horizons magazines 2013

Messages 03President of the Republic of GuyanaMinister of Culture Youth & Sport

Publisher's Remarks 06

Editor's Note 08

Making a Difference 12The East Indian Presence in The Caribbean

Coconut Tree 16The Tree of Life

My Grandparents' EventfulJourney 18

Turmeric 25The Golden Spice

Connecting to our HistoryThrough Elders 28

Untold Stories Meet Moonsie Nani 32Lang Lang Time Ago 34

Generation Next 36

Celebrating 175 Years 38Of East Indians in Guyana

Movers & Shakers 42

The 1913 Revolt 47

Pt. Reepu Daman Persaud 50

A Treasure Trove fromYesteryear 52

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ContentsCelebrating East Indian Heritage

Indian Movies and theCinema 56 55Ideas for a HealthyDiaspora 60

A Musical Journey 62

Bollywood Dreams 66

Shreya Ghoshal 71

Stepping Out In Style 74

A History of Enmore 80

Cricket 84Once upon a time in Guyana

A Book Review 86

Diaspora Dr. Bhudendra Doobay 90Dr. Jamal Deen 93Dr. Deborah Persaud 100

From India to Guyana 102

Recipes 104

A Kaleidoscope of Festivals 108

Moment in History -1948...Cheddi Jagan speaking at the funeral of the Enmore Martyrs who gave their lives for freedom.

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I join with all Guyana in heralding this historic landmark in our country. One hundred and seventy five years ago, East Indians from India were first brought to our country, then British Guiana, to work as indentured

laborers on the sugar plantations. These immigrants helped to save the sugar industry from the effects of an acute shortage of field workers, and when significant numbers of them opted to make this country their home after their period of indentureship had expired, they contributed in no small measure to the reshaping of its economy, demography and cultural diversification.

The succeeding generations of Guyanese are indebted to these immigrants who brought with them their own language, religions, cultural practices and traditions. Their life was not easy but through their hard work, thrift, sacrifice and struggles to end exploitation and bondage, they ensured that their descendants would inherit a better life than the one they experienced. These descendants have in turn built on the legacy bequeathed to them.

On this momentous anniversary marking the arrival of the first batch of East Indian labourers to Guyana, it is my great pleasure to salute their contributions to our country. Many of them and their descendants have distinguished themselves in various aspects of life but on this particular anniversary, I wish to pay a special tribute to those who toiled in back-breaking conditions on our plantations. They are the unsung heroes and heroines who carved out a future for themselves and for their children. They were not certain what lay ahead, but they remained steadfast and sure-footed in the idea that challenges were made to be overcome, and that they would surmount the tremendous hardships and difficulties that they encountered. Their example and their sacrifices fill us all with pride.

This magazine, Horizons, is an annual production to commemorate Indian Arrival Day. It offers important insights and reflections about the odyssey of East Indians, which began one hundred and seventy five years ago, when the first indentured immigrants first set foot on our shores.

I commend this magazine to all readers and trust that it will continue to highlight the contributions and legacy of the East Indian immigrants and their descendants.

It is with pride and pleasure that I extend best wishes to all Guyanese on the 175th anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana.

Happy Arrival Day! Hon. Donald RamotarPresident, The Republic of Guyana

4 - Horizons 2009

On behalf of the Ministry of Culture Youth and Sport I share the excitement of the Guyanese people as we celebrate the 175th Anniversary of the Arrival of the East Indians to Guyana.

On the 5th May 1838, the first set of Indian Indentured Immigrants arrived in British Guiana. However this trade in Indian Indentured Immigrants was suspended on 11th July 1838 when the governments of Bengal, Madras and Bombay withheld permission for ships to depart with emigrants. A law Act XVI followed this on the 29th May 1839, which prohibited overseas emigration for manual labor. This ban was subsequently lifted and the ship “Lord Hungerford” left Calcutta on the 29th January 1845 with another batch of emigrants for British Guiana and by so doing restarted the “ Coolie Trade”. It was then continued from 1845 to 1917 and over this period it is estimated that 238,909 East Indians came to British Guiana.

These numbers are col and devoid of personality. But to understand Indentureship, we have to put faces to these numbers, to bring to life the stories of challenges, struggles and sacrifices. We have to research and write these stories of our ancestors. We have to put history into perspective. We have to understand the orgins of our culture. We have to recognize the legacy that they have bequeathed to us.

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport is pleased to facilitate the remembrance of our ancestors' contributions. The Ministry has collaborated with a number of organizations on various national and community projects. At the National level, the Ministry has collaborated with the Bank of Guyana to mint a commemorative coin. We would also be building a monument to pay tribute to the contributions of our indentured ancestors. We have also started the digitalization of the Walter Rodney National Archives and upon completion, persons would be able to view our archival holdings online. These small steps will certainly contribute to acknowledging the great debt that we owe our ancestors.

On this significant anniversary, we recognize the sterling contributions of our indentured ancestors, and we remain inspired by their persistence and perseverance to humanize this country. We are proud to be their heirs, and we will continue to work to realise their unfulfilled dreams of a better Guyana.

Hon Dr Frank AnthonyMinister of Culture, Youth & Sport

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5 - Horizons 2009

On behalf of the entire HORIZONS Team – Happy Arrival Day 2013 as we celebrate the milestone of 175 Years since the Arrival of the first East Indians in 1838 to the shores of then British Guiana.

Our fore parents came from India crossing the “kaalapaani” in a most difficult journey arriving in British Guiana with very little other than their proud heritage, religions and culture. During the ensuing years they toiled and suffered under inhumane conditions whilst making rich contributions to create and develop their communities and country. The footprints of their efforts are indelibly imprinted across all of Guyana leaving a proud legacy for future generations to build on, celebrate and enjoy.

Over a period of 175 Years to today, the impact of the East Indian has been profound in the melting pot that is today’s Guyana. Across every village and community the East Indian heritage and rich culture has endured and is being propagated and sustained through families and in the many mandirs and mosques which standout as the proud edifices of our patrimony.

We have led in the struggle for equality and political freedoms and have produced as our sons and daughters over the years some of the best brains in academia, industry, agriculture, leadership, politics, medicine, arts and culture and many other disciplines.

Seven years ago our company took a decision to launch our HORIZONS Magazine and has successfully published an annual edition of the history and evolution of the East Indian people in Guyana from 1838 to today. Through these many pages and annual editions we have chronicled the rich heritage and traditions and shared the success stories of our people. The demand for copies in Guyana and the diaspora is overwhelming and feedback on the content is gratifying.

I want to particularly thank our Editor Dr. Vindhya Persaud for her outstanding efforts and commitment in delivering the rich editorial content for our annual editions to date. I also want to thank the many editorial and photographic contributors over the years and of course our team at AMS for their efforts.

Special mention also needs to be made of my brother in law, the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, for his support and encouragement. His knowledge of East Indian history, people, religion, culture and communities was unparalleled and was reflected in the general content and his many editorial pieces over the years.

I am pleased to announce the launching of our website www.horizonsguyana.com where we can now offer access electronically to all editions of the Magazine. This will now allow for greater circulation and distribution to a wider audience.

We encourage those of you who wish to offer articles for publishing in our future issues of our HORIZONS Magazine to engage Dr Vindhya Persaud and myself.

Lokesh SinghPublisher

Publisher's Remarks

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Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud M.PEditor

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COSMOPOLITAN CUISINE IN A ELEGANT LAID-BACK ATMOSPHERE

TOPPED WITH SUBURB SERVICE

159A Barr & AlexanderStreets, Kitty, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225 7769 (592) 225 7710

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The occasion of 175 years of the arrival of Indians in Guyana came with much fanfare as many organisations around the country paid tribute to those migrant men and women who came under harrowing

circumstances in 1838; in many instances under false pretext and illusions of betterment. Their stories have inspired their descendants to seek better lives, fleeing the hardships their forebears endured on relentless fields of sugarcane and in dank and derelict logies. Their plight, loss of life as they ceaselessly toiled and challenged their colonial masters, persistence in preserving their culture and traditions, and a resolute struggle for empowerment and better life has been recorded to some extent by historians. It lives vividly in the minds of first and second generation descendants and propelled their offspring towards productive, indeed heroic horizons.

Cheddi Jagan fought for freedom and democracy. Reepu Daman Persaud shaped the Hindu identity and struggled against injustice. The legal minds of Sir Shridath Ramphal and Mohammed Shahabudeen were channeled towards Guyana’s legislation. The generations changed and Drs. Bharat Jagdeo and Deborah Persaud leaped over new frontiers. The accomplishments of these individuals and many like them have been chronicled. But what of the daily struggles and the untold stories of countless others?- Horizons revisits those times and you can live through the words and memories of the elderly. Images of vintage heirlooms, olden days, people from another era and village life whisper their own enchanted stories. You can savour the aroma of food, quench your thirst with refreshing coconut water, envision yourself wrapped in shimmering fabrics and get into the minds of generation next through the pages of Horizons.

The landscape of Guyana has undergone tumultuous changes. The country boasts of many individuals from back then, as well as today, who scaled heights and charted new paths. What motivated them, why did events unfold as they did over these 175 years and what is our future? These thoughts run riot in my mind as I compile this offering on a milestone…They challenge me to continue recording, probing and continuing a relentless quest for another story, another triumph, another link to history and origins…

As we celebrate and reflect on our bequest, and ponder on preserving the priceless heritage, I pen this editorial filled with poignant emotions and a deep sense of loss as my father, Reepu Daman Persaud, joins those who are remembered in history for unparalleled contributions to our country and its people. Writing the piece on my father for this issue, feels, right now, like the most difficult thing I have ever done. What can I convey in a few scattered words that would do justice to such a person?

Without a doubt, he would expect me to continue to unearth and recount the stories and history in this magazine he loved, inspired, added to with his institutional memory and remarkable experiences.

To all my Guyanese brothers and sisters in Guyana or scattered in the Diaspora - , Happy 175th Indian Arrival Day! Dad – this one is in tribute to you. ….Dilse (from the heart).

Editor's Note

COSMOPOLITAN CUISINE IN A ELEGANT LAID-BACK ATMOSPHERE

TOPPED WITH SUBURB SERVICE

159A Barr & AlexanderStreets, Kitty, Georgetown

Tel: (592) 225 7769 (592) 225 7710

Email: [email protected] Yes We Deliver!

Breakfast Lunch Dinner

step out of the NORM

Horizons is published annually by:

Advertising & Marketing Services213 B Camp Street, P.O. Box 101582Georgetown, Guyana. Tel: 225-5384

Fax: 592-225-5383.

PublisherLokesh Singh

[email protected]

EditorDr. Vindhya Vasini [email protected]

Advertising SalesChristine Gooding

Tessa Allen / Adrian Pryce

Graphic Design & LayoutMensah Fox

Contributing Writers Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud Hessaun Nandlall Dr. Indhira Harry Blue Singh Deomattie Seeram Zahrah Alli Ananda Latchman Gina Arjoon Keeran Persaud Ian Kissoon Prof. Dr. Brinsley Samaroo Priya Methuram Tajranie Rampersaud Pradeep Singh Dr. Vivian Rambihar Deodat Persaud Neaz Subhan Dr. Noshella Singh Prof. Vibert C. Cambridge Varsha Mangar

PhotographyFidal Bassier Sandra Prince

Tajranie Rampersaud Pradeep Singh Carl Croker Deomattie Seeram

Ananda Latchman Troy Parbhoo GINA Deodat Persaud Adrian Narine Trishala Persaud Mensah Fox John Greene Ian Kissoon Prabha Kissoon Nicola Pierre Roshan Khan Blue Singh Pradeep Singh National Trust

Cover Photo:Fidal Bassier

Produced By:

Advertising & Marketing Services213 B Camp Street, P.O. Box 101582.

Georgetown, Guyana. Tel: 592-225-5384Fax: 592-225-5383 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.horizonsguyana.com

© Copyright 2013. Reproduction of any material without the permission of AMS is strictly prohibited. AMS reserves the right to determine the content of this publication. AMS wishes to express

sincere thanks and appreciation to all parties who have assisted in making this publication a reality.

Guyana's East Indian Immigration & Heritage Magazine

Making a Difference The East Indian presence in the Caribbean, 1838 – 2013

12 - Horizons 2013

During the period 1838 – 1917, 534,596 girmityas (agreement signers) were transported to the

British, French and Dutch Caribbean colonies. These Indians from the vast agricultural plains of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, and Madras came to replace a rapidly depleting African labour force consequent on the start of abolition in 1838.

It was a harrowing decision to make for people to whom Mother Earth (Dharti Mata) was sacred, for whom the observance of many samskars (rites of passage) in the ancestral village was crucial to the attainment of a desired rebirth. For these hundreds of thousands there was little choice as they had to leave or face starvation at home.

European exploitation had ravaged the economy. Rich fields of rice, vegetables and grain were now converted to opium and ganja fields to feed the Chinese market. India which for centuries before had been a major exporter of fabric, was now turned into a producer of cotton, hemp, silk, and jute as raw materials for the European market which now produced textiles to be sold in India and the wider world.

Whole villages of julahas (weavers) now had to make the trek to Calcutta to board the next jahaj (ship) to the Caribbean. It is interesting to note that the areas of greatest exodus from India were precisely those where European exploitation was greatest.

After the Great Revolt of 1857 the pace quickened, many were leaving to escape British vengeance, thousands of Bihars and Lucknautis were forced to break caste and cross the Kaala Pani (the dark waters). Of those who came, about 75% chose to remain in this region, making a substantial difference to the evolution of the Caribbean civilization.

The trip across 10,000 miles over the Indian and Atlantic oceans was traumatic. The Indian who landed in Georgetown or Paramaribo was hardly the same person who had departed from Calcutta. At the depots the changes started as they were constrained to mix with persons of other castes, religions and regions.

On the ship, compulsory integration continued since the ship owners paid little heed to the separations which existed in Indian society. Now the

long journey together created a new bonding which they called jahajibhai or jahajinata, meaning “brotherhood of the boat”. That bonding transcended caste and religion creating an intimacy which lasted for decades in plantation colonies.

Jahajis and jahajins could always depend on each other on the plantations. They would stand together against overbearing overseers, they vigorously defended their women, they stood together to resist marauding missionaries and provided hiding places for those being pursued by the colonial police.

A major product of the voyage was the jahajibandal (ship’s belongings). The Indian was allowed to carry a jahajibandal which consisted of a large three-cornered handkerchief carried at the end of a lathi (stick). This simple but remarkable creation made a significant physical difference to the Caribbean landscape. Table II gives an idea of some of the many seeds and cuttings which were brought from India to the Caribbean.

The girmityas brought copies of the Koran and the Tulsidas Ramayan

By: Professor Dr. Brinsley Samaroo

13 - Horizons 2013

which became spiritual anchors in the new place. The Ramayan story which speaks of banishment, exile and triumphant return was particularly appealing as the Indians could readily relate to those experiences. It is for this reason that thousands of Indo Caribbean children have the holy name of Ram as a suffix or prefix to the names.

The changes in identity continued upon our arrival at the “coolie depots”. Thousands of names were changed for many reasons. Some understandably wanted to make a new start in life so they upgraded themselves. For example, those who had never lifted a sword now renamed themselves Maha Bir (great warrior), many did not understand the question and gave occupations as names bhandari (cook), kisan (farmer), or sonar (jeweller). Others said they were recruited at the Calcutta depot and were thus named Depoo. Some said that they were foreigners (Bhi Deshi) and that became their Caribbean handle. Others expressed this sadness at leaving India and were called Dukhi (the sad one) and others sought to express their poverty and giving names such as Garib (a poor person) or Nanga (naked). Many were given the names of their places of ancestry: Bihari, Saran, Barsati, Gokool, or Punjabi. Boys born on the sea were called Samundar and girls Samundari (daughter of the sea). As many of them became converted to Christianity they took on Anglicised

versions of their Indian names. So Anand became Andy, Rasulan became Rosslyn and Ram Das became Yisu Das (servant of Jesus).

Emergence from the plantations

The end of indentureship worldwide took place in January 1920 but that emancipation was different from African emancipation since the indentureship contract allowed for freedom after 5 years or 10 depending on renewal or not after 5 years. Some 25% opted to return, others took the land grant in lieu of return passage and others purchased property with their meager earnings.

More often than not, the land thus acquired was of poor quality very frequently in the coastal swamps of the Guianas. But what the Europeans considered poor quality land, the Indians regarded as good land. After all, they had the experience of thousands of years of land reclamation in the swamps of the Gangetic plains. So they continuously reclaimed such lands, a process which continues today in all of the areas of settlement. To these newly created settlements the Indians added their flora and fauna brought in the jahajibhandal or through the trade stimulated by these diasporic crossings.

The plantation system destroyed much of the pristine Caribbean forest rendering a bleak canescape; but Indian ingenuity created oases of greenery reminiscent of ancestral places with cattle and poultry, fruits and vegetables and flowers.

In this new Dharti Mata they built Mosques and Mandirs and markets which closely resembled those which existed in the ancestral abode; they established maktabs and madrasas, patshalas and vidyalayas. Most of the time- expired Indians reverted to the original caste occupation. Thus those who came from an ancestry of the tailors became darzis, the coal-burners were now koellas, jewellers were now sonars and barbers became naus. They sought to re-create India in the Caribbean.

Immigration Depot

East Indian Market PlaceEast Indians at Immigration Depot, Georgetown

The Indians of 1838From a land they came

Men, women and children the samePromised of a return trip,

They joined the sailing shipsThe Indians of 1838

Convinced of a land of gold,They marched fort brave and bold,

A new dawn they beholdA true story they weren’t told.

The Indians of 1838They worked on the sugar plantations

Suffered from starvation and humiliationThey lived in isolated conditions,

But had a determinationThe Indians of 1838

Enduring the hardships,They were bound by indenturship.

Envisioning an endTo the time they had to spend.

The Indians of 1838Empowered by their strengths

They built on their talentsA culture they transcends

A heritage from which they descendBy: Rakesh Jagdeo

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The Coconut TreeTree of Life

The coast land of our dear Guyana has been blessed with the abundance of this majestic plant,

with its origin controversial, of Indo-Pacific origin or from the northwestern South America. The oldest fossils known of the modern coconut date from the Eocene period from around 37 to 55 million years ago and were found in Australia and India. This unique tree has been cultivated on large scale on coconut plantations and also as a custom in many gardens of Guyanese homes.

Cocosnucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae (palm family). It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or

the fruit, which, botanically, is a drupe, not a nut. The spelling cocoanut is an archaic form of the word. The term is derived from 16th century Portuguese and Spanish coco, meaning "head" or "skull", from the three small holes on the coconut shell that resemble human facial features.

Its uses are vast and varied; we can utilize from its leaves to its roots. Some of its common uses are in arts and craft, foods, medicines, oils, condiments, and for religious purposes.

The roots can be used for beverages, dyes and medicinal purposes.

The Coconut trunk is used in buildings. Handy and durable wood is obtained to

make various pieces of furniture and novelty items. Paper pulp can also be extracted from the trunk.

The shell, a part of the coconut fruit produces handicrafts items and charcoal for cooking.

The coconut husk also a part of coconut fruit is used to obtain Coir, an elastic fiber used for rope, matting and coarse cloth, and also as a dish washing agent, form of fuel, mosquito repellent.

Its leaves make thatch, brooms and decorations – and in Guyana adorn the mandap at Hindu weddings.

The jelly is a good source of protein and an effective natural laxative. It is also a

By Dr. Noshella Singh

source of other products such as coco flour, desiccated coconut, coco milk, coco chips, candies, copra, and animal feeds. Also used as a main ingredient for salad and other sweet delicacies.

Coconut Water is used mostly for re-hydration and kidney cleansing. An excellent electrolyte replacement, it contains more electrolytes than most sports drinks, more potassium than banana and aids in exercise performance and reduces swelling in hands and feet. It is useful in stress reduction, protects against cancer, helps balance blood sugar and improves digestion. Naturally low in calories and fat coconut water can reduce the risk of heart disease, improve blood circulation, lower high blood pressure and improve blood cholesterol level. There are also some anti-aging properties.

Many Guyanese babies would have been liberally rubbed down with coconut oil or grand-mothers and mothers would have poured the oil in locks as it is known to benefit the skin, hair, and face. They all swear that the hair will grow healthier and the grays will take longer to appear. The oil is extracted from copra and notable for its anti-microbial properties. It contains fatty acids that are good for the body namely, Lauric, Caprylic, and Capri.

A coconut (Sanskrit: narikela) is an essential element of rituals in Hindu tradition. Often it is decorated with bright metal foils and other symbols of auspiciousness. It is offered during worship to a Hindu god or goddess. Irrespective of their religious affiliation, fishermen often offer it to the rivers and seas in the hopes of having bountiful catches. Hindus often initiate the beginning of any new activity by breaking a coconut to ensure the blessings of the gods and successful completion of the activity.

Mother Lakshmi, is often shown holding a coconut. Every day, thousands of coconuts are broken, and some devotees break 108 coconuts at a time as per the prayer.

In Hindu wedding ceremonies, a coconut is placed in a lota, representing

a womb. Coconut flowers are auspicious symbols and are fixtures at Hindu and Buddhist weddings and other important occasions. In Kerala, coconut flowers must be present during a marriage ceremony. The flowers are inserted into a barrel of unhusked rice (paddy) and placed within sight of the wedding ceremony. Similarly in Sri Lanka coconut flowers, standing in brass urns, are placed in prominent positions.

Many Guyanese families have started large scale cultivation resulting vast private coconut estates, for example Letter T estate located at Abary and Boodhoo S estate. The exportation of coconut products has formed part of the agro industry of our country and the coconut tree stands as a symbol of wealth in our country.

Decoratingfor

allOccasions...

[email protected] sultana’s wedding decor

My Grandparents’ Eventful Journey

Recounted by Blue Singh; a grandson who traces his

family tree.

My paternal grandfather, Ramsarup Singh (Baap), born 1888 in Aligarh, Uttar

Pradesh, India; arrived in Guyana as an indentured laborer (Immigration # 108429) in 1909 on the ship S.S. Sutlej.

Ramsarup and two friends, Kumla and Chetram left Bhojaka in June, 1909 and headed North to look for work in Jittari. After 3 days they found nothing and ran out of money; they were hungry and Chetram had a gold ear-ring which he sold for them to buy food. Chetram decided to return home and Baap and Kumla continued their search. While in Palwal they were approached by some-one who promised to find them work in Delhi and took them to a recruit station.

Without knowing it, they were taken to the staging area for indentured laborers

and were medically examined and deemed fit to travel. After a brief stay, they were taken to Calcutta to board the next vessel for British Guiana. The S.S Sutlej sailed from Calcutta, India on July 13, 1909 with Baap and

Kumla on board. Also among the other passengers were Doulat and Parbattie.

Baap was 21 years old when he registered in Delhi and left India. The Emigration pass lists his village as

18 - Horizons 2013

Ramsarup Singh (Baap)

SS Sutledge

My Grandparents’ Eventful Journey

Bhojaka and district as Aligarh. He was 5 feet-8 inches tall, about 150 lbs. and of fair complexion. Baap was assigned to Diamond Estate where he made his home and raised his children.

My paternal grand-mother Parbattie was registered at Agra, India and came as Baap’s ship-mate; Immigration # 108360. Her father was Hiraj and she was from the village of Sankni, district Manipuri. She was 5 ft-3 inches tall and 21 years old when she left India and was married to Doulat who was also on the ship. Records are sketchy for Doulat (107934); something happened to him on the ship and she was paired with Baap in British Guiana in what was the common fashion then.

And so they settled down together..

Previously immigrants were predominantly male and then the British actively started to bring women

as well. When the ships landed, the estate owners tried to pair them off with men to stabilize the work-force. The male immigrants were given an opportunity to choose a work-mate and Baap asked Parbattie to stay with him. He asked Parbattie’s brother for his consent for them to be a family.

Parbattie’s brother (name-unknown) arrived in Guyana with her (no records for him). He was single, very athletic and performed in shows. My father only met him twice and remembered that he would spin a stick (10 feet) with two balls at the end of the stick. He would challenge people to throw a stone at him and the spinning stick would block the stone. Her brother agreed and that was how Baap and Parbattie started their family; no official marriage or ceremony. By the time their children got married, there was a Hindu ceremony which was not officially recorded.

