Latest news with #Bhojpuri-speaking
NDTV
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- NDTV
BJP MP Seeks Bharat Ratna For Poet Bhikhari Thakur Ahead of Bihar Polls
BJP MP Manoj Tiwari has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, demanding that Bhikhari Thakur, the legendary Bhojpuri poet, playwright, singer, and social reformer, be posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. The timing of the demand, just ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections, has drawn political attention. Bhikhari Thakur, often hailed as the "Shakespeare of Bhojpuri," holds deep cultural resonance in Bihar, particularly among Bhojpuri-speaking voters in the state's northern and central districts. In his letter dated July 16, Tiwari described Thakur as a visionary who used theatre, music, and literature to highlight pressing social issues like child marriage, caste discrimination, gender inequality, alcoholism, and migration. "Bhikhari Thakur gave the Bhojpuri language a strong cultural identity and transformed folk art into a powerful medium for social awareness," Tiwari wrote. He referred to Thakur's iconic works such as Bidesiya, Beti Bechwa, and Gabar Ghichor, which continue to be performed in villages and towns across Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Born in 1887 in Chhapra district of Bihar, Thakur came from a barber family and had little formal education. Despite that, he built a travelling theatre company that brought socially charged performances to rural audiences. His plays were not just entertainment; they were critiques of deeply entrenched social norms. While Tiwari's letter emphasizes Thakur's cultural contributions, the political context is hard to ignore. The BJP has been working to consolidate support among Bhojpuri-speaking voters, and invoking Bhikhari Thakur's legacy could strike a chord with this demographic. Tiwari himself is a well-known Bhojpuri performer-turned-politican and has used cultural messaging effectively in the past. "The Bharat Ratna for Bhikhari Thakur would be a moment of pride not just for the Bhojpuri community, but for Indian folk tradition as a whole," the letter says, adding that such a recognition would reinforce the message of unity in diversity. There has been no official response from the Home Ministry or the Prime Minister's Office. It remains unclear whether the demand will be considered ahead of the polls. Meanwhile, Bhojpuri cultural organisations have welcomed the move, saying Thakur's contributions have long been overlooked at the national level. "It's a long-pending demand. Bhikhari Thakur deserves recognition for giving voice to the voiceless through his art," a member of the Bhikhari Thakur Natya Kala Parishad said. Whether or not the government acts on Tiwari's request, the letter has placed Bhikhari Thakur's legacy and Bhojpuri cultural pride, back in the political conversation ahead of a crucial election.
Hans India
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Bihar: Former ADGP JP Singh, Bhojpuri star Ritesh Pandey join Jan Suraj Party
Patna: With the Bihar Assembly elections approaching, the trend of leaders switching parties has begun, and Prashant Kishor's Jan Suraj Party has received a significant boost. On Friday, former senior IPS officer JP Singh and Bhojpuri superstar-singer Ritesh Pandey formally joined the Jan Suraj party in the presence of the party's chief Prashant Kishor. JP Singh, former Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Himachal Pradesh, and a resident of Saran (Chhapra), recently took voluntary retirement (VRS) from police service before entering politics. Former IPS JP Singh's entry signals credibility and administrative experience in the party's leadership team. "I was keeping an eye on Jan Suraj ever since it was formed as a political party in Bihar. It is committed to the development of Bihar, and its leader, Prashant Kishor, is a visionary person,' Singh said. Ritesh Pandey is a popular Bhojpuri film actor and singer with a strong youth following across Bihar and Purvanchal. Bhojpuri superstar Ritesh Pandey's entry is expected to help Jan Suraj connect with the youth and cultural voters in Bhojpuri-speaking regions. 'I am inspired by the ideology of Prashant Kishor and hence I joined the party,' Pandey said. The joining of these two will boost the Jan Suraj party at the ground level. Earlier, YouTuber Manish Kashyap, who left the BJP, and former IPS Anand Mishra, who contested the Lok Sabha elections from Buxar, also joined Jan Suraj Party, indicating growing traction among youth, former officers, and influencers. Jan Suraj Party, founded by election strategist Prashant Kishor, is gearing up to contest all 243 Assembly seats in Bihar. The party received 'school bag' as an election symbol from the Election Commission and is positioning itself as an alternative to the NDA and the Grand Alliance. Prashant Kishor is focusing on presenting Jan Suraj Party as a credible, grassroots alternative in Bihar, leveraging his political acumen and public outreach to build a new narrative against traditional parties. 'Jan Suraj Party gives priority to such people who have come out of Bihar and have achieved something big on their own. The two people who have joined the party today are those who have achieved something big due to their hard work,' Kishor said. With the elections drawing closer, Prashant Kishor is intensifying organisational expansion to project Jan Suraj Party as a serious challenger in the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections.
