Suriname’s newly elected chairman of National Assembly, Ashwin Adhin, takes oath in Sanskrit

PARAMARIBO (Suriname): Suriname’s newly elected chairman of the National Assembly, Ashwin Adhin, took his oath in Sanskrit language. He is now the second leader in Suriname to take his oath in Sanskrit.

The Indian Embassy in Suriname shared a video on the social media platform X, which showed Adhin taking the oath. In a post on X, the Indian Embassy in Suriname stated, “Newly elected the Chairman of the National Assembly, Mr. Adhin, became the second leader in Suriname who took his oath in Sanskrit, a classical language of India”.

Newly elected the Chairman of National Assembly, Mr. Adhin became the second leader in Suriname who took his oath in Sanskrit, a classical language of India.@MEAIndia @indiandiplomats @DDNewslive @iccr_hq @ombirlakota pic.twitter.com/ReYal4wJHd

— India in Suriname (@IndEmbSur) July 1, 2025

India’s Ambassador to Suriname, Subhash Gupta, attended the inaugural session of Suriname’s National Assembly (NA) on June 29, during which Ashwin Adhin was elected as the NA Chairman. Subhash Gupta congratulated Ashwin Adhin for his election.

“Amb @subhashpgupta, witnessed the inaugural session of National Assembly (NA) on 29 June that elected Mr. Ashwin Adhin, a PIO, as NA Chairman. He became 2nd leader who took his pledge in Sanskrit. Later, the ambassador congratulated him for his election”, Indian Embassy in Suriname posted on X.

Amb @subhashpgupta , witnessed the inaugural session of National Assembly (NA) on 29 June that elected Mr. Ashwin Adhin, a PIO, as NA Chairman.He became 2nd leader who took his pledge in Sanskrit. Later, the ambassador congratulated him for his election.@IndianDiplomacy pic.twitter.com/o5QoKdURiK

— India in Suriname (@IndEmbSur) June 30, 2025

Earlier in 2020, Suriname’s President Chandrikapersad ‘Chan’ Santokhi took oath in the Sanskrit language during his inauguration ceremony.

India and Suriname share close, warm, and friendly relations, reinforced by cultural and people-to-people contacts, which are bridged by the Indian Diaspora’s arrival dating back to one and a half centuries, according to a statement from the Indian Embassy in Suriname.

Several high-level visits have been exchanged since the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Suriname in 1976, with the Indian Embassy opened in Paramaribo in 1977 and the Surinamese Embassy in New Delhi in 2000. According to the Indian Embassy in Suriname, the Indian diaspora currently constitutes over 27 per cent of Suriname’s population of about 6.2 lakhs. (ANI)