Opening of Union Community Complex

On 8th December, 2021 the High Commissioner accompanied by his Attaches Mr Bhagat and Mr Ragu Sharma attended a lunch hosted by the Honorary Consul at Belmont Estate before travelling to Union in St Mark’s to officially open the new community complex funded by the Government of India.

The Honorary Consul assisted with plans for opening ceremony working with Ministry of Foreign Affairs Protocol Office and was involved in scheduling dinner and organising a meeting between the High Commissioner and the Permanent Secretary, Mrs Marina Jessami.

The new Union Community Complex was officially opened by Parliamentary Representative for St. Mark & Honourable Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Climate Resilience and Environment, Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen together with His Excellency Arun Kumar Sahu, High Commissioner of India to Trinidad & Tobago.

The Indian Government donated approximately XCD 1.6 million to Government and people of Grenada for the complex. The three-story complex is a multi-purpose facility built for educational, sporting, cultural and social events.

Full Press Release

Min Curwin and Indian High Comm at Union Comm Complex.jpg

Cutting ribbon at Union Comm Complex Min Curwin High Commission and child from community.j

75th Indian Independence Celebrations
15th August, 2021

A special celebration and award ceremony headed by the Office of the Honorary Consul of India to Grenada in honour of the 75th Anniversary of the Independence of India, took place on August 15th, 2021 at the Botanical Gardens, Tanteen, St. George’s.

A small group gathered to commemorate the bravery of freedom fighters who fought for their independence from British rule. The nation of India became free from the 200-year British colonization on August 15, 1947. The road to freedom was led by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi during World War I, and Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first prime minister as an independent nation.

Both Grenadian and Indian flags were raised while national anthems were sung for each country. Notable Indians and Grenadians were honoured during a special award ceremony, recognising their significant contributions to Grenada.

Dr. Keshav Mandalaneni was the Master of Ceremony at the event and he shared some Independence Day remarks. The Honorary Consul of India to Grenada, Shadel Nyack Compton, delivered the welcome remarks and His Excellency, Mr. A.K Sahu, High Commissioner of India to Trinidad & Tobago with responsibility for Grenada, Dominica and Monserrat made a video address. The feature address was given by Hon. Oliver Joseph, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and CARICOM Affairs.

High Commissioner His Excellency, Mr. A.K Sahu reminded the community of its shared resilience, stating that "In this challenging time, we want to remind ourselves of our resilience to gather and move on with renewed hope and work towards a better and brighter future. It is a time to reassure our friends and partners that we will play a constructive role in a time of global crisis."

Hon. Oliver Joseph, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Business and CARICOM Affairs, expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the strong relations of Grenada and India, "Even amidst this global pandemic, India was one of the first G20 countries to donate vaccines to developing countries all over the world to help curb the effects of the deadly Coronavirus. Grenada was privileged to be one of those countries. I wish to reiterate the Government of Grenada’s profound gratitude to the Government and People of the Republic of India for this kind gesture.”

Hon. Joseph added, "Grenada has enjoyed and continues to enjoy a fruitful cooperation with India since the establishment of diplomatic relations on October 1, 1975. The engagement between both countries has been constant through the numerous cooperation initiatives that exist between our countries."

Four distinguished individuals were awarded for their stellar contributions in their fields of expertise. The awardees were Dr. C.V. Rao, Dr. Jennifer Japal-Isaacs, Dr. Narasimhan Prabhakar, and Mr. Telfor Bedeau.

Dr. C.V. Rao is one of the pillars in the field of medicine and medical education, teaching and training students at St. George's University for 40 years. He was appointed the Dean of University Alumni Affairs in 1983 and was instrumental in establishing the Orphans and Elderly Fund and the Grenada Association of Retired Persons (GARP). Dr. Rao was honoured for his valuable contributions to the fields of Medicine and Medical Education,

Dr. Jennifer Japal-Isaacs is a medical doctor who specializes in Dermatology and has been in private practice since 1981. She has served as President of the Grenada Medical Association, treasurer and executive member of the Caribbean Dermatology Association, founding member of the Caribbean College of Family Physicians, and founding member of the Indo-Grenadian Heritage Foundation. Dr. Japal-Isaacs has also been a member of the Grenada Music Society and has produced and directed two classical concerts. She was honoured for her exemplary service in the fields of dermatology and the arts.

Dr. Narasimhan Prabhakar has worked for the Ministry of Health for 10 years and St. George's University for the past 30 years in various capacities during his teaching career. He has also worked in the field of mental health almost all of his life. Dr Prabhakar was honoured for his contributions to the development and progress of mental health, psychiatry and medicine in the tri-island nation of Grenada, Carriacou, and Petite Martinique.

Mr. Telfor Bedeau is a distinguished explorer, cartographer and pioneer of hiking & guided tours in Grenada. He is a natural treasure who has mapped Grenada by hand, navigating every nook and cranny and has climbed Mount Saint Catherine, the island's highest peak, 217 times and at one point, twice in one day! Mr. Bedeau was honoured for being Grenada's greatest cartographer, explorer, and eco-tourism advocate.

The awardees were given plaques of appreciation presented by Honorary Consul of India to Grenada, Ms Shadel Nyack Compton and the Honorable Minister Oliver Joseph.

Ms. Marlene Neptune delivered the closing remarks to end the celebration.

This special ceremony is now an annual event open to all to celebrate our ancestors fight for freedom and the achievements made following independence.