Life, farming and home…

Baap lived at Diamond where his children were raised and then the family went to live in a small “bush-house” in Coglan Bush. The area had no roads, only bush (black-sage shrubs) covered tracks to get in and out of the area. His two older sons would paddle up the moss and weed covered canal to get to Vreed-en-Hoop to do their shopping.

After some time, Baap wanted to buy a piece of land in Diamond. He was told that the land at Coglan Bush was no good for farming and that there was cleared land at Vreed-en-Hoop. There were 2 strips of farming land behind Estate house on the south side of New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop and the Estate was owned by a Landlord who leased it to farmers to plant rice. The strips were separated by the black water stream called “Mil-wak” (irrigation). The first strip behind the house was “First-Run” and the second strip was “Last-Run”.

Bap purchased 4 acres rice field at “First Run” around 1930 and this was the start of rice farming in the family. Later his sons purchased lands adjoining his. After procuring the rice land, Bap

19 - Horizons 2013

Old Family House

SS Sutledge

Khem & Umraia

and his family moved to a small “shoe-house” at the back of Haliman Yard. Later, he bought a house lot next door at New Road, Vreed-en-Hoop which became the family residence. The family residence was sold in 1995 after his descendants moved abroad.

Back to India…

The indentured labors had a stipulation in their contract for payment of passage back to India after their time with the estate was completed. Baap sold his property and used the passage money to return to India on the M.V. Resurgent in 1955 after 46 years in Guyana. His intent was to look for relatives and stay there permanently. Ram, Baap’s oldest grand-child, went to India earlier in 1955 to study medicine at the Medical College, Amristar, under an Indian scholarship and Baap met him in Punjab. Ram was sharing a house with Arjune Jagan, brother of the first Guyana Premier Cheddi Jagan.

After the visit, Ram took Baap to Delhi and put him on the train to Aligarh. Ram returned to Amristar the same day and Baap slept at the train station in Delhi as the train to Aligarh was not leaving until the next day. Back in India- all was not as he expected….

Baap father’s name was Bipthi Singh and he had one other son, Bhule. Bhule died in India in his forties. Bhule and his wife (Hansa-Kumarie) had a son Chirange (Baap’s nephew).

Chirange did not marry and he died of electrocution; this ended the family line in India. Bipthi’s brother Nandram had two sons, Yadram (Chote) and Nanua.

When Baap returned to India in 1955,

only his uncle’s family was there. Baap stayed with Chote in Bipthi’s house the year he returned.

The people in Bhojaka thought Baap and Kumla were in Delhi and did not understand why they never came back home.

Baap had a first marriage in India but left while his wife was still living at her parent’s home. She lived there for 3 years then went to her in-law’s home, by then Baap was no longer there. Later, Nanua got married to Baap’s wife who died young and childless. His

20 - Horizons 2013

second wife also died childless and his third marriage was with Bhule’s wife Hansa-Kumarie after Bhule died.

On his return to India, Baap was disappointed that there were no other close relatives and after spending a year he decided to return to Guyana. Back to Guyana in 1956..

In 1956 he returned by plane through New York and took ill because he did not have proper clothing for the cold weather. After Bap returned from his visit to India, he became frail and weak.

He lived with his grandchildren in New Road, West Coast Demerara. He was unable to climb the steps and could no longer take care of himself. He had a close friend Sukan who lived at the logie; he visited him often at home. He was 74 years old when he died on Aug. 9th, 1962 in Vreed-en-hoop, Guyana. When he died, Sukan chanted and prayed for him all night during the wake. Baap was buried at the cemetery in Best.

Memories and similarities to India

Baap was the only grand-parent most of us knew; others died before the younger children were born. He spoke Hindi but managed enough English words for us to communicate. He planted rice and vegetables and raised poultry and cattle for milk (cow) and farming (oxen) in the rice field.

Mohan Singh, age 70 was 12 years old when Baap returned to India in 1955 and is currently living in Bhojaka. He related the family history to Lall (one of

Baaps’s descendants) during a visit in August. 2012. Mohan Singh is the last of that generation. In the olden days, the family planted rice, dhal, maize and sugar-cane and were vegetarians (jat). There has been little progress since and current relatives maintain a similar life-style.

Guyanese relations…

Baap’s descendants in Guyana were also farmers but also became successful professionals in Medicine, Nursing, Science, Engineering and Business; most of them emigrated to England, Canada and the USA.

Grand children of Baap; with the author Blue Singh in Red

Turmeric

25 - Horizons 2013

The Turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) is native to tropical South Asia and is most widely used as

a food condiment. Commonly known as “dye” in Guyana or “Haldi” in some parts of India, it is one of the principle ingredients in curry powder and its golden colour and spicy flavouring is instantly recognized in Indian dishes such as curries and dhals.

Turmeric belongs to the ginger family and like ginger, it is a rhizome with its stem growing beneath the soil and it is this stem that is harvested and used. The turmeric can be used fresh, or boiled and dried to produce hard sticks which can then be grounded to a fine powder.

The use of turmeric dates back as early as 3000 BC when it was first cultivated in India by the Harrappan civilization; a nation that was also among the first to develop a system of uniform weights and measures. Cultivation of turmeric reached China by 700 AD, East Africa by 800 AD, West Africa by 1200, and then

by the 18th century it was introduced to the Caribbean during the Indian Indentureship period. Today turmeric is widely cultivated in the tropics for the food industry. Its characteristic musky, earthy and pungent aroma, along with

its slightly bitter and peppery flavour makes it a popular ingredient in many food products such as mustard, pickles, chutneys, butter, cheese, margarine, fruit drinks, cakes, table jellies, fruit dishes, and pilafs.

Turmericthe Golden Spice

by Ian Kissoon

26 - Horizons 2013

Turmeric is also a major ingredient in homeopathic and beauty treatments due to its ability improve skin tone, remedy dry skin and blackheads, treat skin conditions such as eczema and acne, and retard the aging process. The turmeric oil and oleoresin is used in the perfume industry while the powder is used to dye clothing.

Turmeric has long been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat epilepsy and bleeding disorders, skin diseases, and to purify the body-mind. The medicinal use of turmeric has been recognized by modern science and is used to treat liver ailments, ulcers, parasitic infections, skin problems, bruises, joint pain and inflammation such as arthritis, sprains, and strains. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric helps to break down liver toxins, strengthens the functioning of the gallbladder, aids in metabolism, stops blood clotting while contributing to muscle regeneration, decreases total cholesterol while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or the ‘good cholesterol’, helps fight against the common cold and other respiratory problems, and inhibits the growth of various microbes. Studies have also shown that turmeric may help prevent colon, breast, lung and other forms of cancers and can help to manage heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. With such a long list of healing properties, turmeric found itself in a spicy situation in 1995 when a university in the United States claimed rights (patent) for discovering the wound healing properties of turmeric. The patent was eventually revoked in 1997 after the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research proved that the medicinal use of turmeric was already documented in ancient Sanskrit texts.

This wondrous spice also has religious significance, particularly among the Hindu community. It is used in pujas and ceremonies for its purifying and protective qualities. On wedding occasions, families and close friends gather to “rub dye” on the bride and groom so they can be cleansed of all things negative while enhancing the skin’s appearance. New born babies are also rubbed with turmeric on their forehead for good luck and protection.

Ganesha made from turmeric is usually worshipped at homes during the celebration of Ganesha Chaturthi, the Hindu festival that celebrate the re-birth of Lord Ganesha.

With turmeric having so many health benefits and practical uses around the

home, why not grow a plant in your kitchen garden or plant pot! Turmeric is already being grown in Guyana so obtain fresh pieces of the rhizome or root - since the plant does not produce seeds - at a local plant shop or from the Ministry of Agriculture.

Some Quick Turmeric Remedies

• Asthma - Boil 1 cup of milk with 1 tsp of turmeric powder. Drink warm.

• Burns - Mix 1 tsp of turmeric with 1 tsp of aloe gel and apply to burnt area.

• Conjunctivitis - Mix 1 tbsp of crushed, raw turmeric in 1/3 cup of water. Boil and sieve. 2–3 drops of this mixture may be used in each eye up to 3 times per day.

• Diabetes - ½–1 tsp of turmeric should be taken 3 times a day.

• Diarrhoea - Take ½ tsp of turmeric powder or juice in water, 3 times per day.

• Pain - Mix 1 tsp of turmeric and 2 tsp of ginger with water to make a paste. Spread over a cloth, place on the affected area and bandage. Add 1 tsp of turmeric to 1 cup of warm milk and drink before bed.

• Complexion - Apply a paste of turmeric on the skin before bed, and wash off after a few minutes.

Dye or Haldi Ceremony

28 - Horizons 2013

The history of our families is the history of Indian Arrival. The untold stories of our relatives

help us to know and understand our origins. One important way to know and appreciate these stories is by asking and recording them. As we celebrate 175 years, let us reflect on the struggle of our forebears, through the lives of two women, ‘Sukhia Ball’ and ‘Youmatee Tewari’. Their stories like so many others, in all of our families help us to understand who we are as a people.

Sukhia Ball, fondly called Mai, is 83 years old and lives in Enterprise Village, East Coast Demerara. She was born on the Non Pariel Estate. Youmattie Tewari, called Muddo, is 81 years old and lives in Industry. She was born in Mahaicony and moved to Ogle Estate after marriage.

Mai’s ‘Aja’ (paternal grandfather) brought her father to Guyana as a baby from India. According to Mai, “he tief meh Daddy and bring am”. Mai’s ‘Nana’ and ‘Nanee’ (maternal grandparents) also, came from India. Muddo’s grandparents came from India and when they finished serving their indentureship with the Sugar Estate, they moved to Mahaicony.

Mai, never attend school and still does not know how to read and write. She grew up in a logie at ‘Non Pariel’ where her father worked as a barber and a weeder. Her mother passed away when they were very young, and Mai remembers being cared for by other persons in the logie. Her father later remarried and her step-mother caught and sold fish for a living. Muddo was lucky and was able to attend school in Mahaicony. Her father was a Pandit. Muddo learned to read, write and speak

Hindi. Muddo’s husband had worked as a postman at first, but then went back to the Ogle Estate to become a ‘Cane-Cutter’.Mai said that she heard of persons who went back to India, but they, never returned. She remembered when her ‘Nanee’ died and that her ‘Nana’ said he wanted to return to India. However, she jokingly recalled how she and her cousins as children tied him with rope so that he would stay, and he stayed.

Mai said her father never beat her. She recalls an incident with an old man (whom she addresses as ‘Nana’) who used to teach the children Hindi as a child. ‘Nana’ had beaten her one day, and when she told her father, he said she should not go back. However, she reflected that if her father had sent her back to ‘Nana’, she might have learnt more Hindi.

Connecting to our History through our Elders

UNTOLD STORIES

By Keeran Persaud

Sukhia Ball ( Mai) Youmatee Tewari (Muddo)

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Mai remembers life in the logie with mixed feelings. People tended to look out for each other - “everybody wuk lil bit money, but everybody share an help out each oda”. Families stayed in one small room where everyone cooked, ate, played and slept. According to Muddo, everybody “choke up- choke up”. The mud ‘Logies” were ‘daubed’ with mud, the wooden ones were whitewashed. Muddo remembers the children playing games at Ogle Estate, such as “... bun house, hop scotch, hulia...” (Two teams with captains, where one team tries to catch the other)”

Muddo married at the age of 14 years, which was common at the time, and came to live at the logie on Ogle Estate. She remembers the logie organized into ‘coolie quarters’ where the Indian families lived, and the ‘capritola’ where people of mixed race lived. Mai also remembers that even though the logie quarters were separate, that every one, of all races lived well together.

They lived under insanitary conditions. The latrines were over the ‘toilet trenches’ which during the rainy season would flood and overflow into the logie. There was no electricity available; all the lights were in the form of oil lamps. According to Muddo, only those who could afford barrels would catch rain water and many could not afford that luxury. In Mai’s words, “middle-walk water bin fuh drinkin, cook, everything’ and when ‘e’ dry up, abee had to fetch’.

They had to make do with whatever they could get around the environs of the logie. It was difficult to progress because of all the restrictions and lack of opportunities for them. Obtaining the basic necessities was difficult enough,

let alone trying to improve their living standards.

Despite the difficulties of their daily lives, the people managed to find ways of continuing their culture and religion. Mai remembers attending the temple at Non Pareil, particularly on special occasions. The Ogle Estate also had a temple for worshipers. In those days, the celebrations of ‘Phagwah’ and ‘Diwali’ were low-key observances since the workers had to work on those days. Mai and Muddo remember lovingly making the ‘diyas’ from clay and drying them by the fire -side. Muddo said that sometimes you would not remember, because, “Work was too much”. Diwali was celebrated as a personal observance in the night. Mai recalls being thrown in the trench during Phagwah as a child; her eyes lit up as she said “but me could swim”. She said “Phagwah first day was colour and water, and no rank”. On the second day, they cooked meat. Other festivals were kept, it was not until she was much older that she learned more about the different festivals.

These hard working people never lost the very close relationship with the religion. The places of worship were built and rebuilt as the people moved to new housing schemes.

Weddings were always held in the night and were definitely not as big as they

are now. Mai though remembers fondly hearing the ‘tassa’ and “jumping out the window” on maticore night to go and dance. Now as then, weddings have always have brought our community together.

LabourMai worked as a young weeder after she got married. She was forced to stop when a new ‘overseer’ claimed he did not recognize her and would not give her work. ‘Mai said “me and he grow same place, meh na know how he nah know meh”. Muddo did not work on the estate. When she moved out of the logie, she and her husband began planting vegetables, which she then sold at the Plaisance market for many years.

Both remember the times of strikes. Muddo said that the striking workers had to hide because the ‘Manja’ (Manager) would come and lock them up. Mai recalls the day when the five were killed in the Enmore Factory. Her husband was going to join the strike with two friends, but he turned back “half way”. Mai said that it was good he turned back.

Muddo said she cannot remember in the 10 years of living in the logie that the manager ever visited. Mai described the Estate Managers thus; “some of them nice”, but “some ah dem big shaat, some ah haller pun yuh”. Christmas time was the only time when a ‘bonus’ of sugar was received. The quantity of sugar depended on the position of the worker in the estate.

CheddiBoth Muddo and Mai remember Dr. Cheddi Jagan with fondness, and they both said that Cheddi was instrumental in bringing them out of the logie. Mai said “Cheddi prapa good, he come an’ see how ahwee a live and seh abee Youmatee Tewari (Muddo) Hindi Writing Book.

30 - Horizons 2013

cyan live like dis”. Cheddi used to visit Muddo’s father-in-law often in the logie. The movement out of the Logie was universal, as Muddo said “nah me alone, everybody”.

Mai and her family moved to Enterprise scheme, while, Muddo and her family moved to Industry scheme. After all these years they both still live on the same lot of land. Both Mai and Muddo reflected that the move out of the logie gave them the drive to work and build up their homes. According to Muddo, “we felt better because yuh elevate yuhself”. Mai continues to be an active supporter of the PPP, making sure she attends meetings and shows her support when she could. She believes that if it wasn’t for Cheddi all those years ago, fighting for workers’ rights, she and her family would not have achieved what they have today.

Children Both Mai and Muddo were determined to send their children to school. Mai said that even though, she did not know to read and write, “meh watch dem book an’ if me see de man head ah battam, me know dem a fool meh”. In addition to caring for their families, they worked to earn money to support their families. Mai worked hard, but the work sometimes had its own dilemmas. One story she tells of a venture to sell snacks at the school, “me watch dem pickney, widdem face lang and dem han’ behind dem back, no money fuh buy. Me couldn’ a bear fuh watch dem. Mi share out whah me had, an me nevah guh back”

Both Mai and Muddo ensured that their children received an education, as they both realized, that an education was the way to come out of poverty and ignorance. Mai and Muddo each have children who reached the top of the teaching profession.

RumMai and Muddo said that rum was always there, though in the logie days, it was not as easily available. There were those who could not afford it; some would go to the Estate club to drink.

The move out of the logie seemed to also bring an increase in rum drinking... Mai’s close relatives were consumed by rum. Mai said, of one man “he nah ah strike, he need money fuh buy rum’. Mai also spoke of a female relative, “Meh a prapa vex when me see dem lady ah drink”

ChangesMai recognized that times have changed. She has built her house, to be a family house but, ‘everybody get dem own wan’ now”. She manages to remain in contact with other friends, some of whom came from the logie with her. Mai has a great-great-grand child and according to her “all bady deh bettah now”. Muddo said that her 10 years of living in a logie were long past, and that there is more freedom and comforts for her.

Mai and Muddo are part of the living history of persons who connect us with India. Mai and Muddo also connect us with those who left India so that our lives would be better than those immigrants.

Their move from the logies to the schemes opened a new world of possibilities and a hope that the next generation, would live a better life than theirs.

These pages cannot tell all the stories, or give all the lessons of how all of the people lived. As we celebrate 175

years of arrival, let us talk to those who came through those struggles of arrival. We are lucky that some of our ‘old-people’ are still with us, a living link to our past. We are here because of what our foreparents dreamt for us. As Muddo said “we came a long way..”

“Personal note: It never occurred to me that the elderly around me have so many stories to tell of things which I never knew. I now understand and feel a deep honour for Mai, Muddo and the thousands of others who struggled and survived here. I hope that all readers, especially the young people would strive to get at least one story from their family or any other source. Technology is easily available to record and share these stories for posterity. We have the opportunity, let us not waste it.

Muddo and her extended family.

Muddo and her extended family.

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Imagine for a few moments, the Blessed Lord has permitted you to live for 102 years, how would you

spend your days? Tough to imagine, what about living it?

Some pray to the Almighty for longevity for many reasons; perhaps, to experience all there is to relish on this planet. But some live simply to praise and worship God. Meet for the second time in Horizons Magazine, Mataji Sukhdaia Bhuali also known as Sumintree Mahabir, the oldest resident in the East Canje Community. She is living the age we often extend to our contemporaries during a birthday wish-“May you live to see a hundred years”.

Popularly known in the village as “Moonsee Nani”, this 102 years old

devotee of Lot 86 East Canefield Settlement, proudly says “Beta, a demmek me deh hay”, referring to Bhagwan as the sole reason for her being alive today. She insists that her remaining days must be dedicated in service to God. This of course is taken literally since she is present at most religious functions in the community. One cannot escape noticing her excellent punctuality record at these functions and mandirs, despite using her feet as the means of transportation. Her trademark routine of greeting is unique and brings a sense of conviviality when she says “Ram Ram” and uses her hands to gently rub the receiver’s face and utters the words, “oowwebaab how u a do”. It is the feeling which you experience when someone in a divine esteemed position touches you. The tragedies of her life did not shadow the ever present human spark of love that prevails in her.

Even though, her birth certificate record states her date of birth as 30th December, 1910, her relatives are maintaining that she is much older. It was explained by the relatives of Bhuali that both her parents came

Meet Moonsie Nani, for a Second Time

“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” - Mae West

from India and arrived at Plantation Highbury. They later settled in Mara, an agricultural village 25 miles from New Amsterdam. Given the difficulties prevailing in those times, accessibility to a Registry Office was seemingly impossible. It was after about 5 years later,when her family migrated from Mara, the registration of her birth was possible. This is lapse caused a grave error- the incorrect recording of her date of birth, her relatives insist. If her relatives’ claims are true, Bhuali would have been celebrating 107 years of existance, ranking her amongst the oldest citizens in Guyana.

Despite attaining this age, Bhuali is a moderately swift individual who enjoys dancing, singing, chatting, visiting neighbors, performing basic chores of washing and cleaning. She always seem willingly to share words of advice to the younger generation, “Beta, a – yo must tek yu books and shine with gyaan aur bhakti”; mixing her conversation with English and Hindi. To the amusement of many, she continues to fold her legs in “padmasana” position at religious functions and cares less if it is mat or bare concrete she is seated

UNTOLD STORIES

By Deodat Persaud

on. She is ever ready to offer guidance and even assist in pooja preparations. Needless to say, she is alert during a pooja in the event the priest requires additional ingredients.

Her physical appearance makes her quite conspicuous. She can be spotted from a distance with her brisk walking, curved back posture (due to age) and neat “rumal” or head-kerchief. Another, distinctive mark of “Moonsie Nani” is her “gownah” or tattoo on her hand, signifying her family’s promise to her suitor for marriage. Her marriage union ended in 1970 when her husband died. She then moved from the village – New Dam-(modern day backlands of Albion) to Canefield to live with her relatives, since she had no child of her own.

This centenarian,a former laborer at the Rose Hall Estate, does not compromise her diet for age. It is amazing to watch her eating “seven curry” in the evening without complaint. She occasionally eats fish and meat, but enjoys her vegetables and supplement tonics. She

boasts of a body free from diabetes and hypertension.

The residents in her community consider her presence and company as a blessing and joy. Her grand-daughter in law, whom she resides with said, “Nani can gaff, she likes being around people”. When asked, “how it

feels to achieve this age”, Bhuali, joking puts it this way, “Beta, me deh hay too long, me beg dem (God) fo tek me now, me live enuff, and me want meet me ancestors them now”. A meeting with Bhuali reminds mankind that happiness in life can be found through service to God. Man must use their time in life to seek God and serve Humanity.

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“Lang Lang Time Ago”

Meet 96 years old Rajmurat Singh of No. 66 Village, Corentyne, Berbice who was

born on April 8th 1917. In an interview with Horizon magazine she related that her mother-in-law who was appropriately named Samundri was born on one of the ships while it was bringing indentured labourers from India to then British Guiana.

Rajmurat grew up at No. 50 Village, Corentyne, Berbice. Her father passed before she was married. She related that shortly after her father’s one year shraad, her cha-cha acting in a fatherly role send a message to their home asking them to get dressed and wear clean clothes; when they asked why he said just do it. Her cha-cha then showed up with two other individuals to their home and she vividly recalls him telling the two persons ‘this is the girl’. Little did she knew that six months later she would have been married to the

younger person who visited her home along with her cha-cha. Her husband Pooran Singh of Albion was the eldest of his eleven siblings. The wedding ceremony was done in the night as it was a common practice to do so in those days.

After marriage she moved with her husband to live at Albion where they both worked in the sugar cane fields and were involved in the planting and harvesting of the canes. Their responsibilities also entailed cutting and transporting the canes to the punts. Their marriage bore five children namely Vedwattie, Darshanand, Narsingh, Poonai and Teekasingh.

She later moved with her husband and children to No. 66 Village when the government was distributing lands there. While living there she and her husband worked in rice fields in the backdam planting and harvesting. She

vividly recalls how they used to harvest the rice with grass knives as there were no mechanical harvesters then.

Mai related that all her sons went to school to receive an education but her daughter didn’t. Though she wanted her to go to school, her in-laws did not allow it. When ask why this was so she related that girls were not allowed to go to school; they mostly stayed at home and helped with chores and housekeeping. She also said that it was perceived that if they were sent to school then would have learned to write letters to their boyfriends.

Her smallest child Teekasingh was able to complete his Primary education and later attended the Tagore Memorial Secondary School which he completed successfully. He taught at Tagore for some time and then attended Teachers’ Training College in Georgetown. However, he tragically lost his life as a result of an accident sometime after he returned from Georgetown.

When asked about the markings on her hands she responded that they are called “gudna” and related how she got them after she was married as it was important that unless she had it, her in-laws wouldn’t eat or drink from her.

She has no regrets in life and wouldn’t change anything about her life. She related that life was difficult and said that “abbi had to wuk hard to get wha abbi want” and also added that “now different than lang time”. When asked what advice she has for young people she responded that “dem parents sould teach dem wrang from right and that dem should gu school and tek dem education”. She has fair health, moves about fairly well and still helps to prepare meals in the kitchen; something she said she enjoys doing. She lives with her daughter Vedwattie at No. 66 Village who takes care of her.

UNTOLD STORIES

"Now Different from Lang Time"By Pradeep Singh

Rajmurat Singh; Inset: Gudnah (Tattoo)

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GENERATION NOW! Speaks on 175 years of Indian Arrival

In 1838, the famed vessels the Whitby and Hesperus brought to this land not only batches of our indentured fore-parents but with them a unique culture. It is those very threads of culture woven by the looms of time that have fashioned the lifestyle of descendants of East Indian immigrants. We are Generation Now! Over the 175 years past, what aspects of

the culture endowed by our fore-parents do we most treasure? Will we strive to retain our cultural integrities and identities? And what is our hope for the generations yet to come?

