India–Suriname relations
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India–Suriname relations are the international relations that exist between India and Suriname.
Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese or Hindustani Surinamese are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Suriname with ancestry from India and the wider subcontinent. Their ancestors were Indian indentured workers brought by the Dutch and th ...
form the largest ethnic group in
Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
, making 27.4% of the population. The current
President of Suriname The president of the Republic of Suriname ( nl, President van de Republiek Suriname) is, in accordance with the Constitution of 1987, the head of state and head of government of Suriname, and commander-in-chief of the Suriname National Army (S ...
Chan Santokhi Chandrikapersad "Chan" Santokhi ( Sarnami: चान संतोखी; ; born 3 February 1959) is a Surinamese politician and former police officer who is the 9th president of Suriname, since 2020. After winning the 2020 elections, Santokhi ...
is of
Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese or Hindustani Surinamese are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Suriname with ancestry from India and the wider subcontinent. Their ancestors were Indian indentured workers brought by the Dutch and th ...
descent.


History

India and Suriname established diplomatic relations in 1976. India opened its embassy in Paramaribo in 1977, and Suriname opened its embassy in New Delhi in 2000. Suriname also has an honorary consul in Bangalore. The Suriname-India Joint Commission to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors of both countries was established in September 1992. Since 1998, Suriname has supported India's candidature for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. Suriname President R.R. Venetiaan visited India from 16 to 20 March 2003. During the visit, Venetiaan met with Indian President A.P.J. Kalam and Prime Minister
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Atal Bihari Vajpayee (; 25 December 1924 – 16 August 2018) was an Indian politician who served three terms as the 10th prime minister of India, first for a term of 13 days in 1996, then for a period of 13 months fr ...
, and the two countries signed agreements on co-operation in agriculture, establishment of a Cultural Exchange Programme (CEP) and the extension of $10 million line of credit from India to Suriname. Since 1 March 2016, Indian citizens can avail visa on arrival when visiting Suriname.


Economic relations

Bilateral trade between India and Suriname totaled US$228.49 million in 2014–15. The main commodities exported from India to Suriname are boilers, machinery, iron and steel, electrical machinery and equipment, sound recorders, pharmaceutical products, textiles, vehicles, coffee, tea and spices, rubber, paper, tobacco, organic chemicals, furniture, carpets, ceramic products, footwear and printed books. The main commodities exported from Suriname to India are wood, aluminum and electrical machinery. Exports to India 2016-17               US$ 45.92 million 2017-18                US$ 92.76 million 2018-19                US$ 111.94 million 2019-20                    US$55.07 million Imports from India 2016-17               US$ 10.59 million 2017-18               US$ 17.38 million 2018-19               US$ 1.34 million 2019-20               US$ 31.12 million


Indian foreign aid

India has extended multiple lines of credit (LOC) to Suriname. In 1992, the first LOC provided . An LOC extended worth US$10 million extended in 2003 was utilized to renovate water pumping stations, establish a steel rolling mill and for supply of 14 heavy hydraulic excavators. A third LOC granted $16 million to the Suriname Electricity Board to construct a 161 KV, 55 km-long power transmission line from Paranam to Paramaribo. India also supplied bulldozers, trucks, excavators, communication equipment and solar lanterns to Suriname. A fourth LOC worth $10.4 million was granted to the Ministry of Public Works of Suriname to complete establish pumping stations. Other LOCs include a US$4.3 million grant of fire tenders manufactured by BEML India, and coastal equipment network worth $2.946 million from BEL. In March 2015, India transferred 3
HAL Chetak HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bangalore, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fight ...
helicopters worth $13.5 million to the Surinamese military. A grant of $311,567 was provided to upgrade the morgue of the Lands Hospital in Paramaribo, and sum $169,400 was donated to the Institute for Natural Resources and Engineering Studies (NATIN) of Suriname under India's Grant-in-Aid to Latin American and Caribbean region programme. India announced a $50 million grant of aid to Suriname at 5th Joint Commission meeting between the two countries. Citizens of Suriname are eligible for scholarships under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme and the
Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...
.