New Indian Express
05-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
PM Modi lauds Bihar's legacy among Indian diaspora in Trinidad & Tobago
Bihar's deep connection with the people who migrated and have now settled as citizens in Trinidad and Tobago featured prominently in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's address to the Indian community there. Notably, this comes ahead of Bihar's legislative assembly elections later this year. Hailing the Bihar linkage of the Indian-origin population in Trinidad and Tobago as a "heritage of Bihar", PM Modi remarked that the "heritage of Bihar" is the "pride of not only India but the world as well." The majority of the Indian-origin population in Trinidad and Tobago traces its ancestry to Bihar's Bhojpuri-speaking regions. Emphasising this cultural connection, PM Modi also highlighted in a social media post that the bond between the two countries is reflected in the shared use of Bhojpuri. "Be it democracy, politics, diplomacy, higher education... Bihar had shown a new direction to the world in many such subjects' centuries ago," he noted. In a move seen by many as a subtle message of his deep respect and regard for Bihar's heritage-especially significant ahead of the upcoming polls-PM Modi struck an emotional chord with the Diaspora during an event held at the National Cycling Velodrome in Couva on Thursday. He said, "The ancestors of many people present here came from Bihar. The heritage of Bihar is the pride of not only India but the world as well". Modi also referred to the ancestral roots of his Trinidad & Tobago counterpart, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, noting that her ancestors hailed from Bihar's Buxar. Describing the cultural significance of being served food on traditional leaves, a gesture he experienced during a dinner hosted in his honour, PM Modi remarked that food served on a "Sohari" leaf holds great cultural importance for people in Trinidad & Tobago, especially those of Indian descent. Tapping into the cultural psyche, Modi added that the people of India regard Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar as a daughter of Bihar.
India Today
04-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
PM receives Trinidad and Tobago's highest honour, a first for any foreign leader
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on Friday conferred with The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago, the highest civilian award of Tinidad & Tobago during his visit to the country."Honoured to be conferred with 'The Order of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago'. I accept it on behalf of 140 crore Indians," said PM Modi on receiving the Persad-Bissessar, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago welcomed Prime Minister Modi at the Piarco International Airport along with her entire cabinet, clad in traditional Indian attire. The tiny island nation has a population of just 13 lakh, even less than Goa. 45 per cent of them are of Indian origin, mostly from Bhojpuri-speaking districts in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Most of their ancestors came as indentured labourers from colonial India and settled her address, Kamla Persad-Bissessar quoted a poem written by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from his Gujarati book 'Aankh Aa Dhanya Che' (meaning 'Blessed Are These Eyes').The quoted lines of the poem reflect on memories, past struggles and the strength of shared experiences of the Indian prime minister. The poem speaks of looking back into the past, remembering those who walked together during hard times and how those memories become part of one's airport buzzed with cultural performances, including appearances by people dressed as characters from Indian mythology. The cultural performances continued till PM Modi's arrival at the hotel, where he was welcomed by the Indian community with chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Modi, Modi' along with an orchestra performance and traditional Bhojpuri Chautaal the journey of the Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago, PM Modi said, "They left their soil but not their soul. They were not just migrants, they were messengers of a timeless civilisation.""Bihar's heritage is the pride of India and the world. The state has shown the way to the world in various fields like democracy, politics, and diplomacy for centuries. New opportunities will emerge from Bihar in the 21st century," PM Modi further Modi has also announced that the sixth-generation members of Indian-origin citizens will now be eligible for Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards. This will allow them to live and work in India.- EndsTune InMust Watch
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
How Bhojpuri people migrated to Trinidad in the 1800s
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Port of Spain, the capital of Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobaga, on Thursday (July 4, 2025) he was welcomed with a cultural performance of Chautaal, a folk music form prominent in the Bhojpuri-speaking regions of the country. His Trinidad and Tobago counterpart, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, traces her origins to Bihar. In the ceremonial dinner hosted by her for Mr. Modi, food was served on a Sohari leaf, again a staple in Bihari households. President Christine Carla Kangaloo is also from an Indo-Trinidadian family. Also Read: Indian community's journey in Trinidad and Tobago a courageous one: PM Modi Bhojpuri Chautaal echoes in Trinidad & Tobago! — narendramodi_in (@narendramodi_in) July 3, 2025 'A total of 13 lakh people live in this country, out of which 45 per cent are of Indian origin,' Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson Ministry of External Affairs, said during a media brief on the PM's visit, adding, 'Among the 45% of people... most are those who have come from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Most of these people are those who have come from Bhojpuri-speaking districts like Chhapra, Ara, Ballia, Siwan, Gopalganj, Banaras, Azamgarh, etc.' India's Caribbean connection India's connection with Caribbean nations dates back to 1845. Fath Al Razack, a ship carrying 225 labourers from colonial India landed at the Gulf of Paria marking the arrival of Indians to Trinidad. Subsequently over 1.4 lakh Indian labourers