Who Is PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar And Why Did PM Modi Call Her ’Bihar Ki Beti? | In Pics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed the Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago. PM Modi highlighted Bihar's rich cultural heritage, referring to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, as a “Bihar ki beti, while acknowledging her ancestral roots in the Indian state. PM Modi gifted PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar a Ram Mandir replica, Saryu River water, and Mahakumbh sacred water, symbolising the deep cultural and spiritual ties between India and Trinidad & Tobago.

Kamla Persad-Bissessar, the current Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, has ancestral roots in Bhelupur village, located in Bihar's Buxar district. Born into a Brahmin Hindu family, her grandparents migrated from India to Trinidad in the 1880s as bonded labourers. Her parents, Lilraj and Rita Persad, are both Hindus of Indian descent. Her father worked as a bookkeeper, while her mother worked as a labourer and roti-shop owner in Texaco. She has one brother and three sisters, some of whom live abroad. Kamla credits her mother and grandmothers for shaping her feminist values.

Born in rural Siparia, Southern Trinidad, Kamla pursued higher studies across Jamaica, England, and Trinidad, earning multiple degrees including a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.), a Bachelor of Laws (Hons.), and a Legal Education Certificate. She also did an Executive MBA from the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business. She started working as an educator and social worker until her transition into full-time legal practice. She began her public service in 1987 as an alderman in the St. Patrick County Council.