Headlines
Modi pays homage to Indian indentured labour at Mauritius' Aapravasi Ghat
Port Louis, March 12
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi on Thursday paid homage to Indian indentured labourers during his
visit to the Aapravasi Ghat, an immigration depot through which the
ancestors of more than 70 percent of Mauritius's current population
arrived.
Modi paid homage to the "brave" Indian indentured
labourers who arrived in Mauritius in batches from 1834 till the early
20th century.
"I am honoured to have the opportunity to pay
homage to the brave Apravasis who left India's shores nearly two
centuries ago. Aapravasi Ghat is an eloquent tribute to the indomitable
human spirit and also to the enduring links between our people," Modi
wrote in the visitor's book at the site.
"It is our sacred duty to treasure and preserve this site," he said.
Aapravasi
Ghat is located on the bay of Trou Fanfaron, in the capital Port Louis.
Immigrants arrived from India after a journey across the Indian Ocean
that generally took eight to ten weeks.
Half a million Indian
indentured labourers crossed the steps of this immigration depot to work
in plantations of the British empire.
Mauritius marked the 180th
anniversary of the first arrival of Indian indentured labour at
Aapravasi Ghat on November 2 last year. It is now a World Heritage site.