New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, currently on a visit to Netherlands, expressed concern over the global situation while addressing the Indian community in The Hague.
Modi said humanity is facing multiple major challenges and described the current period as a “decade of disasters”. He noted that the world has already battled the COVID-19 pandemic, wars and now an energy crisis.
The Prime Minister warned that if conditions do not improve, decades of global progress could be reversed and a large section of the world’s population may fall back into poverty.
During the visit, the Surinamese-Hindustani community living in the Netherlands also remained a major highlight.
The community traces its roots to Indians who were taken nearly 153 years ago from regions of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal to Suriname for labour work during the colonial period. Many later migrated and settled in the Netherlands.
Despite generations abroad, the community has preserved Indian traditions, culture and language. Many people in The Hague still speak “Sarnami”, a language linked to Bhojpuri and Awadhi dialects.Indian devotional music, Bhojpuri songs and cultural performances continue to remain popular among the community. During Modi’s welcome event, people performed Kathak, Garba and Bhojpuri folk songs.
Around 200,000 Surinamese-Hindustani people currently live in the Netherlands and are considered one of Europe’s oldest and largest Indian-origin communities.
