This article covers the Indian community in Seychelles, cultural relations and events, awards, and youth and people-to-people exchanges between India and Seychelles. It is based on the MEA bilateral brief of June 2026, and community figures are the estimates given in that brief.
Early links
According to the MEA brief of June 2026, it was in 1770 that a small group of five Indians landed in Seychelles as plantation workers, along with seven African slaves and 15 French colonists. They were recorded as the first inhabitants of the islands.
Trade links in the British colonial period facilitated the migration of an Indian trading community, which the brief describes as looking for greener pastures after reaching a saturation point in East Africa. From the beginning of the twentieth century there was a constant flow of Indians, mostly from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and later from Gujarat. They came as traders, labourers and construction workers, and more recently as professionals.
The Indian community today
As of the brief, the number of Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) with Seychelles citizenship is estimated to be around 6000. The brief describes this as significant in a country with a total population of about 120,000. A majority of them belong to the Gujarati and the Tamil community.
The brief states that the PIO community is visible in all walks of life, is well known for its professionalism and hard work, and dominates the trading and construction sectors. There are also over 9,000 NRIs holding Gainful Employment Permits. Most of them are construction workers or shop assistants, with a few professionals.
Awards
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was conferred on Justice D. Karunakaran of the Supreme Court of Seychelles in 2015. He was the second recipient of the award from Seychelles, after Dr. V. Ramadoss in 2006.
Cultural relations
The brief states that, with a significant presence of the Indian diaspora in Seychelles, cultural contacts have been primarily community-driven, with support from the two governments. At the initiative of prominent PIO associations in Seychelles, several Indian cultural troupes regularly visit Seychelles to perform.
The earlier agreements listed in the brief include a Cultural Exchange Programme for 2003-05, and a further Cultural Exchange Program for the years 2018-2022 was among the instruments signed in June 2018. Culture was also one of the areas covered by the MoUs signed during President Dr. Patrick Herminie's State Visit to India in February 2026.
In June 2022, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi was erected in the Peace Park in Victoria, where it stands alongside statues of leaders including Nelson Mandela, first President of South Africa, and Sir James Mancham, founding President of Seychelles. During his 5-day visit to India in June 2018, former President Danny Faure gifted two giant Aldabra tortoises to the Hyderabad Zoo.
Cultural events
Seychelles-India Day was celebrated over two weeks in the run up to the 78th Independence Day of India. Events included friendly cricket matches for men and women, a National Chess Tournament, and performances by a visiting ICCR troupe at the ICCS National Auditorium and the National History Museum in Victoria. The celebrations ended with a cultural programme and food festival at the Roche Caiman Complex.
On the occasion of the 76th Republic Day of India, a 9-member ICCR sponsored Indian folk dance "Bhangra" troupe visited Seychelles from 25-27 January 2025. An Indian Traditional Textile Exhibition promoting One District One Product (ODOP) was held at the Seychelles National History Museum from 27 to 31 January 2025, with an 'India Corner' set up at the same venue for the duration of the exhibition.
Youth and people-to-people exchanges
Youth delegations from Seychelles take part each year in the National Cadet Corps Youth Exchange Programme in New Delhi. Seychellois delegations also attend the Surajkund International Crafts Mela in Faridabad, Haryana.
In November 2023, during Foreign Minister Sylvestre Radegonde's visit to India, the two countries signed an MoU on cooperation in the field of Youth and Sports.
Education
The brief mentions ICCR among the programmes under which India extends assistance to Seychelles, but it gives no figures for ICCR scholarships or for Seychellois students in India. Readers interested in study opportunities should check current schemes through official Indian government channels.