Narda Ramchartar, a 23 year old Medical Student and proud Berbician believes she is most grateful to her fore-parents for the lessons for they’ve taught about strength in unity and diligence and respect for knowledge; the arts and sciences which have been passed down. She states, “This is what enabled them to overcome the hardships of injustice, discrimination and atrocious living standards.”

She was able to proudly report that “today in my community and various nearby communities, this unity still exists among East Indian folks. Certain values, morals and traditions are still strong and people are holding tightly to them. “

Narda laments that if these qualities, which define us, are lost then our identity as a people is lost. It is her hope that within unified communities, youths are educated about their respective cultures to be able to sustain this unified way of life.

Asaf Mohamed, an 18 year old student in the Geological Sciences at Queen’s College hails from Palmyra, Berbice. He remembers his fore-parents in that “they define what this country is all about: hard work, co-operation and determination.” As such, he expressed regret that “The ways of life of our fore-parents are often viewed as obsolete though many aspects are relevant even today.”

He believes that the tendency of society to drift from traditional to modern aspects solidifies the need to maintain cultural identity. He further added that “losing sight of the values, morals and traditions that they have passed on to us means losing sight of how far we've come.”

He posits the need to retain cultural identity resisting the ever present invasion of foreign cultures that we tend to adopt though they may be quite opposite to our belief system. He laments that each culture is of equal status and all have their unique place in society. He argues that “Aspects like food and dress can be modified to suit location but never totally transformed or altogether neglected.”

Nineteen year old Dentistry Student, Shabeena Ramjohn, hails from the West Coast of Demerara. She remembers her fore-parents for the “customs and beliefs that unite us as families and then as a people.” Additionally, she hopes that “through activities of present day we can preserve the Indian Identity of my fore-parents through culture.”

Shabeena believes that we can retain our culture “simply by educating the younger generation and also as adults by practicing our culture”. She supports the idea of showcasing our culture in the forms of history, language, art, dance, literature, dress and customs. She hopes that “In doing so we are able to appreciate and understand the legacy our fore-parents have left behind.”

Her dream for the future generation is” to be able to strive for excellence and understand that the unique imprint our fore-parents possessed has not disappeared but simply been passed to us so we may use it to add positively to the development of Guyana.”

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Yeeshana Ganpat, a 20 year old Medical Student from Reliance, Essequibo relates that she is grateful to her fore-parents for her “identity”. She further states that. “I am a child of indentureship, a product of their achievement and heiress to the richness of their culture, intellect and morals. I am part of a society that firmly sits on the legacy of my fore-parents.

Yeeshana believes that “our generation should take this opportunity to rekindle that burning desire to strive fervently so that we can secure for ourselves, our families and by extension our country, a rewarding future.”

She boasted that “in my community, there is tremendous appreciation for intellectual, moral and artistic faculties that have long become definitive of Indian culture. After realizing the unique interplay between tradition and day-to-day living, we continue to take pride in preserving and in some cases restoring certain aspects of our culture.”

Yeeshana further went on to add that “The cultural web that entangles us as a community has been spun largely by our religious leaders and senior folks. They have delightfully encouraged the cultivation, adoption and sustenance of culture.”

She describes our fore-parents as “an inspiration” and so it is her dream for the future generations “to use their message of struggle and fulfillment as encouragement for us to rise above our own struggles and have a more positive outlook towards life.”

Marvin Monize, a 21 year old Biology Degree graduate and now dentistry student from Cove en John, East Coast Demerara tells that he remembers his foreparents “for the hardships they have been through as indentured immigrants and the rich culture they kept through it all”. He further boasted that as an East Indian of this generation “I walk around with a sense of pride to know I descend from such strong people, my fore-parents have instilled their culture and have made it a ‘Guyanese thing’.”

He acknowledged that culture, mainly religious practices, has been well preserved in my village especially through the construction of the ashram” He claims it to be the greatest source of cultural practice in the village and particularly enjoys the Maha Shivratri celebrations at the ashram due to the multitudes of East Indians that flock there displaying their cultural apparel as they worship in a manner alike to some of our fore-parents.

Marvin’s dream for the future generation is “for us to continue preserving our culture and spreading it to all corners of Guyana and to not let it be faded like many old Guyanese practices. For the young ones let us inculcate their minds with the importance of a rich culture and remind them where they came from and how hard it was to get where we are today.”

Rishiram Dubraj is an 18 year old medical student from the East Bank of Demerara.He states that “after one and three quarter centuries of East Indian heritage in Guyana, I remember my fore-parents for the vast body of culture and religion herein endowed. It is this body of knowledge and practices that has sustained the East Indian community’s identity and integrity through the sands of time to give rise to this generation. “

Rishiram believes that “the preservation of our identities as a people is a collaborative effort to be undertaken by all strata of East Indians with the family serving as its functional unit. It begins with the teachings of the elder members of a family as they pass down this sacred ocean of knowledge to the generations that succeed them. It then lies in this intermediate generation of adults to further pass these teachings to their offspring at a tender age, thereby cultivating the mechanisms for yet another stream of inherited culture. Finally, and most critically, is this generation’s pride in their culture, the recognition of it as their identity and their appreciation for integrating and practicing that sacred culture they inherited.”

His dream for this and the future generations is “their appreciation of the toils and hurdles our people have overcome, not only on those voyages, but in this country to maintain the sanctity and integrity of that culture which builds the foundation of our East Indian Community as we know it”. He further clarifies that “in this appreciation, they must see the necessity of knowing one’s culture and realize the importance in endowing it upon those around and after them. In this way, a sustainable flow of our identity and integrity as a people alongside our culture will be established.”

38 - Horizons 2013

Celebrating 175 years of East Indians in Guyana - a legacy of

freedom, culture and development

175 years of Indian Arrival dawned in Guyana on Sunday, May 5th and the country was enveloped in nostalgia and celebration as many organisations throughout its length and breadth were engaged in commemorating this milestone in their unique ways.

Monuments, processions, lectures, concerts, musical and dance journeys and paying tribute to the elderly all contributed to kaleidoscope of events which were seen as befitting the historic occasion.

Plantation Highbury, Berbice where the first batch of Indian Immigrants disembarked from the ship Whitby was the site of a monument unveiled in their honour. The monument is a replica of the original which was unveiled in Calcutta two years ago to honour those who departed India during the period 1834 to 1920 to work as indentured labourers. The unveiling of the monument at Highbury was organised by the Berbice Indian Cultural Committee, and included a rich cultural programme of skits, songs and dances.

The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha held a number of events around the country to commemorate the occasion. Tain Campus was the venue for an event which brought outstanding artistes from East and West Berbice and Upper

and Central Corentyne together to express their talent in music, dance and drama in a cultural programme which also featured legendary singer, Mohan Nandu, tributes to Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, addresses by Dr.

Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Alka Yagnik & Udit Narayan in Concert

Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Berbice 175Celebrations

Nrityageet

39 - Horizons 2013

Vindhya Persaud and President Donald Ramotar. The cultural programme was preceded by a grand march and procession from the Tain Kendra. Attendees were able to view replicas of logies, mandap, temples, clothing and other aspects of immigrant life at the exhibition by the Praants of the Sabha as well as feast on a variety of Indian dishes at the food festival which was part of the event at Tain. The Sabha also commenced the presentation of 175 hampers to the elderly across Guyana at Tain. The hampers were presented to the most senior descendants of the Indian Immigrants in Berbice, Essequibo, East and West Demerara and East bank and Georgetown. It was the Sabha’s special way of recognizing their contributions and paying tribute to them.

Another Arrival Day celebration of the Sabha- Gaon ki Tyohar was held on West Demerara at the Ocean View Mandir, Uitvulgt, where President Ramotar noted that notwithstanding all that has been achieved, there is much more to be done. He said one of the most important achievements that is directly linked to indentured labourers is the survival of the sugar industry. This comes after years of toiling to

Indian Commemoration Trust - Monument Gardens

Indian Arrival Committee Mela - Albion

Indian Commemoration Trust - Higbury

create wealth for Great Britain, but today, this industry is nationally owned.He also emphasised the need for a new way of thinking to appreciate the industry and its challenges in order to propel development.

On Sunday May 5th, thousands attended the mega concert organized by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha at the National Stadium featuring outstanding playback singers Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan and their troupe from India. Guyanese from here and the diaspora enjoyed the more than 2 decades of music delivered by the artistes in the nearly five hour long concert. Dr. Vindhya Persaud speaking on behalf of the Sabha acknowledged the significance of music in maintaining the link between India and Guyana over the 17 decades even though the language brought by our foreparents “hindi” is not spoken anymore in Guyana. She emphasized that there were many dimensions to Indentureship and while we must never forget the hardships and sacrifices they made equally too we should celebrate the accomplishments and achievements of their descendants in developing Guyana and charting new paths on the foundation they were bequeathed.

All who came enjoyed themselves as they sampled the sumptuous foods, sang and danced to their hearts content and left in good spirits for their homes in Essequibo, Berbice and Demerara. President Ramotar could not resist a few dance steps on stage when he met with the artistes. Dharmic Nritya Sang added to the cultural explosion in the alcohol free and family environment. The proceeds of the concert will be for the construction of the Sabha’s Shelter for abused children in Berbice.

To mark the anniversary of the arrival, the Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) organized a Mela at the Albion Centre Ground, Berbice, where President Ramotar reminded that the first East Indians were misled into coming to Guyana, with promises of a land of ‘milk and honey, and water and gold’. They found instead, a society in which slavery still existed. These first arrivals had to live and work under similar conditions as slaves in Guyana.

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They nevertheless persevered and struggled every inch of the way, not only for a better standard of living and improved working conditions, but to change the system. Their first victory was in 1917, when the entire indentured system was abolished. The struggles continued against colonialism, and the Indian presence was also a great part of the struggle of trade unionism, in the fight for independence and after independence, the general fight for democracy.

A second Mela was also held by the IAC on the Essequibo Coast, at the Anna Regina Centre Ground. Both events were highly attended, and patrons were entertained by the performances of local and regional (Trinidad and Tobago) artistes.

The anniversary was also observed with a lecture series on Indian Immigration and the substantial difference they made to the evolution of Caribbean civilization. Presentations were made by Professor Dr. Brinsley Samaroo, one of Trinidad and Tobago’s icon historians; Dr Kusha Haraksingh, Dean, Faculty of Law, UWI, St Augustine, Trinidad and Gaiutra Bahadur, an American Journalist and book critic.

There were also gatherings at schools to commemorate the occasion. At the Leguan Secondary School, in Region Three the audience was entertained through dance, song, poem, and drama, and a mini fashion show showcasing East Indian traditional wear.

The Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall during the feature address explained to the gathering that Arrival Day is intended to celebrate the coming of all the peoples of Guyana, and urged that they reflect on what they were celebrating, and not only use the occasion to rejoice.

Visitors and Guyanese returning home on Arrival Day were greeted with a warm welcome at the Cheddi Jagan

International Airport by members of the Guyana Tourism Authority. Among those arriving on the day were famous Bollywood playback singers AlkaYagnik and Udit Narayan from India to perform at the National Stadium along with Trinidadian artiste Rakesh Yankaran to perform at IAC's Melas. The welcome included the sharing of traditional Indian food as token to celebrate the holiday.

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political arena. Influenced by the poor working conditions of the sugar workers and their impoverished lifestyle, Dr. Jagan resolved to lift his people out of their misery and dedicated his energies and most of his adult life to achieving this- he marched, led strikes, was arrested but remained an indomitable force in his stance against injustice. Three years later, in 1950, he created the People's Progressive Party (PPP). In 1953, the PPP won the first elections held under universal suffrage; however, Britain suspended the constitution, citing the PPP's pro-communist stance.

Between 1953 and 1957, there was a split in the PPP ranks, Dr. Jagan remained as leader of the PPP. Mr. Forbes Burnham formed a new party; the Peoples National Congress (PNC). The PPP won the 1957 and 1961 elections. In the 1964 election Dr. Jagan and the PPP won by majority of votes cast, however, under the system of proportional representation, the government was formed by a coalition comprising the PNC, led by Burnham and the United Force (UF), led by businessman, Peter DAguiar. The following 28 years saw Dr. Jagan as Opposition Leader in Parliament continuing the fight for democracy and rights of Guyanese. Finally in 1992, under the scrutiny of international observers from the Council of Freely-Elected Heads of Government, led by President Carter, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the International Foundation for Electoral System (IFES), Dr. Jagan and the PPP won and he reclaimed the Presidency of the Republic of Guyana. He remained in that post until his death on March 06, 1997, leaving behind his wife, 2 children, grandchildren and an entire

nation to mourn the loss of a man who was a freedom fighter, strategist, friend of the people, and indeed, a beloved son of Guyana’s soil.

His accomplishments include “The New Human Global Order” and the “University of Guyana”.

Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo

Dr. Jagdeo hails from Unity Village; East Coast of Demerara where he was born on January

23rd, 1964.

He served as an economist in the State Planning Secretariat after returning with his degree in Economics, from Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University in Moscow in 1990. When the PPP took office in 1992, he became Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance, was appointed as Junior Minister of Finance in October 1993

From humble origins they rose to stride the corridors of power and stamp their presence indelibly in history. The chronicles of these diverse personalities descended from East Indian Immigrant ancestors with the commonality of their

struggles, perseverance and their love for Guyana would fill volumes, and this minute illustration of highlights of their lives cannot begin to capture the magnitude of these influential men who were part of 17 decades of change and history.

Movers & Shakers of East Indian Descent in Guyana

Dr. Cheddi B. Jagan

Cheddi B. Jagan was pivotal to our freedom, our independence and the shaping of politicsin

Guyana. The author of Forbidden Freedom (1954) and The West on Trial (1966) was born on March 22, 1918 on the sugar plantation of Port Mourant, Berbice, in British Guiana. His father worked as a foreman of a work crew. Dr. Jagan attended Queen’s College, the best boys school in British Guiana,in the city of Georgetown. In September 1935, he left for the United States and graduated in 1942 as a dentist. There, he met Janet Rosenberg, a student nurse and on August 5th 1943, they married before returning to Guyana in October 1943. After returning home, Dr. Jagan started his dental practice.1947- Dr. Jagan formally entered the

By Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud & Ananda Latchman

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and then Senior Minister of Finance in May 1995. Mrs. Janet Jagan, O.E. announced that she was resigning as President for health reasons, and that Dr. Jagdeo would be her successor. August 11th, 1999 he was sworn in as one of the youngest Heads of State in the world at age 35. The March 19th, 2001 elections saw him as the elected President. He was re-elected on August 8th 2006.

During Dr. Jagdeo’s tenure as President, major economic and social reforms were undertaken in Guyana. Unprecedented investment in social services took place during the Jagdeo Presidency, enabling significantly improved access to education, rehabilitation of the health system and the biggest expansion of the housing sector in Guyana’s history. He worked towards strengthening alliances with other countries and in his final term as President, Dr. Jagdeo became a global advocate for international action to avert the worst extremes of climate change, and was described by the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, R.K Pachauri, as “one of perhaps half a dozen Heads of Government who truly understands the issue”. An initiative for which Time Magazine named him as one of their “Heroes of the Environment" in 2008 for which he was awarded the United Nations “Champion of the Earth” award in 2010.

Dr. Jagdeo served as elected Chairman of the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank from September 2005 to September 2006.

His contributions towards the development and progress of Guyana cannot be discounted. At a young age, he truly was an evolutionary figure for Guyana and influenced our image at home and abroad.

Justice Mohamed Shahabuddeen

Justice Shahabuddeen was instrumental in framing Guyana’s constitution.

From a background of indentured labour; born in Vreen-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara on October 7th, 1931, he quickly sought higher education and earned himself prestige in the legal world – both locally and internationally. In 1953,he earned his Bachelor of Law (LL.B.)at the University of London. He opened his own practice in 1954 when he returned to Guyana. Subsequently, he got married and acquired two additional degrees – the Master of Laws in 1959 and the Bachelor of Science in Economics.

He gave up his private practice to serve as a Magistrate in 1959. Acting Attorney –General, Sir Shridath Ramphal, invited him to join the Chambers of the Attorney General as Crown Counsel. Three years later he was appointed Solicitor General, a post he held with distinction from 1962 to 1973, becoming the Chief Legal Adviser to Government on all major international questions and subsequently that year he succeeded Sir. Ramphal and became Attorney General of the Republic of Guyana.

As Minister of Justice in 1978, he earned the reputation of a skilled negotiator and expert on legal affairs especially those related to constitutional law. Not the least of his accomplishments was his work as legal adviser on the Government teams

which negotiated the nationalization of the sugar and bauxite industries. He held this distinguished position until 1987. During this time, 1983-1987, he temporarily acted as Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister of Guyana.

His research on constitutional development in Guyana and his duties in the Civil Service led to the award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in 1970, the Doctor of Laws Degree in 1986. In 1988 he became a judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, the first from the Commonwealth Caribbean to be accorded this significant honour.

His literary works include: The Legal System of Guyana, (Georgetown, 1973); Constitutional Development in Guyana 1621 - 1978, (Georgetown, 1978); From Plantocracy to Nationalisation (Georgetown 1983) and Precedent in the World Court (Cambridge 2007).

Justice Shahabuddeen’s writings are used today as reference documents. He was awarded Guyana’s greatest awards: Cacique’s Crown of Honour (C.C.H.) (1970), Order of Roraima (O.R.) (1980), and Order of Excellence (O.E.) (1988).

Dr. Jung Bahadur Singh

J.B. Singh as he is commonly known was a Member of the Legislative Council and a practicing doctor.

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But the great man for which one our major roads in central Georgetown was named after – J.B. Singh Road was not just a great medical mind. He was one of the earliest promoters of Hinduism in Guyana. He was also the first to advocate for cremation rights for Hindus. In fact, he was the first Hindu to be cremated in Guyana, in 1956. His funeral was one of largest in Guyana and the morning of cremation was a defacto public holiday

Jung Bahadur Singh, was born 1886 in Goed Fortuin, West Bank, Demerara. His parents were indentured immigrants from India. At the turn of the century he qualified as a Chemist and Druggist or "compounder". He studied medicine at Edinburgh University, then returned to Guyana in 1919 and set up practice in Lamaha Street, Georgetown where he resided and practiced until his death. He was also a "ship’s doctor"- he made 3 trips to India, West Indies and South Africa.

He later became involved in politics and the East Indian Association. J.B Singh fought the case of the Ruimveldt Massacre of 1924, served in the Legislative Council for over 25 years and was member of the Executive Council (Ministry) for many years; work for which he received the Order of British Empire (OBE).

Founding the Guyana Sanathan Dharma Maha Sabhawas one of his biggest accomplishments. It was the first Hindu organisation in the country. It captured the support of the Hindu public at that time and was integral in preserving of Hinduism and Indian culture in those early years. It was the organization that held Sewaa (service) in all the sugar plantations during several strikes.

RAHAMAN BACCHUS GAJRAJ

Rahaman. B. Gajraj was born in 1912. He was Honorary Secretary of the British Guiana

East Indian Association (originally formed in 1917 by his father H.B Gajraj). His home, Ajmir House, on

High Street, Kingston, Georgetown, was a place where Muslim Indians met and discussed matters of general interest to the Indian community.

In Volume 1 Number 1 of The Indian Opinion (the official organ of the B.G.E.I.A.), H.B. Gajraj writes: "The B.G.E.I.A. was founded in 1917 by a few far-sighted Indians who saw in the distant years ahead of them the great need for an organization of their own which would be able to weld our people together socially, economically, as well as politically, which would serve to foster education among our people, carefully guard and protect their rights and gradually improve and elevate them that with the passing years they would be able, more and more, to take on full civic and colonial responsibilities and occupy positions in the colony's progressive march forward which from our ancestry, our heritage and our numbers, we fully justify and are entitled to."

R. B. Gajraj’s achievements reflected the expectation of that organization as he went on to become President of the United Sad'r Anjuman and was recognized as the Wazir of the Muslim community in British Guiana. He was the first East Indian to sit on a Board of an insurance company in the country and a City Counselor in a Portuguese dominated ward in Georgetown.

Under his tenure as the first Lord Mayor of Georgetown, potable water was introduced in the city. He was active in politics and served as the Speaker of Parliament from 1961-1964 (during the PPP tenure) and, again, from 1969-1970 (during the PNC tenure). He went on to serve as Ambassador to the United States of the newly independent Guyana and later was Guyana’s High Commissioner to India (from 1970). He did not return to his homeland after his duty as High Commissioner to India was completed.

A flamboyant figure, parliamentarian, astute businessman, eloquent speaker R.B. Gajraj was the moving figure in the founding of certain social institutions especially where Indians were debarred from belonging to an existing one and a driving force in the Anjuman.

Sir Shridath Ramphal

Sir Shridath Surendranath "Sonny" Ramphal, GCMG, AC, ONZ, OE, OM, OCC, QC, FRSA – lawyer,

diplomat, internationalist - was born on 3 October 1928 in New Amsterdam, Guyana. After his early education in Guyana, he read law in London. He graduated with an LLB (Hons) and gained an LLM with distinction from King’s College, University of London. He was called to the Bar at Gray’s Inn, where he was the Arden and Atkin Prizeman in 1952. He later spent a year at the Harvard Law School.

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His first appointment was with the Legal Department of British Guiana from 1953-58. He then joined the Federal Government of the West Indies as Legal Draftsman (1958-59), returned to British Guiana to be Solicitor-General (1959-61) and went back to the Federation as Assistant Attorney-General (1961-62).

He served as Attorney-General of Guyana and drafted Guyana’s independence Constitution of 1966. The following year he was asked to take on, in addition, the post of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

He became the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth in June 1975, on unanimous election by the Heads of its member governments, and was subsequently re-elected on two occasions. He served for 15 years until 1990. He was the second Commonwealth Secretary-General, and the first to come from a developing country. He was a major player in the Commonwealth and a strong voice for the South in world affairs. The 1977 Gleneagles Agreement isolating apartheid South Africa from international sport and the Commonwealth contribution to Zimbabwe’s emergence to democratic independence in 1980 were high watermarks of his first period of office.From 1984 to 1986 he was Chairman of the United Nations Committee on Development Planning.

He worked as the Chancellor of the University of Warwick from 1989 to 2002, the University of the West Indies until 2003 and also served as Chancellor of the University of Guyana. The Ramphal Building at the University of Warwick was named in his honour.He was made an Honorary Fellow of Royal Society of Arts in May 2006. He is a Vice-President of the Royal Commonwealth Society.

An ardent West Indian regionalist, he was the architect of Caribbean integration and chief Negotiator for the Region in its external economic relations from 1998 – 2002. From 2004, Ramphal led Guyana’s international

legal team in the Guyana-Suriname Arbitration to delimit their maritime boundary under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

A recipient of numerous awards and honours from several countries, international bodies and academic institutions, including Knighthood from Her Majesty the Queen of England, he has served with distinction the people of his nation, the Region and the wider international community in a multiplicity of roles.

KAYMAN SANKAR

Kayman Sankar can justifiably be credited for moving the processes of rice cultivation

from the primitive early 20th century methods of tedious oxen-ploughing, manual planting and reaping, to mechanical tillage, aerial spraying, and modern and sophisticated ways of water control, harvesting, milling and marketing.

Born at Cornelia Ida, West Coast of Demerara, on June 3, 1926 Kayman Sankar rose from abject poverty to become a rice magnate and largest employer of rice farmers in Essequibo and Guyana.

Kayman a devout Hindu received part of his education at the Den Amstel Primary School. Due to his mother’s illness, nine year old Kayman’s academic education was truncated. He

started working to augment the family income to keep the younger siblings in school by selling milk. Later, he worked on the sugarcane fields, which involved collecting a full bag of manure, with which he fertilized the fields. It was a backbreaking task that which taught him the valuable lesson that the application of chemical fertilizers, compounded by adequate drainage and irrigation, efficient agronomic practices, and the right kind of soil can significantly increase yields. He incorporated these practices in his own rice farms.

Interested in learning about agriculture, Kayman transferred to a weeding gang then the ‘cut-and-load’ gang, where he could control his earnings, depending on the volume of output per day. He saved every cent that he coul. He said: “I had to do that kind of work because we were poor, my mother was sick, my brothers and sister were small, and I wanted them to go to school.”Those savings enabled Kayman to accrue enough to purchase two acres of rice land at Windsor Forest.

