Trinidad and Tobago entered into diplomatic relations with India 60 years ago. In commemoration of this milestone, Nalis in collaboration with the Indian High Commission and Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Cultural Cooperation (MGICC) launched an Indian Corner at the Port of Spain Adult Library, First Floor, National Library Building on August 7, 2024.

The Corner will be solely dedicated to Indian books. Through this Corner it is hoped that persons will gain a greater awareness of the culture, politics, economy, history and much more about India. All the books in the Corner were donated by the Indian High Commission and after they are catalogued, will be loaned to the public.

Delivering remarks at the launch were His Excellency Dr Pradeep Rajpurohit, High Commissioner for India, Neil Parsanlal, chairman of the Board of Nalis and Paula Greene, executive director, Nalis. Shiv Kumar Nigam, Second Secretary of the High Commission of India recited a poem in Hindi. Primatie Persad, Nalis’ Director Public Libraries Division chaired the programme.

Greene said that the Corner should remind us that through knowledge and culture, we are all connected. She added that persons should explore, engage and immerse themselves in the wealth of knowledge that the Corner offers.

Parsanlal said that although Trinidad and Tobago and India celebrate this milestone, the relationship between the two countries go back to 1845.  He stated that the collection will help bridge gaps for many.  Upon reflection of his own name, ‘Parsanlal’ he said he often wondered where his name came from.  He said the books at the National Library and those at the National Archives will assist in allowing persons to make the journey in discovering their roots.

Dr Pijpurohit said that he looks forward to having more Indian Corners at other NALIS libraries outside of Port of Spain and whatever little effort the Indian High Commission can do to “double up greater understanding and to double up what are the latest developments back in India will be done.”

Also at the launch, Greene presented copies of NALIS’ publication titled “Indo-Trinbagonian Poetry” to Dr Rajpurohit. The publication produced by the Heritage Library Division consists of a bibliography of works created by poets of Indo-Trinbagonian descent.