Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, traces her roots to Bhelupur village in Bihar’s Buxar district.
Her great-grandfather, Ram Lakhan Mishra, migrated as an indentured laborer in 1889, a journey confirmed by means of ship tickets and land information preserved by the household.
Throughout a poignant 2012 go to to her ancestral village, she declared: “Bihar is in my DNA” whereas embracing family members. Prime Minister Modi highlighted this connection throughout his July 2025 go to, calling her “Bihar ki Beti” (Daughter of Bihar) earlier than the Indian diaspora.
Who’s Kamla Persad? Extra on her educational excellence and political historical past
Born in rural Siparia in 1952, Persad-Bissessar earned a number of levels, together with regulation honors the place she topped her class, earlier than instructing on the College of West Indies.
Her political journey started in 1987 as an area councilor. She shattered glass ceilings as Trinidad’s first feminine Legal professional Common (1995), and first lady Opposition Chief (2006), and made historical past in 2010 because the nation’s first feminine Prime Minister.
After electoral victories in 2025, she reclaimed the premiership, taking her oath on the Bhagavad Gita.
Persad-Bissessar actively nurtures Indo-Caribbean ties, internet hosting PM Modi with Bhojpuri Chautaal people performances and ministers in conventional Indian apparel.
Throughout his go to, PM Modi gifted her Sarayu river water and a Ram Mandir reproduction, reciprocating the diaspora’s earlier contributions of sacred water and stones for Ayodhya’s temple.
In 2012, India honored her with the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the best award for abroad Indians, acknowledging her bridge-building efforts.
Private life and enduring affect
Married to obstetrician Dr. Gregory Bissessar since 1971, she balances political life with household in Penal, Trinidad.
Her management extends past politics; she champions training and girls’s empowerment, crediting her grandmothers, who supported their households as widows, for her resilience.
With 45% of Trinidad’s inhabitants having Indian roots, her story embodies the enduring legacy of Girmitiya laborers who preserved Bihar’s tradition overseas.
