Johannesburg, Mar 23 (PTI) The state of Bihar should use the links created by several indentured labourers, who came to South Africa from 1860 as sugar-cane farm labourers, to boost tourism, a top diplomat of the African country has said.
Dr Anil Sooklal, Deputy Director-General for Asia in the South African Department of International Cooperation and Relations, who is of Bihari origin, said that projects need to be started to get the 1.4 million South Africans of Indian origin to rediscover their roots.
Sooklal made the remarks at a Bihar Diwas event in Johannesburg hosted by Consul General Anju Ranjan, who arranged a linkup with the event which was hosted by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna on Tuesday.
“Between 1860 and 1911, over 152,000 Indians came to South Africa under the indentured scheme. Very often, when we speak of our relations with India, we forget that a sizeable number of Indian South Africans have their roots in Bihar,” Sooklal said.
He added that the state of Bihar should use the links created by indentured labourers, who came to South Africa as sugar-cane farm labourers, to boost tourism.
“This conclave is a good first attempt to demonstrate the strong historical bonds that we have between South Africa and especially the state of Bihar. Cultural connectivity is a very important part of the connectivity between India and South Africa,” Sooklal said as he highlighted that prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, there were over 100,000 visitors from India to South Africa annually, while over 80,000 South Africans visited India.
He also emphasised that not just Indian South Africans, but the broader community should be targeted in marketing and promotion.
“We need to intensify efforts to bring greater visibility to the tourism offerings in India to the South Africa populace and likewise bring greater visibility of South Africa to the Indian populace,” Sooklal said.
High Commissioner of India to South Africa Jaideep Sarkar said people were no longer content with only visiting the Golden Triangle in India. He said the opportunities for religious tourism, including for the Christian community, as well as medical tourism, are areas that Bihar needed to consider.
“Tourists now focus on novelty and uniqueness; something that their friends have not done, and therefore it is very pertinent that (this seminar) highlights the state of Bihar as a complete tourist destination,” Sarkar said, suggesting that the success of Odisha state’s marketing of it being ‘India’s Best Kept Secret’ could be emulated in Bihar.
Ranjan said South Africa was the only foreign country to join the Patna celebrations because of the high number of its Indian-origin citizens having their roots in Bihar.
Officials from the Bihar government highlighted the various areas of tourism, including routes for all major religions, a Gandhi trail, and eco, fairs and festival packages.
Bihar was notified as a separate province on March 22, 1922. PTI FH PMS PMS
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