In 1942, the manager, recognising Kayman’s potential to leadership, decided to appoint him as a driver, but Kayman told his father: “I don’t want this promotion because, when I get married, I will get children and I don’t want them to live and work like me. I want to be a wealthy, progressive man of tomorrow.”

This was the genesis of the Kayman Sankar Empire. Because of lack of required capital, this rice mogul, whom banks subsequently begged to lend millions of dollars, initially could not raise enough capital to purchase more land to expand his rice cultivation holdings.

Today his name is synonymous with the shaping of the rice industry and his business remains the largest in Essequibo.

Kayman Sankar said: “As I didn’t have education, I had to get land to plant rice.”

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It was the famous scientist Albert Einstein who confidently posited, “we owe a lot to the Indians, who

taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made!" Indeed, not only the world at large owes Indians for their scientific contributions, but also for their efforts made in the fight for equalities and human rights. Their struggles can never be repaid; however, the most honorable gesture is to recognize and continue the never ending battle for a space where rights are not trampled upon. Our ancestors taught the world that safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.

At a memorial service held on Monday, 25th March, 2013 at the Old Burial Ground in Rose Hall, East Canje, I tried to hold back my tears to no success, upon learning of the price my ancestors paid for justice. It was the first time a memorial ceremony was held for fallen workers, who were killed on the 13th March, over 100 years ago. Among those paying tribute to the dead were President Donald Ramotar,

representatives of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Golden OM Dharmic Youth Organization, the Regional Chairman, as well as Dr. Fred Sukdeo, whose close relatives were among those shot and killed.

I viewed the procession that marched from the “High Bridge” -the spot where the workers were killed- and ended at the burial ground. Having listened to the tributes paid I convinced myself that this marked a dark centenary in Guyanese history;a date that should never be forgotten.

President Donald Ramotar said that the workers “made that ultimate sacrifice” and despite it being 100 years later, he urged all to remember them. He recognized this incident as the push factor for the scrapping of the “hated system of indentureship”. He further noted that from the time indentureship replaced slavery, the workers played the most central role in transforming Guyana. The bulk of the struggle, he stated, was in the sugar estate in 1948 at Enmore. “This was the beginning of

the end of colonialism in our country—all those struggles took place in the estates themselves and….we will always have to pay tribute to sugar workers and the role that they play”, he explained. “Sugar was then ‘king’—the main pillar of the economy”.

I immediately said to myself I needed to venture on a thorough history check as I was completely unaware of the details of these incidents. The history treat by the Head of State propelled me to venture into a time machine, via Google.My travel began with my first search using the key words, “1913 Rose Hall Killings”. I am happy to share this piece I composed having read the works of a number of authors who penned these remarkable historical pieces.

The Journey- 100 Years Back In Time

The 1912 crop season was successful at Plantation Rose Hall in Berbice. It was a norm for a few days of holidays o be granted at the end of the grinding season. The workers’ performances

THE 1913 BERBICE REVOLTBy Deodat Persaud

A Reflection as we Commemorate the 100th Anniversary

Above: Rose Hall Sugar Factory today

Left: Rose Hall residents & workers being addressed by President Ramotar

were exceptional as some even worked on Sundays. The Estate Manager, Mr. James Smith having met Mr. Hunter, the Assistant Manager, promised four days of holidays, effective from 28th January, 1913.

On 27th January 1913, holidays were granted by Mr. Smith. He urged them to utilize the time for maintenance and cleaning of their living quarters. This order, initially, caused some dissatisfaction. On the 28th January, 1913, their dissatisfaction increased when the holidays granted were cancelled by Mr. Smith, citing there was planting to be done. He told them that later in the year, they would reclaim these days. Workers,as expected refused to conform and prevented their colleagues from returning to work on that day.

The indentured laborers/workers reported for duty on the 29th January, 1913, but by weekend Mr. Smith summoned legal action against the seven “ring leaders” for their perceived role in perpetuating the strike. This move agitated the other workers. Smith refused the request of dropping the charges. The group of workers then walked to New Amsterdam and highlighted their plight to the Immigration Agent, Mr Fairbairn. The Agent was able to influence Smith to rescind his decision but wanted the workers to compensate him for the legal advice. The workers requested that the payments be made “little by little” as they earned.

At the court hearing, (during mid-February 1913) about 300 indentured laborers/workers vociferously disputed the charges and threatened retaliation if their colleagues were charged. The men appeared before Magistrate Shankland at the New Amsterdam court. The defense counsel, Joseph Eleazer, advised the seven men to plead guilty and the magistrate fined them three shillings (72 cents) each and ordered them to keep the peace for six months. Mr. Smith was not pleased with this ruling. He requested the Immigration-Agent General to transfer Jangi Khan (ringleader) and his family along with four other indentured labourers; Amir

Baksh, Chotey Khan, Maula Bux, and Mathura to other estates, labeling them as the protest instigators.

The tension continued to grow leading to an uproar from the 4th March onwards, as some workers were charged for poor work quality. In the days after, those who refused to work tussled with the police,when they transported others who chose to work. On one occasion, the workers heard rumors that the police had entered their rooms to molest their wives. They openly called for the dismissal of the deputy manager and the deceptive driver, Jagmohun.

They workers continued to protest against the transfer of the five men. During the protest, they prevented others from entering the estate including the drivers and overseers.

As matters intensified, uncontrollable behavior developed, which resulted in damages to the estate property. At the time, twenty-five additional armed constables were posted to Rose Hall at the request of Mr. Hunter (who now assumed the role of Manager since Mr. Smith was ill and awayin England).

The grim day of 13th March, 1913 saw workers attending the court hearings instead of working. On the same day, the Inspector General of Police of the then British Police Force, George Castriot De Rinzy (1865-1913) and the Immigration Director from Georgetown, unexpectedly agreed to transfer the five “ring-leaders”since police motor-cars were present. Maula Bux, the Muslim newcomer to the colony and to agricultural labor was the first target. He showed them a soiled copy of the immigration ordinance

President Ramotar meeting elderly residents

President Ramotar pays floral tribute toRose Hall Martyrs

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that he had collected in India. Maula Bux, being knowledgeable about the province knew that the indentured immigrant workers worked more hours than were legal, without being paid the legal minimum. He insisted that management lacked legal grounds for a transfer. “They know I can read and suspect me of teaching the people not to go to their work, and so they (falsely) put this blame on me,” he said. In front of the colony’s immigration chief, Bux vowed, “Over my dead body can you remove us from this plantation”.

Jangi Khan, another target sought by the police,was prevented from entering the vehicle. The authorities responding to the strength of the crowd, decided to put the transfers on hold, besides the men “old ring- leaders” needed time to gather their possessions.

The police force ledby De Rinzy and Police Inspector James Ramsay went to Rose Hall,on the same day,to

maintain order and to arrest five“new ring leaders” who were blamed for inciting violence. They were Ganga, Dildar Khan, Shankar, Bholay and Ramdyal. Having seen the police, the crowd assumed that the policemen were aboutto have these “new ring leader's transferred as had happened with the previous” ring leaders”. They were not aware that the police were granted warrants to arrest these men because they threatened violence. This caused the rioting crowd to erupt.

The police,armed with rifles appealed to the threatening crowd to disperse, and subsequently, read the Riot Act .They then arrested Ganga, and were immediately attacked by the crowd. The policemen brutally and indiscriminately fired their weapons at the large gathering of indentured and free workers who were armed only with bottles and sticks.There was a hand- to- hand physical struggle between Motey Khan and

Corporal James Ramsay which resulted in both of them falling into the punt trench and later succumbing to gun shots. Today, it is not certain of the bullets’ origin nor whether the shot fired at the Corporal’s head was deliberate or not. Colonel De Rinzy, in a testimony said the death of the corporal fuelled him to open fire, which resulted in the shooting of 57 persons with 100 bullets.As a result of this confrontation, fifteen workers—14 men and one woman— were killed. The dead were: Badri, 26; Bholay, 33; Durga, 72; Gafur, 27; Jugai, 30; Juggoo, 37; Hulas, 25; Lalji, 45; Motey Khan, 26; Nibur, 75; Roopan, 25; Sadulla, 23; Sarjoo, 21; Sohan, 33; and the lone female Gobindei, 32.

Their bodies were transported in jute bags on donkey carts to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Forty- one workers were injured. The slain workers were buried in mass graves in Canefield Settement, East Canje (opposite the Community Centre).

The circumstances of the killings were investigated by an appointed Commissioner. He found that there was a lapse in communication between the police and the workers. They did not inform the workers of their intentions. Despite this finding, no blame was placed on the police for the killings.

The Daily Argosy’s headline which screamed “BLOODSHED” was seen by two special envoys who were visiting at that time from India. Six months after, the Viceroy’s Legislative Council in Delhi concluded that workers received “considerable provocation and had good reason to complain of unfair treatment”. While their call for compensation for the surviving relatives and victims was futile, their involvement did convince the government of India to abolish the Indentureship Scheme in 1917.

Upon reflecting on the 1913 Rose Hall Rebellion, sentiments of pride and emotion are evoked on considering the courage and zest displayed by the brave men and women, we call our ancestors. Indeed, this remains to date, perhaps, one of those powerful revolts which left a mark on our work force.

President Ramotar makes presentation to oldest female Rose Hall resident

President Ramotar makes presentation to oldest male Rose Hall resident

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Reepu Daman Persaud

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Struggle characterized his life. His was the voice which resonated in the political and religious

wilderness for many years. Maybe it was the motto of the organization, – The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS)which he founded 39 years ago; “Action thy Duty, Reward not thy Concern” that gave Reepu Daman Persaud the resilience and the indomitable will power to withstand and triumph over vicissitudes throughout his life; poverty, religious oppression, political aggression and later on poor health.

Born on the 16th January 1936 on Plantation Diamond, East Bank Demerara, Reepu Daman Persaud defied his humble origins and rose to the pinnacle of the political and religious worlds he straddled.

When he departed this world on April 7th 2013,accolades and tributes pouredin from around the world. Many flew to Guyana be part of his funeral, others organized memorials outside of Guyana. The outpouring of love brought home forcefully the thousands of lives he touched, influenced and shaped. Persons across the religious and political divide agreed that he had an innate unifying ability, possessed vision and integrity, was astute, articulate,a master of negotiation and diplomacy and that he was irreplaceable.

Hinduism flourished and Hindus became proud of their identity as he travelled the length and breadth of Guyana delivering the message of the Gita and Ramayan in a unique manner. In 1959, he was elected as the General Secretary of the Sanatan Dharma Maha

Sabha and he worked tirelessly to strengthen this organization attracting many young people to it. In 1969, he was ousted because of his refusal to support Forbes Burnham, beaten, locked up and treated heinously. He received solid support from Hindus which did not sit well with the PNC and became the target of many violent acts. In He was inherently charismatic. eloquent and articulate, But his traits of honesty and fearlessness and his defiant stand for what he believed in, many - in many cases- wre the qualities that drew support fo this young pandit. On January 8, 1974, at the behest of the Hindu community, he founded the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. Today, the Sabha has branches across Guyana and in excess of 100 affiliated mandirs. It is the strongest voice of Hinduism in Guyana.

“Action thy Duty, Reward not thy Concern”

Reepu Daman Persaud acting asSpeaker of the National Assembly

Reepu Daman Persaud Receiving Order of Roraima from President Cheddi Jagan

Elections Campaign 1997

By Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud

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Without question, under his stewardship, the Hindu community has been strengthened and he has through his GHDS, played a pivotal role in taking to a national level the celebration of Phagwah, Diwali and Arrival Day. He also established the first Hindu Learning Centre which was recognized by the Indian Government- the Dharmic Sanskritik Kendra. He represented Hindus internationally on many occasions, including the World Hindi Conference, New Delhi (1983), the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders on Human Survival in Oxford(1988) and at the Kremlin(1990); he was one of two Hindus from around the world elected to the Council of the forum in 1988. He also initiated Hindu Societies in Queen’s College, Bishop’s High School , the University Of Guyana and other institutions, promoted religious tolerance,revolutionized the way Ramayan was presented – adding unique music and drawing parallels between the stories and lessons contained therein with real life , produced the first Guyanese Bhajan record- Bhakti Bhajans, inspired a renaissance among pandits in Trinidad, trained pandits in Guyana, promoted Indian dress form; championed the use of Hindi and gave beautiful Hindu names to babies in order to strengthen Hindu identity.

In between a slew of jobs from taxi driver to law clerk to cinema manager, Reepu Daman studied and had

an enviable grasp of the Constitution, knowledge which was to serve him well in the Opposition and as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Leader of the House. In the Parliament, where he was one of the longest serving Members - 41 years, he was known for his negotiating skills, eloquence, astuteness, charm, witticisms and quick grasp of any issue which allowed him to rise on his feet and wrap up budget debates or rebut the Opposition skillfully. During his tenure in Parliament, he served as Chairman of the

Select Committee for Constitutional Reform and was responsible for leading many progressive changes. He also served as Opposition Chief Whip (1976-1985), Deputy Speaker of the House (1986-1992) and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (1986-1992). He served as Shadow Minister for Agriculture, Trade and Legal Affairs while in the Opposition.

Reepu was a confidant of Dr. Jagan and struggled alongside him for democracy in Guyana. His was the voice for four years when Dr. Jagan, as Leader of the Opposition was muzzled in the Parliament. He was one of the youngest members of the People’s Progressive Party to be elected to Parliament and served the Party for almost 60 years as a Central Committee and Executive Member. He served as Minister of Agriculture with responsibility for rice, sugar, crops, livestock, sea defence,

lands and surveys when the PPP won the elections in 1992. Appointed Vice-President in 1997, he acted as President and Prime Minister and was awarded the Order of Roraima in 1996 for his long and outstanding service as a Parliamentarian and for his involvement in the struggle for free and fair elections and the restoration of democracy in Guyana. He served in the capacity of Presidential Advisor to former President Bharrat Jagdeo and President Donald Ramotar.

He was married to Indranie Persaud, father of Yogmattie, Aruna, Lokesh, Vindhya, Trishala andVishok and grandfather of Avasa and Kayla Janavi. He had a close bond with family and will be remembered for his willingness to debate any subject with family members no matter their age. He believed in allowing children to ask questions and to have these answered rather than encouraging them to follow traditions and edicts blindly without understanding their genesis.

Writing an article in this issue on this vital, indomitable and inspirational man who nurtured in me an abiding love and respect for my culture and traditions, ensured I remained anchored to my roots and placed me firmly on my path in life through example and unconditional love is perhaps the most difficult task I will ever have to do. How can I in mere words and a few pages capture the essence of my father whom I lost shortly before the milestone of 175 years of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana.

Reepu Daman Persaud with Family - 2012

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A Treasure Trove from Yesteryear

Dearest Modo (Youmatee Tewari) and Grandma (Jasmat Rampersaud), Thank you for

sharing with all of your children and grandchildren. We might not always express it but we do love the stories you told us and continue to share. I’m fortunate to have two beautiful, vibrant souls like you in my life. This story that I share with the readers is for you. Love always, Resh…

Sometimes I wonder if it has been one hundred and seventy-five years since my ancestors touched down in the ‘New World’. It feels longer on many occasions, especially when I sit and listen to my grandmothers’ conversations about their ‘young days’. Don’t get me wrong, they might be a bit old but they are not that ancient. It is just that I feel so separated from that past, from that aspect of my heritage.

I distinctly remember one conversation I was fortunate to witness the other day when I was their personal chauffeur. As one of my grandmothers lives with her daughter in Canada they don’t get to ‘catch up’ too often so when they do, they are reliving several years at once. However, this particular day, I was the subject of their conversation. Modo (my maternal grandmother who is eighty-

one years old) mentioned that she’s so proud of the fact that I can drive and Grandma (my paternal grandmother who is seventy-nine years old) agreed. Following this, they discussed how the ‘young people these days’ are so fortunate – how air-conditioned vehicles are there to take them somewhere that is just five minutes away.

Following this train of thought, I was no longer the subject as the conversation took a turn into another world, another time, where I am but a spectator of the visuals their words of remembrance

created for me. They were discussing the days when they would have to get up at three in the morning (or earlier in some cases) so that they can finish cooking for their fathers and other family members and complete other household chores before they walked (yes WALKED!) miles upon miles to the sugar cane fields. Depending on where the fields where, they would spend approximately five hours daily walking to and from work. They discussed how, if they were fortunate, they’d be able to catch a ride on an animal drawn cart on the main roads and would then walk

"Enjoy this journey of a glimpse into some aspects of our East Indian Heritage…"

by Taijrani Rampersaud

Masala Sill and Lorha Bhajan Book Cast Iron Bed

Kamandal

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several miles inwards to the relevant fields.

They made light of the situations they faced so many decades ago, laughing and poking fun at friends who have passed on or migrated to other parts of the globe; they remembered a past I didn’t live. They didn’t have pictures or videos or any type of physical thing to share with me during this car ride but they had words; they had their memories and stories which they happily shared with me.

As I was doing research about artefacts for this article,I remembered that day with my two grandmothers. The thought of finding a few physical pieces to help me visualize their stories was a huge motivation for me as I wanted to add some memories of my own to this very colourful history. It was no easy feat as many people do not keep or cherish ‘old’ things but I managed to unravel a few from my family and friend circles and quite a few from the Guyanese Heritage Museum. Since I work a full-time job, it wasn’t easy to gather the pictures and oral histories to share with you. However, I’ve managed to put the story behind this story together using a theme of days. I hope you enjoy this journey of a glimpse into some aspects

of our East Indian heritage…

DAY ONE: I was finally able to start research on the topic assigned to me for this edition of Horizons. My first thought after looking up the definition of ‘artefact’ was to call Modo and see if she had anything physical remaining. She mentioned that she didn’t have anything really but then remembered a wagonette and hat stand she has in the house.

I never paid attention to these pieces of furniture before as they had always been there for as long as I can remember. However, when I finally paid attention to them I knew that I had found treasure. The workmanship and the grain of the wood were so beautiful. I remember playing with the hat stand when I was younger. I would take a chair and place it in front of the stand and climb up so that I can see my reflection in the mirror and try on the hats hung there. Sometimes, when I had nothing to do, I’d open the draw on it to see what treasures I could find and play with.

After taking pictures of these two items as best I could(I wasn’t able to move them alone as they were heavy and they had large amounts

of items on them) I remembered my mom mentioning that there was an old fashioned bed, made of cast iron and sporting the large posts that supported a canopy. I could not get a picture of this bed for you in its entirety but I was able to get a shot of some of the details of the main ‘headboard’. This bed was a joy to my cousins and I when we were younger. I don’t know if they recall but I definitely remember bouncing on it, trying not to hit my head on the ceiling, and cuddling up in it whenever I spent the night with my grandmother. Oh the stories she would tell me as I drifted off to sleep…

As I completed navigating the room to get pictures of the bed, I recalled one artefact that I would most definitely love to share – an old book that’s bound by hand with thread that my grandmother keeps copies of bhajans in her very own Hindi script. I cannot read Hindi but I sure can appreciate the fact that the writings on the pages are by my grandmother. This shows preservation of some aspect of a history that many seem to forget.

Day One of my artefact hunting adventure starts to wind down with me struggling as I lifted and repositioned my grandmother’s masala sill and

Lotas, Goblets & Rumal Hand made gold chain

Hat Stand

Wagonette

Anklets and Bracelets worn by our ancestors that are made of

pure silver

Muslim brass glass brough over in by the immigrants

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lorha, made from natural rock, so that I can get a picture to share. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve seen my grandmother or aunts grinding seasoning on the sill or using the lorha to break open a tough nut or some other task as these instruments are multi-purposed.

I seemed to have gathered quite a treasure trove. However, something caught my eye on the table downstairs just before I left my grandmother’s house – a kamandal. There was a bronze ‘vase’ with flowers in it. This item is so very exquisite with its beautiful hand carved designs. It’s not as heavy as one would think and its almost innocuous presence makes it all the more charming a piece.

Everything I found on Day One can fit into the ‘everyday’ items; things that we pass over and over again without paying much attention to. However, should we stop and think about them and ask questions surrounding these pieces, the stories that we can hear are

almost limitless. A piece of furniture or kitchen item is so simple, almost blending in, yet so integral to our histories.

DAY TWO: I knew that I still needed some unique items to feature in this article, so, I followed up on a lead from a friend about a heritage museum in Guyana. Since this place does not subscribe to ‘internet marketing’ but simple word of mouth (rather traditional but fits with the concept of preserving our past), it was no easy task finding it. However, I was persistent and this paid off. At around 8:15am on Day Two, my mother and I went for a mini-road trip. I wasn’t sure where I was really headed except that the place was in Meten-meer-zorg which is about halfway between Vreed-en-Hoop and Parika on the West Coast of Demerara. I’ll let these pictures tell their own stories to you as they are not very personal to me, so enjoy the photo spread with the supporting captions featuring information by Mr. Gary Serrao,

proprietor of the Guyanese Heritage Museum.

DAY THREE: As I sit putting the final touches on this article, I remember one more thing I can include. I actually have an artefact in my possession that was handed over to me from my mom. My mother had acquired it from her Naniquite some years ago;it’s a handmade gold chain. It’s very simple in style but it holds fond memories for my mom and it’s something that I would want to hand over to a child of mine someday.

Some artefacts are worth millions of dollars while others are worth millions of words. I’m not sure to which category the above mentioned artefacts fall into as I’m no connoisseur but I do know I’ve been able to gather some very intimate details of my heritage. Without the knowledge of the elders I’d be lost as everything is not documented in written words. Words might not fit into the description of artefacts but these oral histories that were shared with me over the past few days will be treasured more than an actual memento from the past. Let’s keep our Guyanese culture alive both the physical and the oral.

Lotas, Goblets, Rumal, old fashioned cutlass used in the cane fields and pichkaris Bronze vase with hand carved designs

Mata used for grinding grains Anklets and Bracelets

Rupee coin from 1835

Authentic, old fashioned Pichkari used in Holi Celebrations

Dhal Pot Kamandal

Authentic, old fashioned Pichkari used in Holi Celebrations

History is replete with instances of how individuals,

organisations and things including music, arts and literature, influence mankind. One such local influential force was cinema. Unfortunately, many in the younger generation will not be able to authentically relate to such experiences. While a plethora of stories can be written about cinema, its impact and evolution, here, space would be a constraining factor, hence this modest attempt to pluck aspects of cinema’s nostalgia.

Cinema transcended ethnic boundaries and those who are devoid of such experiences, have to first understand the context in which cinema was placed. In the heart of “cinemania”, there was no cell phones; landlines were a luxury seemingly for the elite; computers were unheard of; television was something imagined; minibuses were yet to reach these shores; transportation was generally by bicycle or by walking since hire cars were few if not, non-existent in the villages; gas stoves, like landlines were a luxury; fast food was determined by how long it actually took to cook on the fireside and electricity supply was sparse.

In addition, basic food supplies were absent and many had no choice but to till whatever land was available for home grown food. This meant that the afternoons, way into dusk, were utilised for such important tasks after work and school. Entertainment related events

w e r e not as ubiquitous as today and was generally either in the village corner shops or cinemas. While the former was more confined to a set of “regulars”, cinema attracted all and provided a much needed break from the harsh realities around. From the days of silent movies to the “talkies” and to the days of when some closed its doors and others collapsed, cinema was not only pivotal to a semblance of sanity, but shaped conversations and life in many ways.

Specifically with regards to Indian movies, the four-show daily rivalry between Liberty (now an empty lot at the corner at Vlissengen Road and Garnett Street) known for IOI (India Overseas International) movies, and Empire (now Empire Shopping Complex in Middle Street), known for Apollo movies, and to some extent, Plaza, (now a vacant lot in Camp Street between Middle and New Market Streets) which in some way was a hybrid of the two release houses, generated opportunities, despite financial constraints, for someone to boast of seeing all the movies screened at any given time. 10 a.m., 1 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. were the screening times Monday to Saturday with the first two absent from Sunday shows.