Cultural relations

The Indian Cultural Centre was established in Suriname in 1978. The Centre provides training in Hindi, Kathak, yoga and Indian classical music. As of December 2016, there are approximately 80 voluntary Hindi schools in the country.
Baithak Gana {{unreferenced, date=June 2014 Baithak Gana is a form of music originating in Suriname by the Indian community. Baithak is a social gathering. It is a mix of Bhojpuri folk songs with other Caribbean influences. It is similar to Chutney music that o ...
is a form of music originating from the
Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese or Hindustani Surinamese are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Suriname with ancestry from India and the wider subcontinent. Their ancestors were Indian indentured workers brought by the Dutch and th ...
community. Baithak is a social gathering. It is a mix of
Bhojpuri Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries
, Oxford U ...
folk songs with other
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
influences. It is similar to
Chutney music Chutney music is a fusion genre of Indian folk music, specifically Bhojpuri folk music, with local Caribbean calypso and soca music, and later on Bollywood music. This genre of music that developed in Trinidad and Tobago is popular in Trinida ...
that originated in
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...
. Popular exponents of the genre include Ramdew Chaitoe, Dropati, and Desi Raghosing.


Indians in Suriname

Indo-Surinamese Indo-Surinamese, Indian-Surinamese or Hindustani Surinamese are people of Indian origin who are nationals of Suriname with ancestry from India and the wider subcontinent. Their ancestors were Indian indentured workers brought by the Dutch and th ...
are the largest ethnic group in Suriname, forming 27.4% of the total population. Per the 2012 Census of Suriname, 148,443 citizens of Suriname are of Indian origin. Indo-Surinamese made up 37.6% of the population in the 1972 Census. Just before and following the independence of Suriname on 25 November 1975, many Indo-Surinamese emigrated to the Netherlands, resulting in a decline in the population of the Indian community in Suriname. During the
British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
, many Indians were sent to other British colonies for work. After the abolition of slavery in the Dutch colony of Suriname, the Dutch government signed a treaty with the United Kingdom on the recruitment of contract workers. Indians began migrating to Suriname in 1873 as
indenture An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...
d labourers, mostly from the modern-day Indian states of
Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
,
Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...
, and the surrounding regions. Due to the presence of a large Indian-origin community in Suriname, nearly 400 applications for
Overseas Citizenship of India Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) is a form of permanent residency available to people of Indian origin and their spouses which allows them to live and work in India indefinitely. Despite its name, OCI status is not citizenship and does not gr ...
are made by Surinamese citizens every year.


Vice President Adhin of Suriname


Foreign policy


Relations with India

On January 9, 2017, Vice President
Ashwin Adhin Michael Ashwin Satyandre Adhin (born 10 June 1980) is a Surinamese educator, politician, and was the Vice President of Suriname between 2015 and 2020. He is a member of the National Democratic Party. At the age of 35, he became the youngest vice p ...
met with the Prime Minister of India,
Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...
, in
Bengaluru Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, India, where they discussed strengthening the economic and technological bilateral cooperation between both states. Adhin emphasized that Suriname has a lot to of potential in the areas of agriculture, animal husbandry, palm oil,
wood processing Wood processing is an engineering discipline in the wood industry comprising the production of forest products, such as pulp and paper, construction materials, and tall oil. Paper engineering is a subfield of wood processing. The major wood pro ...
, besides those in the extractive industries (gold, crude oil and bauxite). Adhin's plans are to set up a chair on Ayurveda at the University of Suriname and National Institute for Natural and Holistic Therapies in collaboration with India. His plans include setting up medicinal plantations, research laboratories, factories to manufacture Ayurveda products for the Surinamese market and expanding to also cover the Latin American countries and Caribbean Islands . This vision of Adhin supports efforts to diversify the Surinamese economy but also the governments approach to make healthcare the most important priority. This latter is also emphasized by the Governments Health in All Policies (HIAP) programme. As a young accomplished individual of Indian origin, Adhin was invited to India as keynote speaker at the Youth Privasi Bharatiya Divas Convention held on January 7, 2016, which was part of the annual Privasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) Convention, a global platform for Indian Diaspora held from 8–9 January 2017 in Bengaluru, the capital of the state of
Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
. Adhin backed India's decision to revoke Article 370 relating to Jammu and Kashmir.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:India-Suriname relations
Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
Bilateral relations of Suriname