were sent to Trinidad, mostly from present day Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to work on the sugar plantations. A majority of them were Hindus and spoke Bhojpuri, Awadhi, and Hindi. After slavery was officially abolished, the British came up with the Indian Indentured Labourers System under which people would 'voluntarily' offer to work as plantation labourers. A number of Indians agreed and migrated to colonies as India was grappling with famine and poor economic conditions under Colonial rule. These Indians were refers as Girmitiyas, a colloquial term derived from English word 'agreement'. The British transported several thousand Indian labourers to several of its colonies, including Mauritius, Fiji, Trinidad, and Guyana. The British called it the Great Experiment, in which as many as 1.2 million Indians were migrated to several colonies between 1834 and 1920, according to the UNESCO. Though the agreement stated that these Indians would work 'for a set period of time', a majority of them chose to stay back by obtaining a new indenture. Some returned, only to bring back their families. Another form of slavery? The British called the Great Experiment a success, the Dutch too followed it and thus Suriname too became a destination for Girmitiyas. On paper, the system looked like a contract on paper, but it was no less than slavery. The indenture was not based on the principle of equality or natural justice, wrote Ambassador Bhaswati Mukherjee in an article published in the MEA website in 2014. The indentured were shipped to the Caribbean and confined to a plantation or estate where they lived and worked under conditions comparable to those for Africans under slavery. They had no choice in employer, could not change employers or buy themselves out of, or negotiate their contract, nor could they move freely without the consent of their employers, wrote Professor Kamala Kempadoo in the article ''Bound Coolies' and Other Indentured Workers in the Caribbean: Implications for debates about human trafficking and modern slavery', published in Anti-Trafficking Review in 2017. In an article published in The Hindu's Sunday Magazine in 2017, when India observed 100 years of abolishment of indentured labour, author G. Pramod Kumar wrote: 'compared to 'slave' labour, indenture was projected as 'free' labour, even though the workers were bonded by contract for five years under harsh conditions. 'Double-cut', for instance, would dock two days' pay for a day's absence from work.' The workers could not easily move outside their estates. If caught without their 'immigration ticket', they were jailed for 'vagrancy'. The colonisers wanted to appear morally right without losing profits, but what they had surreptitiously laid out was 'a new system of slavery', he wrote quoting Hugh Tinker's seminal book published in 1974 titled A New System of Slavery. Where are the women? While it is a matter of pride for both Trinidad and India that two Indian-origin women are ruling the South American nation, very little is documented on women indentured labourers. Professor Kamala Kempadoo wrote that Indian women were recruited not for their labour, but to marry, provide care work, bring stability to the male labour force, and help eliminate the cost of remigration and the loss of workers. 'As wage labourers they were deemed inferior to men, and were paid less even while they performed the same work in the fields, but their sexuality was highly prized by the employers. The sexualisation of, in particular, Asian indentured women, is not dissimilar to that which is described as 'sex trafficking' in the twenty-first century, in that sexual labour was, and is, an explicit part of the reasons for the recruitment and overseas employment of women,' she wrote in the Anti-Trafficking Review article. The Royal government even collected a £3 tax on indentured emigrants returning to their homeland, which was abolished in 1914 after the Smuts-Gandhi settlement of 1914. Gandhiji's Satyagraha against indentured labour Mahatma Gandhi was a vocal critic of indentured labour. In his autobiography 'My Experiments with Truth', Gandhi recalled how Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya sought permission to introduce a bill for the immediate abolition of the indentured labour system at the Imperial Legislative Council in February 1917, which was rejected. He then organised an all-India agitation against the system and met Lord Chelmsford, the then Viceroy of Colonial India. On July 31, 1971, the system was officially abolished. Root search Former indentured labourers and their decendants are still referred as Girmitiyas. In the Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas held in Bhubaneswar in January this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi emphasised the need for study and research on Girmitiyas' history. 'Why cannot comprehensive database of Girmitiyas be created? This could document the villages and States they originated from, the destinations they settled in, and the journeys that shaped their lives,' he had remarked. Trinidad Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar herself met her bloodlines in Bhelpur village in Bihar's Buxar district, when she was on a state visit to India in 2012. The government of Trinidad and Tobago maintains records of General Registers which contain details such as name, the name of the estate the Indians worked in, and the ship in which they the arrived. They also maintain records of Emigration Certificates, Estate Registers, Registers of Remittance to India, Marriages among others to help with root search. The Ministry of External Affairs runs Tracing the Roots programme to facilitate Indian origin people to find their bloodline in India. While addressing Indian community members in Port of Spain Mr. Modi announced that citizens of Indian origin in Trinidad and Tobago, up to the sixth generation, will now be eligible for Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards, allowing them to live and work in India without restrictions. The government is also actively engaging with the community with Girmitiya conferences and root search. 'Bring your children and neighbours. Bring anyone who enjoys 'Chai' and a good story. We will welcome all of you with open arms, warm hearts and Jalebi,' Mr. Modi added. Not just stories, the Indo-Trinidadian community has a rich history too to share.