Weekdays, the audience was predominantly housewives heading to the market or to pay a bill, shift workers,

those who were

mostly home, the unemployed to some extent and school children who saw it as an adventure to sneak into pit having the tickets signed by a cinema staff! Yes, that happened! One such story was about a set of school boys who sneaked into Globe (now a derelict building at the corner of Waterloo and Church Streets). Shortly after, a few of their parents coincidently decided to see the same show. The boys were forced to stay behind the chairs in balcony for the entire duration, quiet as church mice!

Cinema wasn’t only an adventure, but a challenge for bragging rights among peers as to who first saw the movies currently being screened. Neighbours, in friendly banter, openly boasted as to who first saw what. When Feroze Khan’s “Qurbani” was released,

Indian Movies & the CinemaThe Passion Continues in the Living Room

By Neaz Subhan

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neighbours who were not of Indian ancestry were among the first to boast of seeing it. This created added pressure for Indians in parts of that particular village to see the movie with arguably the first “real” disco song. It was sold out, pit, house, balcony and box for an extended period at Liberty and other cinemas, including the Deluxe cinema (used to be next to where the Diamond Hospital is now).

In those days, some movies ran for months. “Sholay”, with Dharmendra and Amitabh, a special treat given that the two biggest stars of their era featured in the same movie, and “Haathi Mere Saathi”, with the late, Rajesh Khanna, come to mind. Long before that, movies with the legendary, Dilip Kumar, the late Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor, among others, were screened to sell out audiences. Then the emphasis was on the movie, not the surrounding aesthetics. It didn’t really matter that an insect or a rodent crawled in proximity; it didn’t matter whether the screen had visible holes and it didn’t matter that the bench in pit was rickety. What mattered was that the clarity of the picture was intact through the “burning” of adequate amounts of “carbon”, that the picture wasn’t “cut” and “blackout” didn’t interrupt the movie.

These transgressions, frequent in many instances, caused spontaneous R-rated, high-decibel reactions directed at the operator or the cinema owner whom patrons knew by name. After some time, patrons gave priority to cinemas with generators; “delco plans” as they were called. These vocal eruptions were natural and predictable and drowned out the voice of the person who walked around just after lights out, shouting, “sweet drinks”, “lemonade” and “biscuits” and “chips” to some extent. “Phoulorie” and “egg

balls” were more than often obtained from the canteen during intermission or a song sequence. While some found the bellows of the vendor a distraction, others jostled for his attention. Those who could not help imitating the sounds of fight scenes and trying to “cover” the songs, were not only seen as a distraction, but as a side attraction, depending on taste.

What was always in bad taste was the discovery of chewing gum stuck to your clothing after an entertaining movie. Chewing gum aside, the electrified atmosphere cinema created, is an unforgettable experience. Verbal exchanges related to the movie by strangers, were similar to watching cricket at Bourda during the same period. Cricket aside, cinema was an integral part of life back then. While young ones ducked when gunshots were fired in the movie, some never stopped screaming at the screen in defence of the good characters who were being taken advantage of by the villains.

One such notable occasion was during the screening of the movie “Choti Bahen” when a blind girl was being abused by relatives. Comments

like, “if she was me sista, yuh woulda know”, “don’t do the girl dah”, exploded down the isles. Similarly, related angry comments were made when “Dosti” was shown. These reactions embodied the passion of fans and the closeness and impact of movies. Who in that time can forget the hype and the positive impact created by the movie, “I’ll Die For Mama”, which was actually “Deewar” with Amitabh and Shashi Kapoor dubbed in English minus the songs? It was the talk of the town; a Bachchan movie showing at Globe; a cinema not necessarily associated with Bollywood movies! It attracted Guyanese from all backgrounds. Amitabh “Walking Tall” Bachchan was a force!

Then, stars, singers, “scamp men” and story lines were daily topical issues. Who was the better “star boy?” Dilip? Shammi Kapoor? Raj? Rajendra Kumar? Amitabh? Dharmendra? Shashi? Vinod Khanna? Who was the better “star girl?” Nargis? Nutan? Meena Kumari? Madhubala? Mumtaz? Sharmila Tagore? Rakhee? Jaya Bhadhuri? Reena Roy? Who was the best “scamp man?” Pran? Prem Chopra? Madan Puri? Amrish Puri? Jeevan? Amjad Khan? Ranjeet? Who was the best comedian? Mehmood?

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Gaiety Cinema 1926Strand Cinema, New Amsterdam

Novelty Cinema Skeldon

Plaza Cinema, Georgetown

Ashrani? Bhagwan? “Donkey Man?” Keshto Mukerjee? Johnny Walker? Who was the best singer? This was mainly directed at the males. Was it Mohammed Rafi? Was it Mukesh? Was it Kishore?

The conversations and the passionate arguments that ensued, further demonstrated the influence of cinema on its audience. Also, in many ways, it crafted discourses on social issues among the general populace. The artistes were household names made popular not only by the movies itself, but through the various radio programmes that aided the promotion. Ayube Hamid, Sonny Mohamed, Ishri Singh, Pradeep Kumar, Moses Hussain, Richard B. Mahase, to name a few, were revered as a result of their involvement in movie promotions. They were staples in their own right, but the stars were on pedestals. Whole-page movie advertisements in the newspaper were routine and often ended up over someone’s bedside or used to cover the many gaping creases in the house walls to prevent peering eyes. For some, this was internal décor at its best!

These scenarios have changed drastically. Movies are no longer promoted on radio, except for one and far made locally now. The stars have seemingly faded into oblivion following the demise of cinema and have been replaced by those accessible through DVDs and other technological advances including the internet. Then, cinema was so infectious, that for some, it didn’t matter what was being shown; just to “dress up” and be present was “outing” enough! So much so that I believe not many would have realised that when “Disco Dancer”, with Mithun Chakravourty (whom many felt would have become the new Amitabh) was first screened at the Empire, the entire first reel was missing!

The movies were shown in reels with approximately twenty minutes duration each. This facilitated the Strand (structure still stands at the corner of Charlotte and Wellington Streets, but now a Church) and Liberty cinemas showing the same movie in the mornings. Strand started at 9:15 and

Liberty at 10. This meant that a vehicle had to be shuttling reels. Had any unfortunate incident occurred during the shuttle, then patrons at Liberty would have been on the receiving end. I am sure this “shuttling” was not apparent to many whose enthusiasm and energy would have been premised just on seeing a “picture”. For those whose heartstrings were being pulled for each other, the enthusiasm would have been for a different reason since cinema offered a cosy comfort. But that’s another story.

It was indeed painful to see the doors of cinema close, most, if not all, unceremoniously. Then, Sunday afternoons, were special occasions. Families of modest financial status would don their “Sunday’s best”, not bothered by fashion or matching colours, and take a “luxurious” ride in a “hire car” or trek the distance to the cinema. Not only did it keep the family together, but it was a cohesive mechanism for the villages and people of various backgrounds. Cinema was not only entertainment through movies, but a venue for many live shows featuring the top bands of that era. “The Merrytones” and “The Ramanand Orchestra” revelled in their rivalry for top billing. Artistes like the Mighty Enchanter, Joyce Ormila Harris and others, were the “Biebers” and “Beyonces” of that time!

Mind you, the late great legends of India, Mohammed Rafi and Mukesh, performed at the Globe cinema in Georgetown. One of the major political parties, the PNC, was a derivative of an event that took place at the Metropole cinema (now a modern facility at the corner of Robb and Wellington Streets) in 1955. It was an event that changed our history; an event that saw a split in the PPP, which before that, had both former Presidents, Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Mr. Forbes Burnham, it its leadership.

Today, like every evolutionary passage, the cinema as once known, is now extinct. To some extent, it has been reborn in the comfort of homes and the convenience of one’s limited time. A movie may not necessarily be watched in its entirety now, but can be paused and played and paused and played with the touch of a button. For some, a week may pass and the viewing of the movie not completed. Pit, house, balcony and box have been replaced with the living and/or bedrooms. At least families are still together undisturbed by the shouts of “sweet drinks”, “lemonade”, “more carbon”, “don’t cut the movie”. Those sounds have been replaced by the ringing of cell phones and the “pinging” of alerts of BBM, FaceBook and others; distractions in different forms. Not even “Sunday’s best” is needed. How have the times changed! But once again, that’s another story!

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There is a global health crisis, felt throughout the Indian diaspora. Individual, community and

population based actions across all sectors at all levels can change this.

Leadership: Most importantly, we need leadership across the diaspora at all levels to recognize this, and to act on it to create and sustain change, including collaborative grass roots as well as top down efforts, using many approaches.

Health is holistic, touches everything and is impacted by everything. The United Nations and the World Health Organization say that we need changes

Ideas for a Healthy Diasporaby Cardiologists Dr. Vivian S Rambihar and Dr. Sherryn Rambihar

in lifestyle, public policies and health interventions with an intersectoral and integrated approach to improve health.

Maternal, Women’s and Child Health. It is felt that many adult diseases have roots in intrauterine life, so maternal and fetal nutrition and health, as well as other women’s and children’s health issues are central.

Genetics and Epigenetics: Affordable genetics-based personalized medicine will in the future help guide risk assessment and treatment. But lifestyle, social and cultural factors can influence future generations through epigenetics, reinforcing the need for healthy living now.

A Health in All Policies approach asks us to assess the health impact of everything we do, and to guide choices at all levels that could impact health. We can use this personally, for families, friends and the community, doing more of the things that will make better health for all.

Culture of Health: We have wandered far from our long tradition of holistic health. We need to recapture this and redevelop a culture of health across the diaspora.

Healthy Eating: We need a well balanced diet of healthy, less

processed foods from a variety of food groups. We particularly need to reduce carbohydrates - less rice and flour products, and more protein, like nuts, beans, fish, and lean meat if not vegetarian, and healthy fats.

Fat: Low fat diet advice has changed to closer to a Mediterranean Diet, with fruits, vegetables, healthy fats (avocados, nuts like almonds and walnuts), legumes, beans, oils like canola and olive, and fish, etc. We can enjoy healthy eating and reduce high sat fat, fried, salt and high sugar foods in our typical Indian and western diet.

Salt: Adults eat more than 8 g/day instead of less than 5 grams recommended. The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) says

60 - Horizons 2013

that most of the excess is already in prepared or restaurant food to make it taste “better,” and in off the shelf and processed foods such as bread and snack foods. This excess over years leads to high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, osteoporosis, obesity, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

Sugar: We can unlearn the taste and develop a culture of less sugar. Robert Lustig’s book “Fat Chance” claims that sugar is mostly responsible for the pandemic of obesity, diabetes and associated diseases, requiring sustained efforts at the individual, industry, business and political, levels, especially for children. The sugar that brought us here 175 years ago is now among our greatest challenges.

“Sugar Salt Fat: how the food giants hooked us.” This recent book by Michael Moss claims that these foods are addictive and designed to entice us, leading to obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, blood vessel disease, and much more. We should learn about such influences, and redesign

our environment to counteract such actions, and improve our health at the same time.

Mind: Our mind controls everything -what we eat, how much we exercise, our choices, etc, as well as how we handle stress. High stress leads to high blood pressure, blood vessel damage and later heart attacks and much more. We should learn about our mind, and use yoga, meditation or other methods to help with stress and life.

Exercise: our bodies are made for motion, not rest. We have evolved into sedentary people, often watching computer or TV screens. We need to build enjoyable exercise into our daily activities at home, work, travel and everywhere else, and include children in this.

Environment: our social, living and health environment is a web of interactions we can change to improve health and wellbeing. We need to work with all sectors, such as business, advertising, marketing, etc and be

resilient and antifragile (see book Antifragile), creating a non smoking healthful environment that will achieve and sustain health.

Networks: we have powerful and strong networks that encourage unhealthy choices and risk our ill health. We need to use these networks of friends, family, and society, for health, and to put things in place to make healthy choices easier and an environment for health to emerge.

We look back on our 175 years and ask, what can we do to ensure our good health and that of the diaspora for the next 175? The answer lies in thinking health, and making it part of our culture and consciousness, for our future.

Dr. Vivian Rambihar is a Toronto Cardiologist and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at University of Toronto. Dr. Sherryn Rambihar is a Staff Cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital, Toronto and completed a Fellowship in Echocardiography at the University of Toronto.

61 - Horizons 2013

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For the past decade, observers of the Caribbean musical scene have been pointing out the need

for a deeper study of Indian music created in the region, specifically the substantial contributions of Guyanese in two distinctive genres—Taan and Chutney . The emergence of these unique genres in Guyana is the function of a special journey associated with the building of self-esteem and the recreation of community.

There is much more to the music of our Indian heritage than Taan and Chutney. Over the past 175 years many musical genres, primarily from North India’s Bhoj puri heritage, have played a pivotal role in the social, cultural, and political life of Guyanese of Indian ancestry and the wider society

Arrivals

When the first Indian immigrants left Calcutta (Kolkata) on the “Whitby” and “Hesperus” in 1838 for British Guiana, they were leaving an India that was centrally administered and informed by social hierarchy that was virtually all-India in scope. According to Peter Manuel, “the first generation of [Indian] indentured workers brought a rich and diverse musical legacy.”This legacy included a sophisticated theory of music encapsulated in the raga tradition, an impressive range of musical instruments, and multiple genres of music rooted primarily in the folk traditions of North India (today’s Uttar Pradesh and Bihar).

The raga is a melodic system that is

central to Indian classical music and is based on different times of the day or seasons—the dominant ragas being Prabhati, Bhairavi, Malkauns, Bihag, Thumri, and Dhrupad. This melodic system is applied to sacred as well as secular music. Indian immigrants to British Guiana brought wind, string, and percussion instruments. Among the wind instruments were the bansuri, harmonium, and the sundai. The string instruments included the esraj, sitar, sarangi, and sarood. The percussion instruments included a rich variety of drums. Among them were the damaru, dholak, nagara, tabla, tassa, tadjah, and thappau. The dhantal, finger cymbals, ghungroos, kartaal, and majeera represented idiophone (vibrating) instruments.

Peter Manuel and others have identified five categories of songs associated with the Indian indentured immigrants to British Guiana. These include “work songs associated with various forms of manual labor or with specific castes, such as the dhobi (washerman)songs; chamar (leather-worker) songs; and women’s songs such as jatsar or pisauni, sung while grinding grain; and ropani and narai, sung while working in rice fields.” Another category is associated with life cycle events, such as wedding songs, including those sung at matticore, sohars connected with childbirth, especially sons; and funeral songs, such as nirgun bhajans. Chowtal songs associated with Phagwah, and the songs related to “Ramlila theater, which is performed in the fall, re-enacting the story of the Ramayan, are described as “songs associated with the seasons.” Bhajans, verses from the Ramayan, and renderings of qasida, maulud, and marsiyaare categorized as “religious songs.” The “specialist songs” describes the birha tradition.

The story of the early experiences of our Indian ancestors has been told

A Musical Journeyin Guyana

by Vibert C. Cambridge, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, School of Media Arts and Studies, Ohio University

Early Immigrant Musicians

Singer Sudama Taan Singers & Musicians of Yesteryear

63 - Horizons 2013

vividly by many, including Bechu, Jagan, Mangar, Nauth, Ruhoman, Seecharan, and Shahabuddeen. As Tota Mangar noted, “the immigrants “consoled themselves through singing, drumming,and storytelling” during the early testing times

The Churn

The past 175 years have been crucial in the grand economic, social, cultural, and political churn that has characterized the making of contemporary Guyanese society. May 5, 1838 marked a new moment in a colonizing project whose origins are traceable to the early 16th century when the Dutch began to establish the colonies which eventually became British Guiana in 1831. It was a project centered on the exploitation of human labor to maximize profits for the benefit of a few. It was a project based on force and brutality and the construction of edifices of myths and stereotypes aimed at supporting notions of racial superiority. This has resulted in a legacy of suspicion and divisiveness that has plagued relations between people of African and Indian ancestry in Guyana. Robert Moore’s essay “Colonial Images of Blacks and Indians in Nineteenth Century Guyana” illuminates the dynamics of that psychological cauldron. It was also a project that nourished myriad patterns of resistance and solidarity, including the 1763 Berbice War, the 1823 Demerara War, and the 1834 Essequibo War.

In this context and under the “growing ascendency of the Vaishnavite bhakti variant of Hinduism,” the sense of community was reconstructed and social life reassembled.

By the middle decades of the 20th century, an increasingly influential urban professional class,increasing consumption of film and radio, and the maintenance of strong ties with India resulted in progressively more confident manifestations of Indian cultural aesthetics, particularly in music. One example of this confidence was the emergence of Taan, a form of classical music developed in the Caribbean diaspora and informed by raga theory.

The blooming of Taan,dominated by males, nurtured a cultural confidence that was not dependent on the yardsticks of Victorian high culture,which had continued to dominate cultural life in Guyanese society in the middle decades of the 20th century. This cultural confidence nurtured a political assertiveness that demanded universal adult suffrage and an end to the domination that had characterized life in the colony since the early decades of the 17th century.

Much has been written about that struggle—its hopes, its frustrations, and its achievements. What has not been written about substantially has been the role that folk music—the work songs, the songs of the seasons and life-events--played in political mobilization and community motivation. Ved Vatuk’s field research in the Corentyne during the 1960s documents the role of creole language folk songs in the political mobilization the election campaigns during the early 1960s. It is from this aspect of our musical heritage that emerged the second musical innovation—Chutney music.

One hundred and seventy years after the arrival of our Indian ancestors there are concerns about the state of the music from our Indian heritage. The number of musical instruments used in the musical life of the descendants of Indian immigrants in Guyana has declined dramatically. For example, in March 2013, there were no known

sitarists in Guyana. Similarly, other than the harmonium, there are no other wind instruments of Indian origin evident in contemporary music making. The range of percussion instruments also seems to have shrunken. It is hoped that the work of Mangal Raghunandan (a.k.a Teacher Raghu)will halt this decline. Ramlila performances are rare,and there are few if any Birha virtuosos. Several reasons have been offered for this decline. Among them are the residual cultural cringe of “coolie culture,”migration,changing tastes, increasing dependency on Bollywood and Indian super-stars for entertainment ,and the absence of adequate education and training facilities.

Taan Singers & Musicians of Yesteryear

Despite this quantitative decline, one cannot ignore the musical originality and distinctiveness associated with Indian musical life in Guyana. More than passing attention must be given to the persistence of folk music traditions as well as the contributions of the pioneers of Taan and the now globally popular Chutney. The lives of these pioneers must be recognized and celebrated. Their creative output ought to be studied in Guyana’s secondary and tertiary institutions. Among the people to be recognized must be Pandit Durga Persaud and his son Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, Pandit Gangaram, Pandit Ramkumar, Balgobin Singh (a.k.a Bhallu), Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Sunni Singh, Samaroo, Sahhawat, Balnain, Rusik, Mohit Mangru, Dasrath Mangru, Gunwah, Sudama, and Vincent Morgan. These men modified the traditionalraga (Prabhati, Bhairavi, Malkauns, Bihag, Thumri, and Dhrupad) and created a distinctiveGuyanese variant. Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud considers the Guyanese variants to have special

attributes such as faster pace and more complex rhythms. To this august list must be added women such as Aunty Nylon, Aunty Margaret, Maddie, Kumbley, Dukhaney, Sughaney, Betty and Katie of Grove, and Mrs. Sukdath—women who knew to “nack a drum” and who kept the spice of matticore alive and helped to give birth to Chutney. Revival

The decline in the music of our Indian heritage mirrors that in other sectors of Guyanese musical life. Organizations such as the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and the Guyana United Sadr Islamic Anjuman have in recent years organized Ramlilas, Kala Utsav, Chowtal Samelaans, and Qaseeda competitions--all with the hope of revitalizing musical genres and languages such as Hindi and Urdu. As Peter Manuel and Tina Ramnarine have indicated, the study of Indian music in Guyana is not only about the study of cultural retention, adaption, modernization, and globalization. It is also about cultural resilience, cultural

reorientation, and a clear indication about the power of music in building self-esteem and nourishing community. The journey of Indian music in Guyana is poised for a new era of interaction and exchange, and the possibilities are endless. Imagine morning raga inspired by the gentle rippling of a biya green paddy field or an evening raga inspired by the singing of the 6 ‘o’clock bee-cicada! One hopes for that the tomorrow that Rabindranath Tagore envisions--that Guyana will one day awaken to a tomorrow filled with music inspired and flavored by the music of our Indian ancestors in a chorus of our multi-ethnic peoples.

Mangal with his Tassa Group

The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s annual dance production, Naya Zamana, turned 17 in 2012. Naya Zamana, which

means new generation, always tries to bring something new and exuberant to its audience. This year topped them all! It moved from its traditional exposé of the diverse dance styles to a Broadway- type production where enthralling dance moves and acting were fused to tell a story. Kaieteur News raved ‘Naya Zamana was deservingly a sold out event…the performance was almost like watching a movie live…splendid music and stunning dance sequences…it rained “fabulousness.’

Naya Zamana appropriately titled ‘Bollywood Dreams’ strived to encompass all the elements of Bollywood that are so loved – romance, drama, heartbreak and of course a happy ending. The vision coupled with months of diligent work by a dedicated cast turned into a resounding success, a performance so memorable that it is still talked about months later. The play was initially staged on September 1st, 2012 and a 65 member cast performed to a sold

out audience. A

L-R - Amit Shah, Zahrah Ali, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, Trishala Persaud, Dr. Indhira Harry & Kapil Tiwari

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huge success and demand from the public led to its re-staging on January 19th, 2013. Again, the talented cast performed to a sold out audience with tickets selling out days before the scheduled performance.

Bollywood Dreams was written, directed and choreographed by Dr. Vindhya Persaud. Her thoughts for a production filled with the aspects of Indian movies that are so loved did not overshadow her main goal – to take dance/drama theater in Guyana to a higher level. She envisioned a storyline that was entertaining and conveyed lessons and characters whom an audience could relate to. She always pushes us to conquer challenges, encourages us to step out of our comfort zones and do things we never thought we could. We in turn discover the capabilities that she has already seen in us.

Vindhya’s vision for Naya Zamana 17 could not have been the success it was without the one person who knows to bring her ideas to life. Trishala Simantini Persaud, Vindhya’s sister, who designed all the costumes and stage props for the show. She draws her inspiration from diverse sources and adds her distinctive touch to produce dazzling ensembles. She manages to always bring that ‘wow’ factor and take the audience’s breath away with her exquisitely stunning designs and jaw dropping props. Al Creighton; Arts Critic from Stabroek News recognized Trishala’s efforts by saying ‘there is high achievement in the very intricate, colourful and elaborate costuming typical of the form, played against an ostentatious set designed for majestic grandeur, glitter and dazzling spectacle.’

This dynamic duo does so much more than people can imagine from music editing, lighting, publicity, stage management to running around on the busy streets of Georgetown to find that perfect hair accessory or fabric. Achieving all of this while still both having professional careers is nothing short of amazing. The play tells the story of Sonia (Indhira Harry) a girl who lives everyday as though she was in a Bollywood movie and her best friend Jiya (Zahrah Alli) who doesn’t

BOLLYWOOD

DREAMS

NAYA ZAMANA 17- a theatrical

spectacular

By Zahrah Ali & Dr. Indhira Harry

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care much for the glitz of Bollywood but rather the handsome Bollywood actors – in particular Yash Kapoor (Amit Shah).Viren (Kapil Tiwari), a friend of theirs nurses a secret crush on Sonia and encourages her to audition for a role as a supporting actress. Having failed many auditions, a disillusioned Sonia accedes and catches the eye of hotshot Director Jai Kumar(Jewan Persaud).He promises to give her that big break she has been looking for. Sonia is finally off to Bollywood!

A forlorn Jia appeals to her mother to visit her friend in Bollywood. LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! Herald Jiya’s arrival to Bollywood. Jiya is surprised that her friend has not made it big in Bollywood and more so that she has changed and seems caught up in the glamour and gritty life there. The plot thickens and the audience journeys through twists and turns of a seamless cadence of dance and powerful dramatic pieces. The hilarity of the infamous Bollywood diva Sheila Chopra (Ananda Latchman), the lilting and charming romantic interludes of Jiya and Yash and Sonia’s anger, disbelief, feelings of betrayed trust, sadness, shock and confusion which pours out in a powerfully done solo dance transported the audience to behind the glitz of Bollywood. The interesting dialogue which ensued between Sonia’s alter egos who emerge from the mirror which she vents in front of reminded all of the battles of conscience and darker feelings. Viren’s romantic dream is realised, as is Sonia’s Bollywood dream…….And Jiya and Yash? Of course, they embodied all the romantic stuff a good Bollywood movie is made of!

