Video: In Trinidad and Tobago, PM Kamla quotes Gujarati poem written by Modi

Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister quoted PM Modi's poem's lines during a community event at the National Cycling Velodrome in Couva.

In Short

• Trinidad and Tobago PM quoted a poem by Modi at community gathering
• The poem reflects on memories, struggles and shared journeys
• The event marked Modi’s Caribbean visit and Indian cultural ties

Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar on Friday, while addressing a community gathering, 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 journey.

Here is the part of the poem, translated in English from Gujarati, which Trinidad and Tobago PM quoted:

In the recesses of my mind

I travel far into the past

And each phase I see unfolds a memory

My recall comes with ease

Each visage easily recognised

Nothing stays hidden

For thus is the truth plain to see

For our companions

With whom we suffered

Never forgotten

Together endured those sufferings

They become the journey in the end

The Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister’s gesture came during a community event at the National Cycling Velodrome in Couva, held as part of Prime Minister Modi’s two-day visit to the Caribbean nation, 40% of whose population is of Indian origin.

According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, around 556,800 people of Indian descent live in the country, including 1,800 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). The rest are descendants of indentured labourers who migrated from India between 1845 and 1917.

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