Working on establishing Ayurveda Chair; direct air connectivity with India: Suriname VP

Seeking to deepen its cooperation with India, Suriname is currently working on establishing a collaborative Ayurveda Chair at a university in its capital and direct air connectivity between the two countries, Vice President Michael Ashwin Adhin has said.

In an interview to PTI, the senior leader from Suriname also said, Bollywood will be "most welcome" to shoot films in his country.

"The two countries share cultural ties that go back to nearly 150 years, when people from India had arrived in Suriname in search for a better future... Of the total Surinami population of nearly 600,000, around 30 per cent are of Indian-origin," Adhin said.

The Suriname vice president said his country is seeking to "diversify relationship" with India to deepen bilateral cooperation in a number of fields.

"Tourism and agriculture are the two main areas of cooperation. But, we are diversifying our strategy to include other areas like bauxite, gold and oil. In 2024, we will start the second cycle of bauxite at the University of Suriname. These are new opportunities for the Indian government to invest," Adhin said.

The 39-year-old leader, a scholar of Sanskrit and Indian scriptures, including the Upanishads, Vedas and Puranas, visited India last week to attend programmes at the Delhi University and Punjab-based Lovely Professional University.

On cultural cooperation, Adhin said, work is underway on setting up an Indo-Surinami collaborative Ayurveda Chair at the University of Suriname in capital Paramaribo.

"The last amendments are being made on the subject (Ayurveda Chair). All the tribal and indigenous knowledge has to be systematised. And, we feel the Ayurveda system has a very good international certification, with all the botanical details.

"We are working on it and an MoU is to be signed between the governments of Indian and Suriname to set up the Chair," he told PTI in the interview.

Adhin's roots are in Uttar Pradesh as his great-great-great grandfather had left the country to reach Suriname over 140 years ago.

"We can boost cooperation in tourism and we are planning to open the airspace so that families from India whose ancestors had migrated to Suriname, can visit and see the country today," he said.

Asked if a direct flight is being planned, Adhin said, "Yes, we are working on it".

Suriname aerially connects to other countries through its international airport at Paramaribo.

Ships carrying Indian labourers or 'coolies' as they were called were brought to Suriname to work on sugar plantations after the abolition of slavery in 1860s.

The first sailing ship with immigrants from India was called, 'Lalla Rookh' and it left from Calcutta. It reached Paramaribo on June 5, 1873. Suriname celebrates this day annually as India Arrival Day.

These migrants, mostly from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, took their native languages such as Bhojpuri and Awadhi with them to the foreign land.

"Bhojpuri is also a language that connects the two countries culturally. I speak Dutch, English and Sanskrit, and can understand Bhojpuri," Adhin said.

Asked if anyone from Bollywood industry has approached the Suriname government, he said, "I know the minister of trade and industry is interested in bringing Bollywood to Suriname. I will see to it... But, Bollywood in Suriname will be great".

The visit of President Ram Nath Kovind to Suriname last year, which was first-ever visit of any President from India, has helped enhance our ties, Adhin said.

Adhin was invited as the special guest in the Youth Pravasi Bharitya Divas held in Bengaluru during January 2017.

During his visit, Adhin had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of PBD Conference and held meetings with the ministers of AYUSH and the Road Transport and Shipping.