Bollywood Dreams’ message was clear – dreams are never impossible.

Now, what’s next for the Naya Zamana crew? Of course, Naya Zamana 18 on August 24th, 2013!

The ActorsJewan Persaud (Director Jai Kumar): My experience with Naya Zamana 17 will be an unforgettable one. I worked with incredible and inspirational cast members of the

Ananda Latchman

Dr. Indhira Harry

Zahrah Ali

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Dharmic Nritya Sangh. The exposure to the theatrical aspects was fun and different since I had never tried acting before. It has definitely brought out something new in my personality. I guess you can say Naya Zamana 17 has brought out the actor in me. I'm grateful for the opportunity and I'm confident that future Naya Zamana productions will be filled with exploration and expression.

Ananda Latchman (Actress Sheila Chopra): Naya Zamana celebrated 17 productions this year with a bang - Bollywood Dreams. Being a part of the Dharmic organization for over 20 years and a part of the Nritya Sangh for that period has been fulfilling in ways that cannot be expressed with simple words. Each year, we come, we dance, we work hard, cry, laugh, learn, live and have a fabulous time. Each new production and experience is one molds you into an all rounder. One cannot take part and not feel a sense of accomplishment or satisfaction when we are able to entertain and make the audience happy. For me, Naya Zamana 17 was one such experience that was truly memorable and left a sense of something truly worthwhile accomplished.

Zahrah Alli (Jiya): Bollywood Dreams was a truly amazing journey. Not only was I able to work with an immensely talented cast of some 60+ young people who share my passion for dance but I managed to push myself to new heights, strengthen my talent and achieve a performance that I’m very proud of. It was such an overwhelming feeling to be offered such a role and I think a part of Jiya (as the name seems to have stuck with me) will remain with me throughout my dance career. Naya Zamana 17 definitely raised the bar for theatrical productions in Guyana and I

know you’re as excited as I am to see what Naya Zamana 18 has in store. See you in August!

Indhira Harry (Sonia): Bollywood Dreams is the closest I think I shall ever come to having my dreams fulfilled. I never imagined that I would have been given such a role, and was happy and excited with the dances, nervous about being able to bring my character to life and very afraid to disappoint. I was given the opportunity to be challenged and rise to new levels and to form new bonds and friendships. It was amazing experience and one I shall forevermore be grateful for. I don’t think there are enough words to summarize how I truly felt. Thank you Vindi and Simantini. Kapil Tiwari (Viren): In words too short and beneath the true experience; the fantasy of stage and the glitz of the new generation; which is Naya Zamana has won my adoration because it is simply put "a masterpiece of dance, drama and culture". It has to have been the furthest I've traveled out of my comforts but it was worth every step, jump and spin of the journey. Finding another side of myself was Vindi and Simantini’s way of showing me the gifts and surprises life can reveal. It is an imprint, it was a joy, and I shall keep those times with me, forever!

Amit Shah (Yash Kapoor): Working with the cast and crew of Naya Zamana was an incredible experience for me. As a choreographer in the USA, I appreciated the artistic vision by the entire team working behind the scenes. As a dancer, I was grateful to be working with such a hardworking cast. Coming to Guyana for the first time, I was welcomed with open arms and experienced great hospitality by the organizers and team. The show not only delivers pure entertainment to the audience but is a pleasure to work for behind the scenes. What I appreciated the most from the experience was the dancers' drive towards perfection. Even with injuries, their busy schedules, and many hardships throughout the creation process, they displayed positivity and diligence. It was an experience I will never forget and take with me throughout my career as an artist.

Gina Arjoon & Amit Shah

Kapil Tiwari

Jewan Persaud

GHOSHA

L

SHREYA

Patrons at the Guyana National Stadium witnessed an electrifying performance from

singing sensation Shreya Ghoshal and her troupe one month before Diwali. The playback singer accompanied by singers Prithvi Gandharv and Jeffrey Iqbal, entertained fans to their hearts’ content with Bollywood melodies.

After more than three hours of nonstop hits, patrons left the stadium satisfied and humming the popular hit “Ooh la

thrills huge audience at National Stadium

Photos by Troy Parboo

la Ooh la la”. The show started on time with the local artistes performing a few Bollywood hits which set the mood for the international artistes.

Ghoshal appeared on stage at about 19: 30h to loud roars from the thousands who had gathered at the arena. Shreya opened with “Teri Meri Prem Kahani” from the recent Salman Khan / Kareena Kapoor blockbuster, Bodyguard and captivated the audience from the beginning As she performed some of her sentimental songs, the crowd swayed and cheered lustily.

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Some of her hits included “Ooh la la Ooh la la” from the “Dirty Picture” and “Chikni Chameli” from “Agneepath”. She also sang “Holi” songs which had the members of the audience up and dancing. Her final song, Mere Dholna Sun, from Bhool Bhulaiyaa, was preceded by a medley of songs from Indian’s melody queen Lata Mageshkar, from whom she draws inspiration. This further charmed the audience which was already in love with this artiste who was the voice of Aishwarya Rai for the film, Devdas, in 2002 at the age of 16. She won the Filmfare Award (India’s

equivalent of the Oscars) for Best Female Playback singer, for the song “Dola Re Dola” in that film.

The talented dance troupe which accompanied her showcased their breathtaking moves especially for her songs like “Ooh la la,” from The Dirty Picture, “Zoobi Doobi” from 3 Idiots and “Mashala Mashala” from EkTha Tiger.

During her performance, she thanked Guyanese for their warmth and welcome on her first visit to Guyana,

adding that she will be back. This was the final stop on her month-long world tour. There were also superb performances by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s dance troupe, the Dharmic Nritya Sangh. The Sabha was praised for its excellent organising skills as the Diwali celebrations commenced with a bang.

Among those at the concert were President Donald Ramotar and First Lady Deolatchmee, along with Reepu Daman Persaud, President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, which put on the show.

Dharmic Nritya Sangh

Prithvi Gandharva

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STEPPING OUT IN STYLEGone are the days when ordinary

or plain clothing are worn to Indian events here in Guyana.

Today we see an array of traditional and contemporary Indian clothing at every Indian function. Be it a religious ceremony, a cultural show or a wedding, Indian Fashion everywhere has evolved to an entire world of captivating and modern style and yet stayed true to the representation of Indian culture. It is true; a fusion of fashion has emerged truly depicting the ‘east meets west’ notion. With fresh new colours, exotic

prints, intricate zardozi designs and best of all- improved tailoring for men and women; Indian fashion is now a lifestyle!

Recently fashions from India have inspired top designers worldwide! Indian Fashions are popping up on western runways in Paris, London and New York with noticeable use of rich gem-tone colours and elaborate hand sewn embroidery designs. Likewise, western influence has made its mark on Indian Fashion. Here in the West

Indian community, Indian styling is heavily influenced by Bollywood’s Hindi flicks, Zee TV’s soap operas and Indian celebrities. Saris are draped in many new styles with an array of designs for the mid-riff tops, lehengas now have fish tail bottoms and are cut to fit and flatter body shapes, heavily crystal-crusted jewelry are being used to accessorize and even structured and handsomely cut suits are available for men. So all you need to do is choose the right outfit for you and your partner that will flatter and rake in compliments.

by Varsha Mangar

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Whether your choices are extravagant Designer pieces or not, there are unique and flattering styles of Indian clothing out there to suit every age, every body type and most importantly to make both you and your partner look and feel Glamorous at every event!

Weddings

Upon receiving an invitation to a Hindu Wedding Ceremony a few things come to mind; the famous ‘7-curry’, the music, and the big question: “What to wear?”

Most men leave that choice up to their better half. Women are left with the exciting task of shopping, fitting and matching outfits and jewelry. When choosing a traditional Indian outfit to attend a wedding ceremony you should be on the lookout for a few things:Consider your budget as this can determine where you end up shopping, although, most local boutiques are diverse and usually cater to every price range.

Be realistic about your body type

and your taste. Picking an outfit that complements your body type can boost your confidence and truly make you feel glamorous. Look at different styles of outfits as there are many. Most popular are Lehenga Cholis, Ghararasand Saris; and Kurtas and Sherwanis for men. The Lehenga Choli is the skirt and top; it is now available in a variety of cuts and flares. Even the materials and prints used are exotic and unique as they are trimmed with silk and velvet and some have elaborate bead work. If considering a lehenga choli then the

choice of colour and trimming design really depends on your taste. However, you should concentrate mainly on the style. If you decide to choose the fish tail cut lehenga, expect this style to give a very slimming look and better yet a modern and westernized touch. The top of the lehenga is referred to as the choli (hence lehengacholi), it is available in practically any design imaginable. If you are slender, pick a choli that is backless or that has a scoop cut at the back. The tear-drop style at the back can work for any body type and is age appropriate for just about anyone. Tops that have ‘dori’ work at the back can also be complementing to any body type. If you have a pear shaped body (heavy on the bottom), then it would be best to avoid the fish cut lehenga and instead choose an A-line style or a completely different type of outfit.

The Gharara seems to be very popular with more conservative women;it is

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very similar to a Lehanga Choli but the difference is in the top, it is longer and does not reveal the waist at all. This too is also available in many colours and materials.

Let us discuss the Sari, one of the oldest and most traditional Indian garments but today still remains timeless and flattering to any age and any body type! A Sari signifies the grace of Indian women by adequately displaying her curves at the right places. There are several ways to drape a sari; there is the traditional style of the pallu being thrown over the back of the shoulder, this is perfect to conceal a woman’s mid section. The sari will flatter in just about any style chosen to wear it and will make you feel like a true goddess.

What about if you are choosing outfits for your own wedding ceremony? Certainly the Bride and the Groom will choose something much richer and more extravagant to wear. The sari gives the bride an essence of femininity that every woman desires on her wedding day. It is the most popular bridal wear in a traditional red but recently many other colours are showing up under mandaps like gold, silver, burgundy and green. Today a bride has endless choices of outfits to get married in. The Lehenga Choli is one of the most beautiful pieces that have recently taken on a very western and modernized look; it is also a traditional dress for brides and never ceases to lose its charm. Today, the skirts are being designed with a trail and are structured with layers upon layers of heavy tulle fabric, similar to a western wedding gown. This style is popping up everywhere and can be simple or exotic depending on the colour, the embellishments and the accessories chosen to accentuate the outfit. Bridal Jewelry is usually bulky and the most elaborate that you can imagine. Indian

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gemstones are the some of the most exotic in the world and are used in bridal jewelry but also in other accessories like shoes, belts and bags. Jewelry and accessories that are matching and complementing to the bride’s outfit, adds pure elegance to her look over all.

There is a lot going on for guys; of course when attending an Indian wedding it is a lot more interesting when you can choose coordinating outfits. As a couple, you can add that ‘wow’ factor by simply picking colours that will complement each other’s outfits. A Kurta is one of the most popular male traditional outfits and can be worn by any. It is simply a long loose shirt that falls either just below or above the knee and is paired with pants. The pants can however be either a loose fitting pyjama style or a more fitted churridar style. Kurtas can be plain white or can be extravagant depending on the colour, material and embroidery.

As soon as a wedding date is fixed, a Bridegroom can already visualize what he will be wearing. He will be more inclined to choose a Sherwani outfit. This is similar to a western suit but the jacket or coat is usually longer to just below the knee. The Jacket usually has exposed buttons throughout the length and has a special collar that stands up, called the ‘nehru collar’. The sherwani is usually worn with trousers or churridars. Grooms tend to pick cream, ivory or gold and with heavy embroidery and embellishments done in gold or silver. The groom must also consider the tailoring or cut of the outfit and choose one that will go well with his body type whether slim, muscular or bulky. The groom should wear an Indian outfit that accentuates his features. This in turn will give him great confidence and make him feel special on his wedding day!

The Mehendi and Maticore ceremonies are very popular parts of a Hindu wedding in the

West Indian community and everyone should be appropriately outfitted for these events. Couples can stick to vivid colours for the Mehendi Ceremony, since it’s a celebratory event where the bride’s party teases the groom through dance and songs. Men can wear their kurta tops while it would be appropriate for ladies to choose a lehengacholi or a SalwarKameez style.

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A Salwar kameez is one of the most casual and comfortable types of Indian wear. It usually consists of a long top and a pants bottom, although, there are many styles of salwar kameez.

The ‘A-line style kameez’ is the simplest form; the top is sewn in an A-shape pattern that takes the shape of the body. There is also the ‘anarkali style kameez’, here the round neck top is fitted and expands into pleats below the waist. The other most common salwar kameez is the ‘kurti style kameez’, this is a loose fitting style that is sewn straight and in fact is one of the most preferred styles of kameez. This style can work for every body shape and is appropriate for everyone from little girls to older women.

Whichever style or outfit you choose, just ensure you are comfortable to enjoy the festivities of the mehendi celebrations.

The maticore ceremony (or ghari puja) is the religious ceremony where the mother of the bride and groom pray to the earth to bless the couple and make the marriage happy and successful. They usually dress in a traditional yellow outfit and fine jewelry. Simple sari’s or casual salwar’s are worn to this ceremony.

Pujas, readings, mandir or masjid require simpler and more conservative versions of men and women’s wear and should be comfortable to allow for siting flat or cross-legged for the ceremonies or prayers. Although simple, bright colours, embroidery and elegant cuts are never out of place.

Whatever outfit you choose to step out in, wear it confidently and with panache and no doubt you will have heads turning as you make your entrance together.

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The village of Enmore previously known in the 19th Century as Plantation Enmore, plays an

integral part in the history of Guyana.

Located in Region Four, on the East Coast of Demerara, it is about two square miles in size and sixteen miles away from the capital city Georgetown, and comprises of roughly three thousand residents.

Enmore in the 19th Century was primarily a Cotton and Sugar Plantation owned by Mr. Henry Porter. The estate became a community sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s when villagers were granted plots of land. These plots of land were an upgrade from the primitive logies (mud huts) of the old village, which bunched together.

Enmore is well known for the Enmore Martyrs’ incident which marked the turning point in industrial relations within the sugar industry and heralded the improvement of working conditions. On Thursday, 22 April 1948, cane cutters, with the support of the Guyana Industrial Workers Union, went on

A History of EnmoreFrom Plantation Days to Modern Civilization

strike demanding the abolishment of the existing "cut and load" system in the fields which was introduced in 1945. The cane cutters called for the replacement of "cut and load" with a "cut and drop" system by which the cane cutters should cut the cane, but other workers would load the cut cane into the punts for shipment to the factory. They also demanded higher wages and improved living conditions on the sugar estates. At that time, a cane cutter earned 45 cents for cutting and 15 cents for loading. The living conditions were even worse, potable water was almost unknown because latrines were built over the trenches where cooking and drinking water was sought, seven doctors were allotted to every 100,000 persons, 7 beds were given to every 1,000 patients, medication was always in a short supply. The real aim of the strike however, was to demand recognition of the Guyana Industrial Workers Union as the bargaining union for the field and factory workers on all the sugar estates in the country.

The strike obtained political support from the Political Affairs Committee, and the

workers were addressed at numerous public meetings by Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan and leaders of the Guyana Industrial Workers Union. Dr. Jagan himself was personally involved in the organization of the strike, and helped to raise funds across the country for it. Janet Jagan was also in the forefront in operating soup kitchens for the striking workers and their families on the sugar estates.

As the strike continued, the recognized union, the Manpower Citizens Association, urged the workers to return to work saying that the demand for higher pay would be taken up with the Sugar Producers Association. The workers, who had no confidence in the Manpower Citizens Association, refused to heed this call and stated that in any discussions with the Sugar Producers Association(SPA), they wanted only the Guyana Industrial Workers Union to represent them.

With sugar production seriously affected by the ongoing strike, the sugar estates hired scab labour and enticed some workers to return to work.

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By Deomattie Seeram

In retaliation, strikers went to the fields and chased them away, and in some cases physically attacked them.

On 14th June the Sugar Producers Association and the Manpower Citizens Association met to discuss the issues, but no satisfactory agreement was reached. In any case, the workers were not prepared to accept any agreement that the Manpower Citizens Association was negotiating, since they felt very strongly that the union was betraying their interests.

Early on the morning of 16 June, a crowd of about four hundred workers gathered outside the factory at Enmore for a protest and picketing exercise. Lance Corporal James and six policemen; each armed with a rifle and six rounds of ammunition were sent from Georgetown early that morning and they reported to the management of Enmore estate at 4.00 a.m. Two hours later, they took up positions in the factory compound which was protected by a fence fifteen feet high with rows of barbed wire running along the outward struts at the top.

By 10.00 a.m. the crowd had grown to between 500 and 600 persons and was led by one of the workers carrying a red flag. They attempted to enter the factory compound through the gates and through two trench gaps at the rear by which punts entered the factory.

They were prevented from doing so because the locked gates and the punt gaps were protected by policemen. A section of the crowd then hurled bricks and sticks at the policemen, and several persons managed to enter the compound on the rear of the factory. The policemen tried to push back the crowd, but after this effort failed, they opened fire and five workers were killed and fourteen others were injured.

Lallabagee Kissoon, 30 years old, was shot in the back; 19-year-old Pooran was shot in the leg and pelvis; Rambarran died from bullet wounds in his leg; Dookhie died in hospital later that day; and Harry died the following day from severe spinal injuries. These men, through the years, became known as the Enmore Martyrs.

A massive crowd of people led by Dr. Jagan marched behind their coffins from Enmore to La Repentir Cemetery in Georgetown, a distance of more than 16 miles on June 17th. The tragedy and the ultimate sacrifice of these sugar workers greatly influenced Dr. Jagan’s political philosophy and outlook. At the graves of the Enmore Martyrs surrounded by thousands of mourners, he made a silent pledge that he would dedicate his entire life to the cause of the struggle of the Guyanese people against bondage and exploitation.

To investigate the shooting, the

Governor, Sir Charles Wooley, appointed a Commission of Enquiry headed by Frederick Boland, a Supreme Court judge. The two other members of the commission were S. L. Van Batenburg Stafford and R. S. Persaud. Evidence was collected from 64 persons and a report was presented in August 1948. Dr. Jagan, Janet Jagan and Dr. Lachmansingh refused to testify before the Commission because they felt it was a waste of time owing to the fact that the Commission Chairman and members were openly showing a bias towards the Police and the management of Enmore Estate.

In their testimony to the Commission, policemen involved in the shooting claimed that they were forced to shoot to protect the factory from destruction or damage and to protect the lives of workers who were on the premises. The report, as widely expected, justified the shooting. But it criticised the Police for not using tear gas to disperse the crowd. The members of the Commission stated: "We are, therefore, of the opinion that the evidence has established that after the first few shots, there was firing which went beyond the requirements of the situation, with the result that Pooran notably and some others received shots when in actual flight."

On Thursday, 16 June 1977, the Enmore Martyrs Monument was

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unveiled by Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes Burnham on the occasion of the 29th Anniversary of the death of the five gallant sugar workers. The monument stands raised on a concrete base six feet high with five repetitive verticals each adorned with brass symbols reminiscent of cutlasses and inscribed with the names of the five martyrs. There is also, a plaque 30”x20”, designed by Guyanese artist, Mr. Stanley Greaves, and cast by the Brass Aluminium and Cast Iron Foundry.

In the 1950s, Enmore steadily developed and within a decade, its population more than doubled and two primary schools and asphalt roads could be found there.

In 1964, a political strife between Indians and Africans emerged where the Government and Economy came to a standstill. Enmore was forced to segregate its people. This segregation was a result of the numerous riots, murders, vandalism, looting and civil disputes. Enmore was populated with a further one thousand refugees from neighboring villages during these riots and between the years 1964 and 1965, was able to satisfy the basic needs of the refugees but became taxed and impoverished.

In 1970, a Community Centre was added under the control of Bookers’ Sugar Estate and soon after, community leaders were permitted control of the Centre. Today, it is owned and operated by the community.

In 1992, Guyana became a democratic

state with a change in Government and ruling political party. Development in Enmore began again after twenty eight years of stagnation. Overpopulation had once again become a problem and the Government begun selling the land East and West of Enmore to its residents bringing relief to the overcrowded community.

In the beginning, the culture of Enmore resembled very much that of India but as African and Chinese populated the village, a slight variety was added. After the 1964 riots, Enmore became an Indo-Guyanese village. However, over the years Indians lost their mother tongue and the English language with a slight creole touch replaced it.

Latchman Bissessar, 82 years old, was born and grew up on the sugar estate. He recalled people on the plantation saying that Henry Porter was a kind person. He remembers that as a child growing up on the Estate, everyone lived like one big family. No one referred to each other by name but as maa, pita, chacha, chachee, didi, bhai.. Plantation life was very rough in the older days and he remembers the logies in which his family and other families lived in were made of wood, had a mud floor and a roof made of zinc. The logies were divided into rooms and each room was given to a family. They could not have afforded beds and hence slept on the floor. They used latrines as toilet and these latrines were not private and more than one person went at a time, there were no bathrooms. Cooking was done on fireside. Water had to be fetched from the trenches through which the punts were channeled for drinking, cooking, washing and all other household chores. This water he said was black water. There was a hospital which gave free medical services and a school for the children. He started working on the Sugar Estate at the age of 13 in the Building and Maintenance Department at a daily rate of 48 cents. A few years after, he was told by the estate’s management that he was no longer needed in that department and was left with no other option but to cut cane. This work he

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said was very hard for him as he was not accustomed to it. He recalls the strike of 1948 to be a famous event where the workers stopped working on the estate completely. He said luckily when the shooting took place he was in Georgetown but recalled the news spread like rapid fire. He will ever be grateful for the sacrifice made by those Martyrs.

Latchman Bissesar’s wife, 76 year old Jamunah Devi moved to Enmore in 1968 after marriage. She recalls walking from the estate to the train station to go to Georgetown. She recalls that they planted a kitchen garden to get vegetables to eat. She assisted her husband’s family in rice cultivation but after a number of years the Rice Factory stopped purchasing paddy and they started planting fruit trees.

Latchman Bissessar and his wife Jamunah Devi are both happy about the many infrastructural developments that have taken place from the 1970s to present. They are happy that there is better housing accommodations, potable water, better roads, easy access to transportation, electricity, and health care through the Poly Clinic in Enmore. They said life in Enmore is a lot better today that it was in the older days. They have found that people strive to keep the community clean and though the residents do not live as closely knit as in the older days whenever the need arises they are still helpful to each other.

87 year old, Joyce Persaud was born in Kitty, but moved to Enmore at the age of 16 after marriage. Her father was from Hyderabad and her father-in-law from Punjab. She attended the same school as the Late LFS Burnham did and was friends with his sister. Joyce was a teacher for ‘Second Standard’ for about two years and then got married. Life was difficult for her after moving to Enmore because she was accustomed to good roads, potable water, electricity which were available in Kitty. She assisted her husband with the rice cultivation while he worked as a cane cutter on the sugar estate. She remembers the estate having a distillery. She said that the paddy was transported by donkey cart and sold to

the Rice Factory which was located in Lusignan. She used to also sew her family’s clothes. She also recalls that in the olden days you could’ve have scolded anyone’s child but not today. What she is happy about that today when villagers are called upon for help in situations of need, they respond quite willingly.

Today, Joyce Persaud walks from her home in Haslington, Extreme South to the Enmore Shiv Mandir of which she is a devotee. She also sings at Satsanghs and on a very high scale.

The health sector in Enmore today, comprises of a Poly Clinic, Estate Dispensary and two pharmacies. The religious community comprises of two Mosques, four Mandirs and four Churches. There are a number of private and public schools, three nursery schools: Blossom Scheme Nursery, Hope Nursery and Ghandi Nursery; Two Primary Schools: Enmore Newtown Primary and Hope Primary; as well as three private schools: Ebascol, Institute of Business Education and Enmore Islamic Academy.

The business community is quite large. There are bakeries, hardware stores, restaurants, beverage distribution outlets in Enmore. The Enmore Estate is a site of the brand new packaging plant which packages high quality sugar mainly for export. The community also

houses a Commuity Centre Ground and a building which has a gym and library facilities. The village is made secure by the presence of a Police Station.

I have learnt that a playground is being built for the children of Enmore where the first village puja was done under a peepal tree. Though the original tree is no longer there, residents have planted a replacement tree. Looking at all these developments and the way the residents of Enmore live, one can definitely see that this is a thriving village.

