Insta
Chandrikapersad Santokhi (pic via Twitter)
The newly elected President of Suriname Chandrikapersad Santokhi is winning the hearts of Indians on social media for all the right reasons.
The newly elected supremo of the South American nation took the oath of office in Sanskrit while holding Vedas in his hand during the inauguration ceremony on 16 July. He also repeated the Sanskrit verses chanted by the priest during the ceremony.
Indian origin Santokhi replaced the military strongman Desi Bouterse to win the election. A former Justice Minister, Santokhi of the Progressive Reform Party (PRP) was elected unopposed.
Notably, Suriname is a former Dutch colony where people of Indian descent make up the largest ethnic group comprising 27.4 per cent of the population of 587,000.
Addressing his monthly Mann Ki Baat programme earlier today, the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi also congratulated the newly elected president.
"India has a very close relationship with 'Suriname'. More than a hundred years ago, people from India went there, and made it their home. Today, the fourth or fifth generation is there. Today in Suriname more than one-fourth of the people are of Indian origin. Do you know? 'Sarnami' one of the common languages there is a dialect of Bhojpuri. We Indians feel very proud of these cultural relations," he said.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest