As Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the Netherlands for high-level talks with Dutch leaders and prepared to address the Indian community in The Hague on Saturday morning, all eyes are on one of Europe\u2019s most extraordinary, and least talked about, success stories of Indian origin: the Surinamese-Hindustani Diaspora.<\/p>\n
These are the “twice-migrants” who have kept India alive in their hearts for 153 years, across two continents, two languages and two homelands.<\/p>\n
It began on a single ship. On June 5, 1873, the Lalla Rookh docked in Paramaribo, Suriname, carrying indentured labourers from the Bhojpuri heartlands of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal.<\/p>\n
What the British Viceroy of India once called \u201ca new system of slavery\u201d became, against all odds, one of the most resilient chapters in the Indian diaspora\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
Today, in the bustling streets of The Hague \u2013 home to the largest concentration of this community in the Netherlands, their grandchildren and great-grandchildren still speak Sarnami, a vibrant creole born on Suriname\u2019s plantations.<\/p>\n
It blends Bhojpuri and Awadhi with Dutch influences, a living linguistic bridge to the villages their ancestors left behind. It is spoken not just at home but in markets, temples and community halls across the city.<\/p>\n
After Suriname\u2019s independence in 1975, tens of thousands made the second journey, this time to the Netherlands. They arrived speaking Dutch and Sarnami, carrying Indian rituals and Caribbean memories in the same suitcase.<\/p>\n
Today, the approximately 200,000 Surinamese-Hindustanis form the largest and oldest Indian-origin community in continental Europe, distinct yet deeply connected to the roughly 90,000 newer direct migrants from India.<\/p>\n
Their cultural flame burns brighter than ever. The centuries-old Baithak Gana tradition \u2013 folk and devotional music from the Bhojpuri belt \u2013 has evolved into the unique Sarnami-Bhojpuri Geet style here in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
Fifth-generation artist Raj Mohan, born in 1964, has become its modern maestro.<\/p>\n
The Bihari-Indian-Surinamese-Dutch singer has even collaborated with Anup Jalota on a bhajan album, creating a direct musical highway between The Hague and Mumbai.<\/p>\n
In literature too, the community is making waves. Writer Karin Amatmoekrim, who grew up in the Tata Steel town of IJmuiden, won the prestigious 2024 Dutch Biography Prize for her book on intellectual giant Anil Ramdas \u2013 proof that Surinamese-Hindustani voices are now shaping mainstream Dutch culture.<\/p>\n
India has formally honoured this unbreakable bond. Four members of the community have received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest recognition for overseas Indians:<\/p>\n
Shri Ram Lakhina (2009) \u2013 for decades of work preserving Indian traditions and strengthening ties with the motherland.Shri Saleh Wahid (2011) \u2013 for community service and promoting India\u2019s interests in the Netherlands.Satnarainsing Rabin Baldew Singh (2014) \u2013 former Deputy Mayor of The Hague, who elevated Indo-Dutch relations at the political level.Mr Eugene Rhuggenaath (2021) \u2013 former Prime Minister of Curaao, of Surinamese-Hindustani heritage, who rose to the highest levels of public office in the Dutch Kingdom.<\/p>\n
As PM Modi gets ready to speak to this vibrant gathering \u2013 fresh off a colourful welcome featuring Kathak, Garba and even Bhojpuri songs from the diaspora \u2013 the message is clear: distance and time could not erase the Indian soul.<\/p>\n
From the decks of the Lalla Rookh in 1873 to the stage in The Hague in 2026, the Surinamese-Hindustani story is living proof that pravasi isn\u2019t just about leaving home. It\u2019s about never letting go.<\/p>\n
– Ends<\/p>\n
Published On: <\/p>\n
May 16, 2026 14:21 IST<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached the Netherlands for high-level talks with Dutch leaders and prepared to address…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12147,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[10227,18,10228,10052,10229,6,3831,9642,10226,42],"class_list":{"0":"post-12146","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-netherlands","8":"tag-dutch-leaders","9":"tag-europe","10":"tag-high-level-talks","11":"tag-indian-community","12":"tag-indian-origin-diaspora","13":"tag-netherlands","14":"tag-netherlands-visit","15":"tag-pm-modi","16":"tag-surinamese-hindustani-diaspora","17":"tag-the-hague"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12146"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12146\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/netherlands\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}