New Delhi/Suva, May 15 (UNI) India conveyed its warm greetings to Fiji on the special occasion of Girmit Day – to commemorate the day when the first batch of Indian indentured labourers arrived via ship to Fiji on May 14, 1879, under then British colonial rule.
Around 60,000 Indian labourers arrived on the South Pacific archipelago in 42 ships and 87 voyages. The Leonidas was the first ship that brought Indians, which became a historical landmark to remember and commemorate.
Minister of State for External Affairs Rajkumar Ranjan Singh, who was present on the occasion in Suva, conveyed the greetings of the Government of India.