PM Modi pays homage to Indian immigrants at 'Aapravasi Ghat'

PORT LOUIS: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today visited the ' Aapravasi Ghat' here and paid homage to the "brave" Indian indentured labourers who arrived in Mauritius nearly two centuries ago.

"I am honoured to have the opportunity to pay homage to the brave Apravasis who left India's shores nearly two centuries ago. Aapravasi Ghat is an eloquent tribute to the indomitable human spirit and also to the enduring links between our people," Modi wrote in the visitor's book at the site.

"It is our sacred duty to treasure and preserve this site," he said.

The 'Aapravasi Ghat' or the Immigration Depot is a building complex located here in Mauritius, the first British colony to receive indentured or contracted labour workforce from India.

Half a million Indian indentured labourers passed through the Immigration Depot, to be transported to plantations throughout the British Empire.

The large-scale migration of the labourers left an indelible mark on the societies of many former British colonies, with Indians constituting a substantial proportion of their national populations.