Antananarivo: Madagascar is celebrating Navratri these days with traditional Garba and Dandiya dances. Gujarati music and words can be heard these days in its capital city Antananarivo and other cities like Mahajunga, Tomasina, Antsiranana.
Madagascar has a 17,500 strong Indian diaspora, mostly from the state of Gujarat in India. They are a vibrant community engaged in trade and commerce in Madagascar.
Earlier this year in March, the Prime Minister Christian Ntsay had inaugurated a special exhibition on Indian diaspora in Madagascar at the Indian Embassy there to mark the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsava. The exhibition is travelling across Madagascar at this moment.
A permanent memorial for the Indian community in Madagacsar is being built and is likely to be ready next year. A grand Hindu temple is also under construction in Antananarivo, Madagascar, which is likely to open by the end of this year or early next year.
– global bihari bureau