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Lagaan! A movie that brilliantly unites cricket with political intrigue set in 1893 at the height of England's government and occupation of India. It's a plain story of valor, commitment and passion surrounding a sport that ended up changing a

village's destiny. The bravery, courage and persistence our own forebears demonstrated throughout the evolution of the game are no different and perhaps lead to the much anticipated liberalization and expansion of cricket in Guyana today.

Cricket Once Upon a Time in Guyana

Cricket Complicated.

Cricket is complicated. Some descriptions are intended to confuse. Think about it.

"You have two sides - one in and one out. The object of the game is to get the side in bowled out then the side out goes in. But sometimes you still have a side going out with some in depending if the overs are over or if the side going out made enough runs that they could bowl the other side out when they are in, or so they think. But the side that was first in who got out goes back in again. Or not. The other side may be forced to follow on if they don't come within less than two hundred runs of the first side's score. The game may end on day one, day three but don’t worry – it doesn’t go passed day five." Whew! All this?

Initially, Cricket carried the “Made in England” trademark. Our forebears didn’t entirely comprehend the concept at first. Their British masters subsumed themselves in the sport on every weekend purely for recreation and would occasionally call upon them to bowl and field when numbers were not enough. That’s how our forebears discovered the game and it rapidly spread. Families especially children would indulge in their own version of the game along the sides of streets or

any open space utilizing sugar canes or empty oil tins for wickets, the branches of coconut trees for bats and whatever they can lay their hands on for a ball.

It’s Not Your Game

In 1858, the British sought to take cricket beyond recreation to some level of formal competition with the creation of one of the oldest cricket clubs in the West Indies– the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC). Cricket was stamped as an "elite white" game so membership was disallowed to other ethnicities. The administration even instituted a preposterous entrance fee of $10 and an expensive annual subscription which maintained exclusivity. Immediately after, cricket clubs mushroomed outside the capital

city. The Berbice Cricket Club was established in 1865, but did not survive past thirty odd years, because of the paucity of the “elite whites” in Berbice and the unwillingness of its members to allow other ethnicities to enter.

Beyond The Boundary

To the dismay of the whites, these opposing pressures failed to control the appetite of the sugar workers. The late nineteenth century saw the birth of teams and clubs involving all races -even the Chinese! But the trend from the onset was based purely on race and class. There was first the emergence of predominantly black teams and clubs which was followed by the Portuguese in 1870 with the formation of the Demerara Cricket Club.

By Gina Arjoon

Bourda Cricket Ground

John Aloysius Veerasawmy is perhaps a name that not many of us know but he is actually the first East Indian to represent Guyana in first class cricket in 1910. But perhaps Veerasawmy’s most notable achievement was not his performance in the game, but rather the invaluable contributions he made to the development of cricket for the East Indians. He was primarily responsible for the establishment of the British Guiana East Indian Cricket Club (BGEICC). The club's first executive (1915-1916) was: Thomas Flood, RR Kerry, JA Veerasawmy, E Bacchus, RB Gajraj, Francis Kawall, JS Pariag, A Rohomon, J Rohomon, R Rohoman, P Sawh, J Subryan and JA Luckhoo as captain.

The perpetual growth of non-white teams and organized clubs throughout the colony contributed to the growing significance of cricket especially over other past times such as horse racing. This stimulated competition locally which at first, and a long time after only consisted of friendly games, albeit confined to games being played within and not between races. The first real opportunity for all races to be involved at a somewhat professional level was the first Jones Cup Inter-County series between Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo in 1954. Berbice won the series by defeating Essequibo in the semi final and then Demarara in a low scoring final match.

Although the decade prior to Independence saw the emergence of some "mixed clubs" of Whites, Africans and East Indians, ethnicity continued to be a determining factor for domestic cricket - resulting in favouritism and prejudice in the selection of the national team which at that time consisted of at least seven players from GCC.

Changing Destiny

With Independence came the liberalisation of cricket. Clubs were prohibited from placing emphasis on race and colour as criteria for its membership. It was at this time, the BEICC changed its name to Everest Cricket Club and GCC opened its membership from just Whites to other ethnic groups. These irrevocable adjustments help to explain why players such as Carl Hooper, Reon King, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan could have belonged to a club from which their forebears were barred.

Independence also accelerated the progression of cricket outside of Georgetown. Berbice especially refused to be left behind and Georgetown's historic claim to dominance was challenged by the advent of strong teams in the Ancient County and the appearance of cricketing grounds such as Albion and Rose Hall that hosted first class matches.

Rally...

Guyana in time also began to make an unprecedented contribution to West Indies Cricket with the surfacing of the lanky off spinner Lance Gibbs, and three Berbician star batsmen – Rohan Kanhai, known as the ‘Berbician Blaster’ who later went on to become the team’s first national cricket coach; Basil Butcher and Joe Solomon. They were later joined by four other “Bourda Heroes” – Clive Lloyd“a flamboyant destroyer of bowling”; Rex Collymore; Roy Fredericks and Alvin Kallicharran. The late twentieth century saw the emergence of Carl Hooper; Shivanarine Chanderpaul who went on to become number one Test batsman in 2012 and Ramnaresh Sarwan.

Cricket is we!

Today, cricket goes way beyond the boundary. It has become a national sport and a favoured past time especially among youths across the country. The love for the game has made cricket a religion in itself transcending race, class and culture uniting both the people and the region. It is imperative, that whilst we are basking in the joys cricket brings, that we remember the obstacles our fore parents faced, appreciate the opportunities we are allowed today, and the freedom we have to say ‘Cricket is we!’…

The former BG East Indian Cricket Club now Everest

A Youthful Rohan KanhaiJoe Solomon & Alvin Kalicharran in conversation with Dr. Cheddi Jagan at Everest Cricket Club

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Lutchmee and Dilloo " by John Edward Jenkins ( 1877 ) first published over a century ago

, chronicles the story of a husband and wife, both indentured labourers , carving a life for themselves in the sugar plantations of Guyana under imperial rule.

We are introduced to the lissome, languidly beautiful Lutchmee as she lies gazing at the sun setting in India singing her song from the " Gitagovinda " while awaiting her husband Dilloo. Lutchmee attracts the attention of an unwelcome suitor and in an attempt to flee the clumsy advances of this man, they both find themselves in Guyana where adventure, toil, ancient festivals and eventual rebellion ensue.

" Lutchmee and Dilloo " is narrated in a rather conversational tone , where the reader is involved and often reminded of previous occurrences in the novel. The reader is sometimes even re- introduced to characters , a rather

unusual but not inappropriate form of narration given the plot and the many characters and events that unfold as the novel develops.I found the descriptions of old Georgetown captivating and atmospheric. My imagination was transported to a time when streets so familiar to me, were once dams and fields.

"The way from the immigration depot to that admirable public institution, the Georgetown Hospital, lay along a road that traversed Eve Leary, the garrison fields, and turning at the end of the East Coast dam " , or high road, which was cut short by those fields , passed over a wooden bridge that led across a creek to one of the principal streets of the town. Beyond the garrison, right and left of the East Coast dam, was a wilderness of unoccupied land, and on either side of the dam a broad canal, which required every few weeks to be cleared of its weeds .. "

These descriptions set the tone of the book and shows Jenkins appreciation for the natural beauty of Guyana. Forests are richly described as the home of “poisonous plant and teasing insect and deadly snake "and of the "rankest luxuriance of vegetation ". The Taja festival assumes some prominence in the novel and is explained as "nothing more nor less than the Mohammedan feast of the Mohurran, adopted to a new country and to novel circumstance.. "

I found these facts absorbing since I have often wondered about the origins of this festival which I have heard my great grandfather speak of. The taja itself is depicted as a conical structure resembling a pagoda, and a great feast is prepared and the revelry continues into the dawn .

Jenkins characters are not, to my mind fully formed. And the book is not without racial prejudice. His descriptions of Negroes for example, can only be

considered absurd. Even though the story of Lutchmee and Dilloo is essentially one of love, it appears to be hollow, contrived and insincere.The author also appears to be firm in his view of the "supremacy” of Imperial rule and one gets the impression that Jenkins cannot contemplate a West Indies without its colonial masters. That notwithstanding, he attempts to be equitable in his description of the recruiters of indentured servants as dishonest and exploitative.

"Lutchmee and Dilloo " is still relevant today, and more particularly on the eve of the 175th Anniversary of the arrival of the East Indians to Guyana. My imagination was set ablaze as I read of old Georgetown, then unpaved and untamed, and I saw the faces of my fore parents, bound and toiling on the estates of Guyana eyes brimming with hope as they thought of better lives for their children , and dreamt dreams walking past the streets of Eve Leary and Brickdam , the same familiar roads that I too traverse on a daily basis, under the same fierce sun.

And my respect and love for them was rendered even deeper and more profound.

A Book Review by Hessaun Nandlall

Hessaun Nandlall

Dr. Budhendranauth Doobay was born in Guyana on August 26th, 1940 and moved to Canada in

1975. He is the eldest of 6 children. Dr. Doobay is one of the most worthy leaders and philanthropists in the South Asian community in Canada. His philanthropy extends not only to the South Asian community of the Greater Toronto Area but also to Canadians and people around world. He is well respected as a cardiovascular surgeon, teacher and a leader of the South Asian community. As a leader, Dr. Doobay has enriched the lives of many whether in his medical field or as a community leader.

Dr. Doobay taking his philanthropic vision to Canada

On his arrival to Canada, he saw the need for Hindus to have a place for worship .As such with a few members of the community he started a place of worship at the David and Mary Thompson Collegiate in Scarborough. In 1977, he founded and is currently the Chairman of the Voice of the Vedas Cultural Sabha Inc. at 8640 Yonge St. in Richmond Hill, Ontario. This organization has drawn crowds from all parts of the world, including the West Indies, Africa, and India. His ability to explain the text in simple terms and emphasis on day-to-day life has been one of his strengths.

As a cardiologist and a teacher in the medical field, Dr. Doobay arranges and actively participates in medical seminars, translating medical jargon into layman’s terms for the benefit of the immigrants and seniors. Hundreds of seniors have moved from different parts of the world and have settled in Canada without prior knowledge of what to expect. He has filled the void in the lives of many seniors from different parts of the world and makes it a point of spending time with them – guiding them to the right channels so they can settle easily in Canada without frustration and loneliness. He makes sure a plan is in place to see the seniors have settled and visits them regularly to make sure they are comfortable and

not in any kind of need – financial or otherwise.

It was through his initiatives that the temple awards bursaries to first year university students over the past 15 years. With his vision of extending knowledge to all ages, the first Montessori School – VOV Academy of Learning was opened in September 2005 with children 2 ½ years to 5 years old.

For two consecutive years, he led over 30,000 Canadians from Queens Park to Nathan Phillips Square to celebrate the festival of Diwali.

Dr. Doobay has spearheaded fundraising events for the Tsunami and Pakistani disasters and for the flood victims of Guyana. He fund-raised for the Gujarat earthquake disaster. Through his generous nature he again raised funds to build an orphanage for young girls in Orissa, after the monsoon had wreaked havoc in that province in India. He continues to maintain the orphanage and educate the girls.

He was responsible for opening a medical clinic in Annandale, Guyana which has now morphed into the Doobay Renal Centre. Canada-based Vascular Surgeon, Dr. Budhendranauth Doobay, said that “we want to expand

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Dr. Doobay receives Canadian Award

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our facility to make it a little hospital here so that we can give affordable care to all Guyanese.”With specific focus on diabetes, hypertension, stroke and heart diseases, Dr. Doobay is confident that the lives of many Guyanese can be saved as all of these conditions can be treated allowing for a better quality of life. The renal failure care offered there is supported by expert medical practitioners at the McMaster Medical Centre in Canada who offer their service on a voluntary basis. Financing for the facility, according to him, will be exclusively through fundraising activities and donations from benefactors in Guyana and overseas too. In fact, it is on this basis that the operation of the clinic has been premised since it opened its doors during the latter part of 2011.

Dr. Doobay now chairs a committee, which has built a “one of its kind” Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization adjoining the temple. The museum was opened in November 2004 and he hopes that this museum will provide many Canadians with the opportunity to understand and share the ancient South Asian Culture. Canadians will be able to integrate and share the Vedic thought process. There is an Audio Visual Theatre where Canadians can attend and view documentaries on topics relating to Indian Culture.

Dr. Doobay was also the President of India Heritage Foundation (IHRF) which in the process of publishing an encyclopedia on Hinduism. He was the

founding Chairman of the Federation of Hindu Temples of Canada and the Canadian Council of Hindus. These organizations were formed to give Hindus in Canada a common voice in political, social and economic matters. He hosted a television program on Vision TV for a number of years and continues now on CTS, where he discusses controversial topics on Hinduism.

Because of his dynamic leadership and accomplishments, Dr. Doobay was the first South Asian to be awarded the “Order Of Ontario” for his contributions to the Canadian Society. He has been honored in 2002 with the Golden Jubilee Medal, which was created to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth. This medal is awarded to distinguished Canadians who have made a significant achievement to

their fellow citizens, their communities or to Canada. On February 7th 2006, Dr. Doobay was awarded the Good Citizenship award by the Governor General.

He has won many awards and received many accolades and continues to work tirelessly to help those in need.

Awards

• Order of Ontario

• The Queens Golden Jubilee Medal 2002

• Brahman Samaj Award / 2002

• Toronto Police Service Awards from Province of Ontario for contribution and participation for the September 11th/2001/2002 memorial service

• AGRA award for volunteerism

• Guyana Award for Leadership – May 2004

• Good citizenship Award – Feb 2006

• Lifetime outstanding achievement by Indo Canada Chamber of Commerce – June 2007

• The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012

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Dr. Doobay being introduced to Queen Elizabeth & Prince Phillip in the Presence of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Dr. Doobay Worshipping at Temple in CanadaDr. Doobay receives Canadian Award

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“Education, respect, tolerance and perseverance – some key ingredients for a rewarding, happy and productive life.”– Dr. Jamal Deen

From Humble Beginnings to World Recognised Academic

PhD DEng-hc Dr-hc FRSC FCAE FNASI FINAE FIEEE FAPS FECS FAAAS FEICSenior Canada Research Chair in Information Technology; Professor Electrical and Computer Engineering

Professor of Biomedical Engineering; and Director, Micro- and Nano-Systems Laboratory

Dr. Jamal Deen is a shining example of the talent and richness in educational and

social groundings that the Caribbean/ South American region has offered to Canada, and he is one of our most, distinguished, honored, and recognized academics from there. When Dr. Deen was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada - The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada in June 2006, he became the first Guyanese to achieve this highest recognition

for “Canadian scholars, artists, and scientists, peer-elected as the best in their field.”

Jamal Deen was born and raised in the Coconut Walk, La Penitence community of urban Georgetown, Guyana. He is the fifth of eight children. Raised in a typical Muslim family environment, his parents, though not very educated, made many personal sacrifices to educate their children and also instilled religious and cultural values in them. They demonstrated,

by example, the importance of an extended family, respect for others, especially elders, and living cohesively and harmoniously in a small, diverse ethnic and religious community. Even though they had extremely modest means, they maintained a welcoming open door to relatives, neighbors and friends, willingly sharing whatever they had. For Jamal, these were long lasting impressions that helped to shape his character during his formative years and have remained with him throughout his life. Jamal

Dr. Jamal Deen receiving the Humboldt Research Award, 2008

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attained his primary school education by attending St. Stephen’s Church of Scotland School and successfully passed the annual Common Entrance Examinations in 1967, winning a place to attend the prestigious Queen’s College – one of only two all -boys secondary schools. During his time at Queen’s College, Jamal excelled in his academic achievements and was a regular prizewinner. Looking back, he realizes the intense competitive spirit there was an experience that underscored the importance of collegial competition with peers, the guidance of mentors and diligence in improving one’s own capabilities.

In fourth form in 1971, he successfully took the maximum four subjects at the GCE “Ordinary” Level Examinations and added six subjects to that the following year, easily earning a spot in sixth form. At Queen’s, he played volleyball for the school, and excelled at soccer and long distance running. However, after six months in the lower sixth form, life changed. He took a government position so he could help to support his younger siblings. Concurrently, he

successfully took three “Advanced” levels while studying on his own. This allowed him to become a high school teacher and attend University of Guyana (UG) in the evenings. As you can imagine, life was not easy. He worked full time as a school teacher and attended University at night. He rose to the challenges, excelling in his academic studies as well as in his full-time day job as a mathematics and science teacher at Indian’s Education Trust College (later renamed Richard Ishmael Secondary School). He graduated in 1978 with a double major in mathematics and physics, he was the top ranked in mathematics and physics and the second ranked student overall in the University. These exceptional performances earned him the Chancellor’s (Gold) Medal and the Dr. Irving Adler Prize.

Because of his outstanding performance in his undergraduate studies, he was appointed an Instructor of Physics at UG. In his second year, in 1979, not only did he marry Meena (nee Khan), which he regards as one of his happiest moments (the others being the birth of their three sons),

but he successfully competed for and won the only Fulbright - Laspau graduate scholarship for Guyanese. He completed his graduate studies in electrical engineering and applied physics at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, USA. As a graduate student, in addition to being a Fulbright - Laspau Scholar, he was also an American Vacuum Society Scholar. His doctoral dissertation was on the design and modeling of a new Raman spectrometer for dynamic

Jamal Deen speaking at honorary doctorate investiture, 2012 With parents and siblings

Prize at QC in 1972

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temperature measurements and combustion optimization in rocket and jet engines, and was sponsored and used by NASA, Cleveland, USA. During his graduate student days, in addition to his rigorous academic work, he regularly played badminton and took up cycling. He also actively helped other foreign students settle into graduate student life at Case.

Moving to Canada, Work

and Family Life

After completing his graduate studies and working in the US for a short time, in 1986, with his wife Meena and their four month old son, Arif, they immigrated to Canada. He had accepted his dream job – that of a university professor at the newly founded School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. As before, these were challenging times for him to attract adequate funding to establish a high -quality graduate research program since he did not have a track record in Canada. Fortunately, because of

the high ranking of the university’s engineering academic program, hard work and some good luck, these initial barriers were successfully overcome. In fact, he was so successful in his research, teaching and service that he we promoted to the highest rank of Full Professor in record time – six years after his appointment. During this time, his home expanded by four feet - his second and third sons were born. Jamal has continuously nurtured and supported his sons and raised the boys to be confident and autonomous.

He has taught the boys humility and empathy by having them volunteer and work beside him at one of the local homeless shelters. Arif, his eldest son is now pursuing studies in medical sciences at UCL in Brussels, Belgium. Imran, also a McMaster graduate, completed an undergraduate degree in engineering and society, as well as his Master’s degree in biomaterials. He is now pursuing his doctorate degree in Materials Engineering (biomaterials) at McGill University, Montreal. Tariq, the youngest, is a third year undergraduate in environmental sciences at McMaster University.

Volunteer Activities

Dr. Deen is an active community volunteer. For five consecutive years,

he served as a Judge in the British Columbia Science fair competition. He volunteered to develop and teach a 10 - week science/engineering PhD student, NASA, 1984 enrichment program at his kid’s elementary school. During his sabbatical year at Nortel in Ottawa (1992-93), he served as the elected representative of his kids’ elementary school to the district council of education. Moving to McMaster in 1999, he continued his community involvement by volunteering as a soccer coach in the West Hamilton Children’s Soccer League for four consecutive years while his youngest son played soccer. In addition, for some years, he and his family volunteered at Mission Services (a homeless shelter) in Hamilton. Dr. Deen has also served the Caribbean ,for six years, he was an external examiner of the physics program at UWI, Trinidad. In addition, he has served as external examiner for doctoral theses in many developed and developing countries.

Dr. Deen has given generously of his time in mentoring students from developing and third world countries who have gone on to highly successful engineering and high-technology careers in industry and academia. Further, he actively assists the professional/academic community in these countries through invited lectures; assistance in organizing International Conferences and in promoting and securing sponsorships for international conferences. For his work as an Advisor and Guide to engineering students, and in

UG graduation, 1978

Marriage, 1979 PhD student, NASA, 1984

establishing a vigorous branch of the student chapter of the electrical engineering society, he was awarded the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) Outstanding Branch Counselor and Advisor Award for Canada in April 1994. And together with the Student Chair, they were awarded the IEEE Exemplary Student Branch Award in Canada in 1995. Dr. Deen has also given of his time to establish scientific and technological cooperation between Canada and other countries. For both his scientific and technological achievements as well as his community involvement in the West Indies and India, he was awarded the Guyana Award (Academic Excellence) from the Guyana Awards Council, Canada (2008), the Technology Achievement Award (2009) from the Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), and the New Pioneers Science and Technology Award in 2012.

Dr. Deen’s current research interests are nano electronics and optoelectronics, and their emerging applications in health and environmental sciences. His research record is exceptional - more than 460 peer-reviewed articles (about 20% are invited), 1 textbook on Silicon Photonics – Fundamentals and Devices, 20 authored/edited books and conference proceedings, 16 invited book chapters, 6 awarded patents that have been used in

industry, and 12 best paper/poster awards. Over his career, he has won more than fifty awards and honors. He was an NSERC Senior Industrial Fellow and is a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Electron Device Society for more than a decade. Tabulate? His awards and honors include the Thomas D. Callinan Award and the Electronics and Photonics Award from the Electrochemical Society; the Distinguished Researcher Award, Province of Ontario; a Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany; an IBM Faculty Award; the Eadie Medal from the Royal Society of Canada; the IEEE Canada Fessenden Silver Medal as well as the McNaughton Gold Medal - the highest award for engineers in from IEEE Canada. IEEE is the largest professional society, with ~400,000 members around the globe.

For his exceptional scholarly achievements and service contributions, and exemplary professionalism, Prof. Deen was awarded two honorary doctorates – the degree Doctor of Engineering - honoris causa (DEng-hc) from University of Waterloo, Canada in 2011 and the degree Doctor - honoris causa (Dr-hc) from Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain in 2012. Dr. Deen is generally ranked by his peers in the topmost echelons as a research scholar for his exceptional contributions of knowledge. He is regarded as one of the leading and most creative academics in engineering science, and as an

exceptional professional colleague and collaborator. To further emphasize his international professional stature, he has delivered 126 keynote, plenary, and invited conference presentations as well as 180 invited research seminars at universities, research and industrial organizations. In addition, his extraordinarily high-levels of peer-reviewed research support - more than $85 Million from 2001 including the recent $13 Million Government - University - Industry award for which he was the lead applicant, is simply amazing. Dr. Deen’s peers have elected him to the highest status of Fellow in an impressive nine national academies and professional societies, including the two highest recognitions for scholars and engineers in Canada: The Royal Society of Canada - The Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (FRSC), this is the highest honor for scholars, artists and intellectuals in Canada; and The Canadian Academy of Engineering (FCAE). His other Fellow awards are from The National Academy of Sciences India (FNASI - Foreign); The Indian National Academy of Engineering (FINAE - Foreign); The American Physical Society (FAPS); the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (FIEEE); The Electrochemical Society (FECS); The American Association for the Advancement of Science (FAAAS); and The Engineering Institute of Canada (FEIC). In addition, he was elected an Honorary Member of the World Innovation Foundation (WIF) – the foundation’s highest honor. Dr. Deen's most passionate about education and learning. No surprise

Family, 1993

Coach of "Walkers Chocolates" Under 12 Boys Soccor Club

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there, as he educated himself and works hard to be a top educator, to inspire, and to be a positive influence on students and collaborators. He sincerely believes that education is the honorable way of improving one’s life in a society. His students state that he is an exceptional research mentor and supervisor who treats them with respect and provides them with every opportunity to succeed and excel. Others state that as a professor and teacher, his enthusiasm, effectiveness and innovation are well known to students. And his youngest son said – “I hope that I will be able to provide similar experiences and show the same kind of love, nurture and support to my family, as my Dad has provided to me.”

