The High Commissioner of the Republic of Fiji to India today highlighted the need to further strengthen the ties between West Bengal and the Indian diaspora in Fiji through developing projects including establishment of a museum and archive, and upgradation of the Kolkata Memorial that marks the journey of indentured labourers from the city port to Fiji islands during the British Raj.

Speaking at an event in the city, the High Commissioner, Mr Yogesh Punja, said “The Kolkata Memorial, situated on the banks of the Hooghly River, on Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) land near jetty no. 8, has significance for the millions of descendants of those who left India as indentured labourers from 1834 through 1920. There was, and continues to be, overwhelming emotional sentiments and enthusiastic support from all corners of the global Indian diaspora, in particular from persons of Indian origin in destination countries where Indian indentured labourers emigrated during the period.”

He added: “The High Commission of Fiji in India has decided to partner with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), KoPT, and seven diaspora missions in this regard to establish a proper museum and archive, and upgrade the Kolkata Memorial to make it an important tourist destination for the Indian diaspora. We intend to do a photography display in the museum when it comes up.”

Mr Punja said: “We have a plethora of upcoming projects with several major educational institutions like Calcutta University, Rabindra Bharati University, Jadavpur University and several others. With the help of Presidency University and Sanskrit College, the consulate of Fiji aims to inculcate values, virtues and ethics while with Jadavpur University’s support, we aim to dig out archives pertaining to the Kolkata Memorial project. National Library has also been approached and they aim to establish a ‘Fiji corner.” He added that Rabindra Bharati University has been approached to help open a Rabindranath Tagore Centre in the Fiji National Museum and Fiji Arts Council as well. The planned museum will be set up in a space near the telecom factory in Alipore which earlier used to be a depot for the indenture labourers. Talks are on with the authorities such as the Public Works Department (PWD) and other agencies for the implementation of the project.

On the issue of trade and investment, the High Commissioner said: “There are several sectors on which trade ties could be established between West Bengal and Fiji. These include agriculture and fisheries. For this, we have interacted with the officials of the state fisheries department, discussing the areas where we can work together. Also, several products could be exported from West Bengal to Fiji and vice-versa. Fiji also has deep potential in solar power, pharmaceuticals, and in infrastructure development such as roads, bridges highways etc. For tourism, in the context of air connectivity, we are working on code sharing between Air India and Fiji airlines to improve the connectivity between the two countries.”

The High Commissioner further highlighted that the India-Fiji relationship will also improve in the entertainment sector as a rebate of 75 per cent on taxes will be given to all filmmakers and producers if a film is shot in Fiji.