Presidents Ali & Santokhi get positive ratings at PBD

Dear Editor,
The Presidents of Guyana and Suriname, Shri Irfaan Ali and Chandrikapersad Santokhi respectively, won the hearts of attendees of Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2023 with their eloquent soaring speeches at the convention on Monday, January 9. Both leaders are in India to be honoured by the Government of India for their political achievements with Pravasi Samman Award, the highest honour given to an Indian in the diaspora.
In their remarks, the Presidents gave excellent counsel to the Government of India on its future interaction with the diaspora. Their speeches were well received by the audience, with interruptions of applause. The speeches of the two Presidents and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dominated the talk among attendees at the convention and at public places visited by this writer outside the convention. The speeches were carried live on TV and social media. The public also praised the speeches of the three political leaders as obtained from impromptu random interviews.
Several thousand delegates, including some thirty from Guyana, graced the event. Sections of the city of Indore, where some Guyanese and Surinamese trace their roots, came to a standstill on Monday to welcome the two distinguished sons of the diaspora, and the PM and the thousands of guests. Crowds lined the route to catch a glimpse of the PM as he travelled from the airport to the Convention Center. Traffic was totally shut down for the PM.
The delegates and local support staff of the event praised the two foreign distinguished guests for their presentations to the august body. This writer went around interviewing delegates and members of the public about the remarks of the three main speakers. At dinners and lunches, people also said the two Presidents gave remarkable speeches. It is not likely people will forget their names and faces.
Among the words people used to describe their speeches were: impressive, presidential, emotional, excellent, confident, good, positive, eloquent, self-assured, graceful, gentlemanly, warm, benevolent, focused, clear, charming, nice, wonderful, inspiring, among others.
Additional words used for President Irfaan included youthful and considerate. The President’s traditional Indian outfit also impressed the guests.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram