Kamla to Honour ‘Jahaji Legacy’ Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar announced yesterday that Nelson Island will be renamed to honor the “jahaji legacy” and the thousands of Indian indentured laborers who arrived there from India, including her maternal great-grandmother, Sumaria Seepersad. The decision was made during a visit to the island with India’s Minister of External Affairs, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. Persad-Bissessar described the site as deeply symbolic for descendants of indentured laborers who were brought to Trinidad before being sent to work on sugarcane plantations. The renaming process will be overseen by a committee led by Natasha Barrow, the permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, alongside the National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago. A public website will also be launched to gather suggestions for the new name. Persad-Bissessar and Jaishankar traveled by water taxi from Port of Spain shortly after 9 a.m. and unveiled a commemorative plaque on the island. The visit marked the first of three engagements for the day, which also included the launch of the Brechin Castle agro-processing facility and a National Prosthetics Centre in Penal. Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the island’s future identity should reflect the people who gave it its deepest meaning, noting that its significance lies not in colonial ownership but in the “jahaji” experience. She highlighted that between 1845 and 1917, over 143,000 Indians crossed the “Kala Pani”—or dark waters—to Trinidad under indentureship, with Nelson Island serving as the first point of arrival for many after their long sea voyage.#prime_minister_kamla_persad_bissessar #sumaria_seepersad #nashtha_barrow #national_trust_trinidad_tobago #dr_subrahmanyam_jaishankar