Dr. Deen also reflected on the powerful and wise words of Benjamin Franklin, a scientist and one of the founding fathers of America, who stated “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest,” Nelson Mandela who said “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,” and Aristotle who wrote “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” Dr. Deen shared these thoughts on what lay behind his drive to succeed - “I am motivated to do the things I do to make a solid positive contribution to society. I have been very fortunate in my life, enjoying the fruits of hard work, staying focused, and being competitive. I have also learned the importance and the value of team work and respect for others. I am motivated to show by example, what is possible, even if the initial conditions were being born into a family of extremely modest means and seemingly

limited possibilities.” When asked about what advice he would give to others, he had these wise words for the younger generation - “Education, respect, tolerance and perseverance – these are some key ingredients for a happy, rewarding and productive life. And never lose faith in yourself and your abilities.” When this brilliant

Arif's Graduation, 2009

ICC Award, 2009

man, who has reached the pinnacle of his career, was asked “What is most important to you in life?” His simple response was - “My family. I am extremely fortunate to have a caring and loving family which helped to create an environment in which I am healthy, happy and comfortable. With their support, I have enjoyed an exceptional personal life and professional career. To them, I owe all that I have achieved.” Dr. Jamal Deen is a shining example of the talent and richness in educational, social and cultural groundings of the Caribbean. Even though he is one of the most recognized and honored academics from there, you would be hard-pressed to find a more humble and pleasant individual. And he is a stellar role model for those looking to make a positive difference, whatever their chosen paths.

New Pioneers Award, 2010

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Dr. Deborah Persaud, born in Guyana on August 23, 1960, moved to Brooklyn, New York

when she was a teenager. She earned her B.A. from York College, M.D. degree from NYU Medical School, and did her Pediatric Residency at Columbia-Presbyterian. She was the only recipient of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s 2005 Scientist Award, which included a $700,000 research grant.

Every year, the Glaser Foundation, a major player in the fight against pediatric AIDS, presents its most prestigious award to several of the most promising HIV/AIDS researchers at a critical stage in their careers. This year, Persaud was the only recipient. She will use the money—$700,000 for five years—to better understand drug-resistant HIV in children both in the United States and abroad. Unaware that she would receive the award, she attended the presentation ceremony in a lab coat after a regular day at work only to be greeted by a room filled with her colleagues, mentors, department and division chairmen—even her husband and three young children.

Her first thought that she had been promoted to associate professor. (Her application had been in for more than a year.) But when she spotted a friend from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, she knew instantly what had happened:

“I knew I had received the Elizabeth Glaser Scientist Award.”

Her award came on the heels of an encouraging step in research which opened a window of hope for children born with HIV. Scientists appeared a step closer to conquering the Aids virus when an announcement was made by doctors in Atlanta who said that a two-and-a-half-year-old child from Mississippi was born HIV positive and received a three-drug infusion within 30 hours of its birth, a stronger and far swifter dose than normally administered. The scientists confirmed that the child, whose identity has not been disclosed, has since been off medication for HIV for over a year, is believed no longer to be infectious. This is the first time this has ever been recorded.But not all traces of the virus have

been eradicated. Dr. Deborah Persaud of Johns Hopkins Children's Center, who led the investigation, said that the child was in effect "functionally cured", meaning in long-term remission even if all traces of the virus haven't been completely eradicated. While the findings are encouraging, scientists warned they are not the definitive cure for HIV. It is thought to have been the speed and intensity of the action that knocked out HIV in the baby's blood before it could form hideouts in the body.

Deborah Persaud, the lead researcher is a clinician-scientist who eschews the term “bench-to-bedside” in favor of “bedside-to-bench.” For her, everything begins at the bedside. For these planned studies, she could work closely with the patients (the first wave of children treated with HAART at Johns Hopkins were then coming through the Intensive Primary Care Clinic) and with her fellow clinicians.

When she won the Glaser award, Persaud was hailed as “one of the best and brightest AIDS researchers in the field today.” To get to this point,

Dr. Deborah PersaudGuyanese- born doctor spearheads team in the US

seeking cure for HIV

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she has overcome incredible odds. Until she was 16, she lived in Guyana. Her parents had divorced, and when she was 10, her mother went to America to find work. Six years later, Persaud and her three siblings joined her in Brooklyn, N.Y.—in the battered neighborhood of Bushwick. After Persaud completed high school and college, just one medical school, NYU, accepted her. That was all she needed to get on a career trajectory that would consistently put her precisely in the right place at the right time.

It was not until the prestigious Glaser award was formally announced on Feb. 23 2013 at a research conference in Boston that its full import sank in. Looking around at the roomful of notable scientists, Persaud felt as though she really belonged. “That is when I realized that I actually had impacted pediatric HIV in this country.”

Persaud was a medical student at NYU in 1985 when the first cases of HIV were being identified in young, gay men. During her residency at Columbia

Presbyterian, she started seeing infants presenting with the same type of pneumonia. “It was actually devastating because an infected infant meant an infected mother, father and, possibly, other siblings. Eighty percent of these infants died in the first year of life, and we could do nothing. We had no therapies.”

Dr. Deborah Persaud came to Johns Hopkins in 1997 on the heels of a discovery, made here, which demonstrated that HIV infection cannot be entirely eradicated by highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, because the infection persists in a silent, or latent, reservoir in resting memory cells. Furthermore, this latent reservoir is a permanent “archive” for viruses that are drug resistant.Today, 20 years later after her medical school days, HIV infection has been transformed into a preventable, treatable disease in children, and Persaud now is studying the virus at the single-cell level. “I’ve been fortunate to have witnessed the beginning of the epidemic and the multiple phases of

HIV infection. It’s been transformed into a chronic infection. What I hope for the future is to be able to see a similar transformation in resource-poor settings.”

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Dal Puri, Pholourie & Potato Ball

From India to Guyana!

Guyana is a mixture of cultures, ethnicities and religion, among many other dimensions. In

spite of all of our differences and variances in culture, one thing remains constant in all our homes, - our love for food. Whether it is a puja, a birthday party, a wedding, a family get together, school snacks or just cause, there are certain foods that have become staples in our homes. These include the well- known pholourie, the mouth- watering potato balls and the always sought after daalpuri.

But, have you ever wondered where your well loved, now considered “Guyanese cuisine” came from? We have made it our own and it can be said by many that these food have become legendary and popularised by Guyanese, Trinidadians and the Caribbean in general. But, even though we have made it ours, 175 years ago when our fore parents came from India, they brought these delicacies with them. Over the years, they nurtured these recipes and passed it on from

one generation to the next. We have always maintained our culture and preserved our foods, but the origin got lost along the way.

Potato Balls

This is a savory mixture of crushed potatoes rolled into balls, layered in a batter and deep fried. Many persons fondly consider it a snack, an appetiser or a break time meal for children. Many snackettes and food outlets would have this on sale to cater for the young to the old, the school children to the working class. But where did it come from? Well, the identical dish is called aloobonda from India’s Western State Maharashtra and South Indian Cities including Banglore, Chennai and Hyderbad or batatavadaas it’s called in Mumbai and it is extremely popular in those regions just as it is in Guyana. The preparation of aloobonda is the same as it is for our potato balls; the only difference lies in the name! Our “potato balls” have been gracing India’s cuisine for centuries as aloobondas or

batatavada, before coming to Guyana in 1838.

Pholourie

In Guyana, we grew up hearing Sundar Popo’s song “Phoulouriebina chutney, Kaise Bani” made popular in the Caribbean by Kanchan and Babla. Many persons had the

By Ananda Latchman

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misconception that it’s OUR song based on our pholourie. However, the song is originally a Bhojpuri song - Phulauribinachatni based on their phulauri (dal fritters) from the states/provinces of Bihar and Jharkhand, eastern parts of Uttar Pradesh. This favorite salty dish,pholourie, travelled all the way to the Caribbean to become one of the most popular appetizers or snacks known to Guyanese. In terms of preparation, it is the same as one would prepare phulauri in India – dal, better known as split peas or yellow lentils that have been soaked and grinded, seasoned with a variety of spices, made into a batter, and deep fried. Variations have emerged over the years with the split-pea flour or flour versions being popular with shops of road-side stands. In Guyana, there is the tradition of placing pure daal phoulourie in thick dal mixture -”carahi’. The lure of phoulourie is that it is easy and quick to prepare and a guaranteed hit with any age and the most discerning of palates. Many people will agree it is one of the most popular dishes brought by our fore-parents to British Guiana.

Dal Puri

Potato balls and pholourie are the same in Guyana as it is in India; sharing all the similar qualities except the names. However, the same cannot be said for our dal puri. Guyanese Dalpuri and its Indian counterpartvaried slightly. Originally a Maharashtra dish and popular in the States: Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, there are two versions to this, the sweet dish which is called puranpoli and the salted dish which is their dal paratha and later our dal puri. Let us start with their dal parathaas opposed to our dalpuri. Both are the savory or salted version of the dish. However, their paratha is more like a flat bread as it is smaller, thicker and more filled, whereas our dal puri is more of a roti and considered a puri as its thin and as large and round as a roti with only sufficient stuffing to fill it and not over power it. It can be said that our dal puri is an extension of dal paratha. Puranpoli however is the sweet version of this delicacy but not as popular and not made in Guyana. Even with the resemblance and relation to dal puri, it is still not considered a puri or

roti, simply because it is a sweet dish and considered a sweet meat. This classical sweet dish is served as a dessert during auspicious occasions and during important festivals such as Holi in Maharashtra. Puranis the stuffing and the outer dough is the poli. The puran is made from the same dal as puri, however, sugar is added to the dal and this mixture is cooked until soft. The outer cover is same as the dough made for puri, except, you add milk when kneading it. Dal Puri has indeed evolved into a dish known worldwide, and made popular by the Caribbean people, specifically Guyanese. But when we think of this delicacy, let us not forget that our version is the India’s dal paratha and it has a counterpart in the famous puranpoli. Dal puri as we know can be credited to Guyana as its evolution has made it unique to our country- dal puri found anywhere else in the Caribbean or further afield always has a Guyanese linkage.

There have been several twists to the traditional dal puri where the white flour

has been substituted by whole wheat or the puri is fried and not turned on the “taawa”(hot plate) as we have seen our mothers and grandmothers do or as we do. Interestingly enough, if questioned closely, many of the proficient dal puri makers in shops across the country will tell you that the elder females of their family too would have made dal puri for sale and would have passed on their techniques of kneading the dough or cooking the dal puri in a particular manner to ensure the softness of the dal puri. So whenever I venture further afield and I bump into a dal puri I always look for the Guyana connection ….and now I know of the Indian origin!

So, next time we are out enjoying the wonderful Guyanese traditional foods, be it with chutney, curry or by itself. Let us not forget that these scrumptious dishes came from there to here! It had a root in India before it branched off to Guyana; becoming a part of our homes, our lives, our culture and considered as “we own”.

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AlooBonda (Potato Balls)Ingredients:• 1 lbaloo (potatoes) • 1 tbsp finely chopped green onions • 2 tspgeera (ground cumin)• Minced hot pepper, to taste• Salt to taste• 1/2 cup all purpose flour• 1/4 tsp baking powder• 1/4 tsp ground turmeric• Water to make batter• Oil for deep frying

Preparation:

Forpotatostuffing:

1. Wash, peel and cut potatoes into quarters.2. Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until soft and tender. Drain well.3. Add potatoes to a large bowl along with pepper and geera. Mash well, mixing the ingredients together. Taste for salt and adjust if necessary.4. With clean hands, take the mixture a little at a time and make into 3-inch balls.

5. Set aside balls.

For batter and frying:

1. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, turmeric and a pinch of salt. Add enough water to make a thin batter.

2. Heat oil in deep frying pan until hot but not smoking.3. Dip balls into the batter one at a time, shake off the excess and add to oil.

Repeat and fry in batches; however, be sure not to overcrowd the pan.4. Fry until golden lightly browned.

Recipes

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Phulauri (Pholourie) Ingredients:• 1 cup dry dal (split peas) • 8 garlic cloves• 4 wiriwiri pepper (or 1 tbsp of blended pepper)• 1 tbsp geera (ground cumin)• 1 tsp turmeric • 1 tsp salt• 1 tsp yeast• 2 tsp baking powder• 1 & 1/2 cup flour • Oil for frying

Preparations:

1. In a bowl soak dry split peas with about 2 cups of water to cover dal (for best results leave this overnight. By morning the peas will double in size).

2. Drain the water from the peas. 3. Put peas, garlic, pepper and enough water to cover the peas in blender

and blend on high until smooth.4. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl and add geera, turmeric and slat.

Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. Add baking powder, yeast and flour. Mix thoroughly.

5. Cover the batter with a towel or foil wrap and let it sit for 1-2 hours.

6. Heat oil in frying pan (enough to cover the pan for deep frying). 7. Dropping the batter into the hot oil.This can be done using a

spoon, but will not guarantee roundness of the phulauri. The best way is our fore parents’ way: take some batter in your hand and turn your fist upside down so that the batter falls through your thumb and pointer finger.

8. When you drop the batter into the oil, it should immediately pop up, if it doesn't then your oil is not hot enough. Turn the pholourie balls while they are frying so that each side can get golden brown.

9. Continue this process until all your batter is used up without overcrowding your pan.

Dal PuriIngredients:• 1 cup dal (split peas) soaked overnight• Salt to taste• 4 cloves garlic• 4 Wiriwiri pepper• 2 tspgeera (ground cumin)• 4 cups all purpose flour• 4 tsp baking powder• 1/2 tsp salt• 1 Tbsp oil• 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (add more if needed)• Vegetable or Canola oil

Preparation:Dal Filling:

1. Drain water from peas that has been soaking overnight. Rinse peas a few times until the water runs clear. Transfer peas to a pot along with water to cover the peas and bring to a boil on high heat. When the peas come to a boil, add salt to taste and cook until peas are soft. Drain thoroughly and spread out on a large baking sheet to air dry.2. Grind with a mill and add the garlic and pepper as u grind. If you do

not have a mill then a food processor can be used. Add garlic and pepper to processer and pulse to mince, and then add peas and pulse until the mixture is very fine, but loose. The mixture should not be wet or clumpy. It should be fluffy and dry. 3. Transfer into a bowl; add geerainto the bowl and mix.

Flour Dough: 1. Using a large bowl, placeflour, baking powder, saltand mix

thoroughly. 2. To this mixture, add room temperature water and knead. Rub

1 tsp oil all over the dough and place in bowl and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

Cooking: 1. Knead rested dough for 1 - 2 minutes and then cut into 10 - 12 equal

pieces.2. Taking one piece of dough at a time, pat each piece into a circle, about

4 inches wide. Place the dough in one hand and make afunnel. Using a tablespoon, add sufficient filling to the dough (do not overstuff). Pinch the ends of the dough together to seal in the filling.

3. Place the stuffed dough, seam-side down on an oiled surface (cooking area). Pat each stuffed dough-ball with a little oil to prevent it from getting sticky.After stuffing, leave thefilled dough to rest for 15-20 minutes.

4. Heat the tawa on medium heat. 5. Sprinkle flour on the work surface and rolling pin. Take one of the stuffed

dough and flatten with your hand; working from the center, start rolling the dough back and forth, rotating the dough and rolling it out until you have a round, thin, flat dough.

6. Transfer the rolled dough/puri to the tawa. Let cook until parts of the dough start to puff up with little bubbles; immediately flip the puri, brush with oil, let cook for 10 seconds then flip and brush the other side, cook until the puri is cooked through, then remove from tawa with a spatula into a container (preferably lined with paper towel to absorb any oil).

7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 for all the dal filled dough!

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The intrinsic beauty of India never ceases to amaze, this beauty lies not only in the built heritage of

the jewel of the world, but it is inherent in the people of East Indian decent, expressed through culture, religion, social interactions and celebrations. Extracted, fragmented, transported and replanted these customs and traditions were by our foreparents who braved the Kala Pani and settled in the

New World. A New World, free from all the magic and splendor of the colorful nation they left behind. It was their duty, a duty towards themselves and their beloved Bharat Mata to teach their children, and their children’s children the love, strong values, rich culture and vast knowledge which they brought. The journey was rough, the struggles were endless, and freedom was years away for many but they endured the test of time, the colonial masters and plantation life; giving birth to 175 years of rich cultural heritage.

The people of Guyana share a strong

bond with their foreparents through many aspects of everyday life, but at specific times of the calendar it comes alive through the festivals brought by our foreparents to Guyana. Guyana saw the importation of many Indians of different religions, chief among them were Muslims and Hindus. Because of this, we have inherited a diverse set of festival which cannot be exhausted here, but allow us [Horizons] to take you through some of the excitement of being Indian and living a kaleidoscope of festivals.

Holi

The colours of Bihar, India can be seen throughout the streets of Guyana as we celebrate the spring festival Holi

A Kaleidoscopeof Festivals in

GuyanaBy Priya Methuram

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or Phagwah in the month of Phagun on the Hindu calendar; a national holiday during March-April on the Gregorian calendar. Dholaks (drums) and majeeras (cymbals)can be heard from miles away as thousands usher in the beginning of spring in grandeur with chowtal singing and other festivities. On the eve of Phagwah, a castor oil plant is consumed in fire symbolizing Holika’s (Prahalad’s aunt) failure to carry out King Hiranyakashipu’s order to kill his son Prahalad because he would not relinquish his faith in Lord Vishnu and pray to the King. On Phagwah day, we eat, pray and smear our brothers and sisters in bright colours of abeer and gulaal (powder) as we are reminded of the triumph of good over evil and foster the spirit of fraternity and unity. Hindus also visit the homes of their friends and families bringing them sweetmeats and good tidings.

Diwali

Another inspiring reminder of good over evil and light over darkness is the festival of Diwali. Also a national holiday in Guyana, the celebration of Diwlali is almost as old as India itself, it tells of the night that Mother Lakshmi rose up from the churning of the milky ocean. Celebrated in the month of October/ November, Hindus prepare for this festival first by the thorough cleaning of their homes in preparation for the coming of Laxmi Maa. Fasting

is also observed on this day so that the body can also be cleansed of all toxic material. The inviting aromas of various sweetmeats being prepared, the making of wicks and the sounds of bhajans are all a prelude to the night itself. As it gets dark, small earthenware oil lamps called diyas are lit throughout the house and yard, fireworks and sparkles fill the night sky as many perform Maa Laxmi Puja. On the darkest night of the year, the diyas are symbolic of the little light that carries us through the tough times and a gentle reminder of the divinity that lives within us.

Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s Diwali motorcade is unique to Guyana and the creatively illuminated vehicles attract thousands along its route annually.

Rath Yatra/ Festival Of Chariots

Much like the Gopies swaying to the music of Krishna’s flute, the Festival of Chariots is filled with love for the Lord Jagannauth or Krishna. This festival is said to have its origins in Orissa, this was of the result of Lord Jagannatha’s expressed desire to visit his birthplace every year for a week. Every year no less than three Rath Yatras are performed countrywide, signaling the journey of the Deities and the symbolic journey of the soul to Dwarka. Dressed

in bold bright colours, devotes pull the heavily decorated chariots with much fervor as others sing the Maha Mantra and dance. Eager bystanders are enchanted by the hymns being sung and the taste of the Prasad that is being given to them. After the long journey through the streets, kirtan, reenactment of Bhagvad Gita and dances are done in celebration of Jagannauth’s return home. The grand arti is the most spectacular of all the rituals done at that point, hundreds of people hold hands and sing in unison as the Deities are being serenaded one last time, at that point, devotes who are truly in sync with Krishna transcend to a place beyond this world.

Raksha Bandhan

The virtuous oath of love between a brother and a sister is one of the deepest and noblest of human emotions. 'Raksha Bandhan' or 'Rakhi Day’ is a special occasion which celebrates this emotional bonding with the tying of a holy thread by the sister on her brother’s wrist. This thread, which pulsates with sisterly love and sublime sentiments, is rightly called the ‘Rakhi’. It means 'a bond of protection', and Raksha Bandhan signifies that the strong must protect the weak from all that is evil. The origin of this festival lies in the bond between Krsna [Krishna] and Drupati. The story of the Mahabharata talks of how she

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had once torn a strip of silk off her sari and tied it around Krishna's wrist to stanch the bleeding from a battlefield wound. He promised to repay the debt and Krishna repaid the debt of love during the "Cheer-Haran" or clothing-removing of Drupati, which occurred in the assembly of King Dhritarashtra. At that time, Krishna indefinitely extended her sari through divine intervention, so it could not be removed, to save her honour. This bond is also said to exist between, King Bali and Goddess Laxmi, Yama and the Yamuna and Alexander the Great and King Puru.

Today, mere mortals have adopted the principles of Raksha Bandhan. On the morning of the festival, sisters visit the home of their brothers to perform this sacred ritual. The sister lovingly waves the aartiin front of the brother, ties the thread on his wrist and feeds him sweet meat and bows seeking his protection. The brother would then promise to always protect her by giving her a gift, just as Krishna gave Drupati endless sari to protect her honour. Females

without biological brothers used this opportunity to create an unbreakable bond of brotherhood with a male figure that possesses virtuous qualities.

This festival has truly transcended the limitation with which it was created. All across Guyana, this festival is known and celebrated by many, including other cultures. It is recognized by the virtues it possess and not by the boundaries within which it was created.

Youman-Nabi

As the month of Rabi al-Awwal approaches, Muslims throughout Guyana get ready to celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was born about A. D. 570 and died in A. D. 632. During his life, he established Islam as a religion; Muhammad received a vision of the angel Gabriel who called him into service as a prophet. He later received a second vision of Gabriel who told him to "magnify thy Lord." Muhammad then began to preach publicly in Mecca

where he had lived for many years.Youman- Nabiwas first observed around the thirteenth century and was preceded by a month of celebration. The birthday of Muhammad is a national holiday in Guyana and further includes sermons, recitation of litanies, honoring of religious dignitaries, gift giving, and a feast.

Eid-ul-Adha

Eid-ul-Adha is also a national holiday in Guyana and is widely known as the festival of sacrifice. The underlying importance of this festival is the spirit of sacrifice or qurbani in memory of Ibrahim's great act of faith many centuries ago. Eid-ul-Adha is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something living to God. Abraham's great act of submission is thus regarded solely as an example of genuine surrender to the will of God and is to be followed as such. Today Muslims in Guyana, sacrifice a sheep, goat or cow as a reminder of Ibrahim's

Diwali Motorcade

Diwali Motorcade

obedience to Allah. They share the meat among family, friends and the poor, who each get a third share. Eid usually starts with Muslims going to the Mosque for prayers, dressed in their best clothes, and thanking Allah for all the blessings they have received. It is also a time when they visit family and friends and offer presents. During Eid, it is obligatory to give a set amount of money to charity or zakat to be used to help the differently able and poor buy new clothes and food so they too can celebrate.

Eid-Ul-Fitir

The first Eid-ul-Fitir was celebrated by the Prophet Muhammad with his friends and relatives after the victory of the battle of Jang-e-Badar. Muslims are not only celebrating the end of fasting, but thanking Allah for the help and strength that he gave them throughout the previous month to help them practice self-control. The festival begins when the first sight of the new moon is seen in the sky. Muslims in Guyana rely on both news of an official sighting and looking at the sky themselves. The celebratory atmosphere is increased by everyone wearing their best or new clothes, and decorating their homes. There are special services outdoors and in mosques, and of course, a special celebratory meal - eaten during daytime, the first daytime meal Muslims will have had in a month.

Aqeeqah

Aqeeqah is part of the legacy inherited from Prophet Ibrahim and a great Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad. The

Prophet said, "Every child is mortgaged to his Aqeeqah”. Legend has it that the Prophet sacrificed a goat each for his grandsons Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn. It is recommended that, on the day of Aqeeqah, a goat or sheep is sacrificed. The child is given a good name,the baby head is shaved and the hair is weighed and the equivalent in money of its weight in gold is given in charity. The rituals associated with Aqeeqah, therefore, can be considered as a child's initiation into the lessons of tawhid or in the oneness of Allah. Babies who were born into a Muslim family were welcomed with much joy and families

happily pay their debt to Allah upon receiving their bundle of joy. Guyana is filled on many more interesting festivals, some may be new to us and some we hold dear. Regardless of the nature of the festival, it is important that we understand where they came from and how our ancestors have struggled to keep it alive. As much as it may seem that they are passed on to the younger generation by some extraordinary force or in the blood stream, it is key to acknowledge that it takes dedication and hard work to be able to keep it going for another 175 years and even after that.

Raksha Bandhan

Holi Celebrations

Raksha Bandhan

Holi Celebrations

horizons magazines 2013

Documents

east indian presence

odyssey of east indians

batch of east indian

indentured immigrants

indian arrival day

lang lang time

history of enmore

sugar plantations