For the GBN news coverage of the event, including the High Commissioner of India to Trinidad and Tobago's video address, please click link button below:

75th Indian Independence Celebrations in Grenada

Indian Arrivals Day 2021

This year on 1st May, 2021 we commemorated Indian Arrivals Day with a flag raising ceremony during which we took time to remember and pray for our friends in India.

At Botanical Gardens special awards were presented to two Indian nationals, Mr. and Mrs Prem Chandiramani who moved to Grenada in 1973 and were recognised for their devoted service to business and for investing heavily in our island.

Also recognised for her dedicated service to Grenada was Ms. Marjorie Budhoo (OBE).

On 2nd May, 2021 a fund raising lunch in honour of Indian Arrivals was hosted at Belmont Estate.

Repatriation Flight

As part of repatriation efforts, on 24th July, 2020 the Government of India and the High Commission of India to Trinidad and Tobago flew twenty Indian Nationals home on a specially arranged charter flight.

The passengers were mainly students and Professors from St George’s University along with a few tourists that had been caught up on the Island during the Covid 19 lock-down.

The Jet Air flight set out from Maurice Bishop International Airport collecting passengers to be repatriated from Trinidad and Tobago and Curacao before flying on to New Delhi and Bombay in India.

During this unprecedented health crisis the Government of India initiated an emergency repatriation programme with the special charter on 24th July, marking one of many flights successfully organised to bring Indian Nationals home.

Passengers travelling home to India expressed their deep gratitude to the Indian Government, the High Commission and Honorary Consul for this wonderful opportunity to go home. They also thanked them for constant support they received during the crisis for the smooth arrangements making it possible for their family’s to be reunited in their home country.

Indian Arrivals Day 2020

The collaborative celebration for Indian Arrival Day were very conservative, amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Indo-Grenadian Heritage Foundation marked the day by reflecting on the events which led to the historical migration and integration of East Indians to the islands of the West Indies and encouraged people to celebrate Indian Arrivals Day with their families at home. They also requested the nation pray for the healing of our world from this dreadful disease.

The Honorary Consul visited the landing site of the original East Indians to Grenada, throwing petals into the sea in remembrance of the anniversary.

Grenada

Consular Camp 2020

Another very successful Consular Camp was held in Grenada on 28th February, 2020 at the True Blue Resort conference room. Twenty eight Appointments were held for Indian Nationals requiring consular services including Birth Certificates, Passport renewal, Renounciation of Citizenship, Police Clearance and OCI cards.

High Commission Attaches officiating at the camp were Mr Anirudda Das and Mr Ashok Mandal with the Honorary Consul of India to Grenada, Ms Shadel Nyack Compton and Ms Alicia Serrao in attendance.

Grenada
Consular Camp 2019

Organised by Mr Das of the High Commission of India to Trinidad and Tobago in collaboration with the Honorary Consul of India, Ms Shadel Nyack Compton, Mr Ashok Mandal and Mr Chandan Kumar ran a very successful consular camp on Friday 15th November, 2019 at the Radisson Conference Centre.

The event was well attended by over 50 diaspora or Indian citizens residing in Grenada. A variety of matters were handled by the attachés including renunciation of Indian passports, OCI applications, Police clearance and passport renewals. It is hoped the camp will become a regular event in Grenada as it was very beneficial and convenient.

This year, the 162nd Anniversary of the arrivals of East Indians to Grenada, was celebrated in true cultural fashion. On Wednesday May 1st a commemoration service was held at Samaritan Presbyterian Church and the following Sunday a very special event hosted by Belmont Estate on behalf of the Indo-Grenadian Heritage Foundation with traditional Indian cuisine and entertainment, was well attended by the Indo-Grenadian community.

Indian Arrivals Day Celebrations 2019

Featured artistes included Conception Dance Theatre, Spice Isle Dancers, Amisha Persaud and Co., with the main act being a dance troupe from Trinidad, the Pratibha Arts Dance Company directed by Mrs. Pooja Malhotra and performing a number of classical and modern, Bollywood style dances throughout the afternoon.

This year's International Yoga Day was celebrated in true tradition on Sunday 23rd June, with a free Yoga session with Mr Ferron C. Lowe. Coordinated by Dr Keshav, Dr Singh and the Indian Cultural Student Association, in collaboration with the High Commission of India to Trinidad and the Honorary Consul of India to Grenada, this very successful and well attended event was kindly hosted by St George's University.

International Day of Yoga 2019

Indian Book Donation

In October, 2018 the Honorary Consul presented a collection of Indian books donated by the Indian Government to the Grenada Community Library and Resource Center. Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ms. Cheryl Kirton, accepted the donation on behalf of the library and registered her thanks to Indian High Commissioner Bishwadip Dey and the Government of India for this notable contribution. The books were allocated a special India section in the library with much interest shown in the collection and knowledge gained in terms of culture and heritage.

River Ganges Invitation

for Kumbh Mela 2019

Kumbh Mela or Kumbha Mela (/ˌkʊmb ˈmeɪlə/) is a mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. Traditionally, four fairs are widely recognized as the Kumbh Melas: the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela, Haridwar Kumbh Mela, the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Simhastha, and Ujjain Simhastha. These four fairs are held periodically at one of the following places by rotation: Allahabad (Prayagraj), Haridwar, Nashik district (Nashik and Trimbak), and Ujjain. The main festival site is located on the banks of a river: the Ganges (Ganga) at Haridwar; the confluence (Sangam) of the Ganges and the Yamuna and the invisible Sarasvati at Allahabad; the Godavari at Nashik; and the Shipra at Ujjain. Bathing in these rivers is thought to cleanse a person of all their sins.