“Between 1860 and 1911, over 152,000 Indians came to South Africa under the indentured scheme. Very often, when we speak of our relations with India, we forget that a sizeable number of Indian South Africans have their roots in Bihar.”
— Anil Sooklal, Deputy DG, South African Department of International Cooperation and Relations
The state of Bihar should use the links created by several indentured labourers, who came to South Africa from 1860 as sugar-cane farm labourers, to boost tourism, according to Anil Sooklal, Deputy Director-General for Asia in the South African Department of International Cooperation and Relations, who is of Bihari origin. He said that projects need to be started to get the 1.4 million South Africans of Indian origin to rediscover their roots, reported PTI.
Sooklal made the remarks at a Bihar Diwas event in Johannesburg hosted by Consul General Anju Ranjan, who arranged a linkup with the event which was hosted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Tuesday. “Between 1860 and 1911, over 152,000 Indians came to South Africa under the indentured scheme. Very often, when we speak of our relations with India, we forget that a sizeable number of Indian South Africans have their roots in Bihar,” Sooklal said.
He added that Bihar should use the links created by indentured labourers, who came to South Africa as sugar-cane farm labourers, to boost tourism. “This conclave is a good first attempt to demonstrate the strong historical bonds that we have between South Africa and especially the state of Bihar.
The High Commissioner of India to South Africa, Jaideep Sarkar, said people were no longer content with only visiting the Golden Triangle in India. He said the opportunities for religious tourism, including for the Christian community, as well as medical tourism, were areas that Bihar needed to consider
Cultural connectivity is a very important part of the connectivity between India and South Africa,” Sooklal said as he said that prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, there were over 100,000 visitors from India to South Africa annually, while over 80,000 South Africans visited India. Not only Indian South Africans, but the broader community should be targeted in marketing and promotion. “We need to intensify efforts to bring greater visibility to the tourism offerings in India to the South Africa populace and likewise bring greater visibility of South Africa to the Indian populace,” Sooklal said.
The High Commissioner of India to South Africa, Jaideep Sarkar, said people were no longer content with only visiting the Golden Triangle in India. He said the opportunities for religious tourism, including for the Christian community, as well as medical tourism, were areas that Bihar needed to consider. “Tourists now focus on novelty and uniqueness; something that their friends have not done, and therefore it is very pertinent that (this seminar) highlights the state of Bihar as a complete tourist destination,” Sarkar said.
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