Caribbean Engagements and Diplomatic Memory

Plenary Session 1, chaired by Prof. Chan E.S. Choenni, Emeritus Professor, University of Amsterdam, examined India’s engagement with the Caribbean diaspora between 1968 and 2025. Contributions by Mr. Kayshav P. Tewari, Diplomat and Second Secretary at the High Commission of Guyana (representing H.E. Mr. Dharamkumar Seeraj), Dr. B.P. Padhi, Independent Consultant based in Dubai, Mr. Dennis Ramdahin, Founder and CEO of the Vihara Foundation (USA), and Prof. Archana Tewari, former Head, Department of Western History, University of Lucknow, traced the diplomatic, cultural, and civil society linkages that have shaped India–Caribbean relations over time.

Plenary Session 2, chaired by Prof. (Dr.) Anisur Rahman, Centre for West Asian Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, shifted focus to culture, soft power, and contemporary policy challenges. Dr. Shamshu Deen offered Caribbean perspectives on identity and belonging. He is known for his work on diasporic identity.

A key intervention came from Sayantan Chakravarty, Editor and Publisher of India Empire Magazine, whose paper, Contemporary Challenges in India’s Diaspora Engagement, critically examined the bifurcation between newer migrants and older, indenture-descended communities. He argued for differentiated, institutionally grounded engagement strategies that move beyond episodic, high-visibility events. Dr. Sajaudeen Nijamodeen Chapparban, Assistant Professor, Centre for Diaspora Studies, Central University of Gujarat, followed with an analysis of post-Kafala opportunities for Indians in Saudi Arabia, linking remittances, Sustainable Development Goals, and Global South cooperation.