh Mela. These sacred elements, he said, would be offered to the Ganga Dhara—an Indian-style temple water channel in Trinidad—as a blessing to the people of the island nation.
“I request Prime Minister Kamla ji to offer the sacred waters to the Ganga Dhara here. May these holy waters bless the people of Trinidad and Tobago,” he said, blending religious reverence with diplomatic warmth.
One of the more poignant announcements of Modi’s address was the creation of a comprehensive database of the Girmitiya community—those indentured laborers taken from British India to work in sugarcane fields in colonies like Trinidad, Fiji, Mauritius, and South Africa.
The project, officials say, will collect records, oral histories, and genealogical data to preserve the legacy of these migrants and restore lost family links. The initiative is being jointly led by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
“This is a long-overdue tribute to a community whose story has been sidelined in both colonial and post-colonial narratives,” said Trinidad-based historian Professor Anand Sookdeo. “Modi’s gesture gives cultural dignity and official recognition to people who built this nation from the ground up.”
Modi’s speech also painted a vivid picture of an India in transformation—both physically and strategically. “Today’s India is building the world’s most modern infrastructure—highways, airports, metro rail systems, smart cities. We are investing in connectivity not only within India but with the world,” he said.
He cited India’s growing defence manufacturing capacity, pointing to the recent export of BrahMos missiles to Southeast Asia and the rollout of domestically built stealth frigates and fighter jets.
Under Modi’s “Make in India” campaign, defence exports have increased sixfold over the past decade. Indigenous platforms like the Tejas fighter jet, the Akash missile system, and the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier symbolize India’s push for military self-reliance.
Similarly, the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes in sectors like electronics, mobile phones, solar manufacturing, and semiconductors have attracted tens of billions in FDI over the last two years.
“The world sees India as a trusted partner,” Modi declared. “We are not just ‘Make in India.’ We are ‘Make for the World.’”
Modi’s multi-country visit, including stops in Russia, France, Suriname, and Kenya, illustrates India’s growing assertiveness on the world stage. It blends strategic defence talks, trade partnerships, and cultural diplomacy. The Trinidad stop in particular emphasizes India’s policy of deepening ties with Global South countries and reconnecting with diaspora networks.
“The Indian diaspora is our global family,” Modi said. “Wherever I go, I feel at home among you.”
India’s Ministry of External Affairs has increasingly focused on engaging diaspora communities as nodes in a global network of influence, investment, and cultural exchange. According to the World Bank, remittances to India hit an all-time high of $125 billion in 2024, and diasporic lobbying efforts have played significant roles in foreign policy outcomes.
“Modi is building a global India not just through trade or treaties but through people,” noted foreign policy expert Dr. Meenakshi Sundaram. “This is diplomacy rooted in emotion, identity, and mutual benefit.”
As Modi concluded his speech with a call to unity and vision, he returned to a recurring theme: resilience and destiny.
“India has shown that poverty can be defeated by empowering the poor. For the first time, crores of people have developed the confidence that this nation can be freed from poverty forever,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Trinidad and Tobago (Photo: X)
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