Indo-Caribbean Writers

Preface

Many oblique attempts have been made to marginalize Indians in (Guyana) in terms of their contribution to the literary culture in the macro Caribbean milieu. Several times, prominent personalities have similarly made sniping remarks in the Caribbean with the same kind of snide message. In a more covert manner in the USA, whether intentional or otherwise, organizations, radio, television and colleges are portraying the Caribbean people as Blacks with only an African culture. Examples on the internet http://caribbeanvoice.com/org.htm, on television Caribbean Classroom, Caribbean Dancehall, and others.

Within the Caribbean the “others” are being constantly bombarded with cultural indignity and identity insults brought about by being declared invisible people. The perception that is inculcated is real, and denies the reality that the Caribbean is plural in make-up, having people who are Amerindians, Chinese, Portuguese, Whites, Indians and Mixed. While it is indeed true that Blacks predominate in the overall Caribbean landscape, it is however a fact that in Guyana, Suriname and Trinidad there is a majority of Indians in the population. For historical reason (that is obvious), Blacks got a head start in the education system, and eventually became the police, civil servants, teachers and professionals. But in the course of time, other peoples found niches within these spheres of activities. And this must be recognized as a matter of fact, rather than tangentially denied.

As an example, why is it that in a review by Stewart Brown in the Globe and Mail of "All Are Involved: The Art of Martin Carter" many poets, writers, and authors from the Caribbean are listed, and only one Indian (David Dabydeen) mentioned and given recognition? The others are: Aimé Césaire, Derek Walcott, Nicholas Guillen, John Agard, Kamau Brathwaite, Stewart Brown, Fred D'Aguiar, Kwame Dawes, Michael Gilkes, Wilson Harris, Roy Heath, Kendel Hippolyte, Louis James, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Eusi Kwayana, George Lamming, Ian McDonald, Mark McWatt, Mervyn Morris, Grace Nichols, Gordon Rohlehr, Andew Salkey. While these individuals are quite worthy, surely there should be at least gracious mention of the many other Caribbean personalities in literature. Are there no other Indians in the Caribbean? Is David Dabydeen the ‘token’ Indian? Does the reviewer not know of the many Indians who are well recognized and documented in the field of literature? Something is amiss here!

Thus it is that the compilation of the Indo-Caribbean writers is being motivated (as one aspect of the Indo-Caribbean Arts & Culture
Workshop Series,a collaboration between the Association of Artists & Writers, Inc. and The Rajkmuari Cultural Center, New York) to draw attention…. The project aims to document Indo-Caribbean poets/writers/authors, as well as work about the Indo-Caribbeans. Articles in newspapers, magazines and learned journals are not considered at this time. Obviously, these will be too numerous.

The list is not complete and will continue to be a work in progress. There are several shortcomings, namely, inaccuracy of publishers and dates of publication but these are being regularly revised.

Your input for updates are welcome.

Thank you

– By Gary Girdhari

West Indian Literature

ADAMSON, A.H.
Sugar without Slaves. The Political Economy of British Guiana, 1838-1904. New Haven & London: Yale Univ, 1972.

ALI, Edwin: Guyana/America
The Rise of the Phoenix in Guyana's Turbulent Politics. Printed in the USA. 1997

ALI, Edwin: Guyana/America
Muslims in America After the Catastrophic Tragedy of 9/11. Printed in the USA. 2002.

ALI, Riad Trinidad & Tobago
A Distant Amber. Self-published. Freeport, 1993.

ARJUNE, Frank, Guyana/America
The Guyana Exodus. Carlton Press, 1995

AUTAR, Seori, Guyana/America, Poet and Writer

BACCHUS, M. K.: Guyana/Canada
Education for Development or Underdevelopment? Guyana’s Educational System and its Implications for the Third World. Ontario, Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. 1980.

BAKSH, Ishmael Trinidad & Tobago
Black Light. Self-published. Canada, 1989.

BALDEOSINGH, Kevin Trinidad & Tobago, novelist, critic and Chief Judge of the Commonwealth Prize for Literature
The Autobiography of Paras P.
Paras P. is the most correct person in Trinidad & Tobago, shown by the popularity of his Centre of Correctness. This candid autobiography illustrates how Paras' whole life has been geared to being "proper," from early days learning the Queen's English to life as the most upright of politicians. Pity that Paras never noticed the laughter and ridicule permeating all the tapes he has of his doings... Full of wit and wisdom, The Autobiography of Paras P. is a tongue-in-cheek glimpse into the life of one man who honestly believes he is the last bastion of morality in Trinidad & Tobago. (Heinemann blurb) Oxford: Heinemann, 1996.

BALKARAN, Lal, Guyana/Canada
•Through Faith & Luck: The Story of an East Indian Family in Guyana. LBA Publication: Toronto. 1999. www.lbapublications.com

•Dictionary of the Guyanese Amerindians and other South American Native Terms. LBA Publications: Toronto, 2002
•Bibliography of Guyana & Guyanese Writers, 1596-2004. LBA Publications, Toronto. 2004

BEAUMONT, J
The New Slavery: An Account of the Indian and Chinese Immigrants in British Guiana. London. 1897

Bereton, Bridget and Winston Dookeran (ed.)
East Indians in the Caribbean: Colonialism and the Struggle for Identity. Kraus, New York, 1982

BHAGIRATHEE, Jang B. Trinidad & Tobago/America
Let's Go Trinidad. A historical novel. New York. 2003

BHAGWANDIN, Balwant, Guyana/America
•Wild Flowers. IUniverse, Inc. 2001
•i hear guyana cry. iUniverse. 2003

BHAGWANDIN, Dhanraj, Guyana/America
Georgetown Spies. Inside Pub. 1995

BIRBALSINGH, Frank Guyana/Canada
•Indo-West Indian Cricketers. Hansib. 1988. (with Clem Seecharran)
•Passion and Exile: Essays in Caribbean Literature. [London: Hansib, 1988].
•Jahaji Bhai - An anthology of Indo-Caribbean Literature. (Editor) Toronto: TSAR, 1988.
•Indenture and Exile: The Indo-Caribbean Experience. (Editor) Toronto: TSAR, 1989.
•Frontiers of Caribbean Literature in English. (Editor) New York: St.London: Macmillan Caribbean, 1996
•Indo-Caribbean Resistance. TSAR. Toronto, 1993
•Novels and the Nation: Essays in Canadian Literature. TSAR, Toronto, 1995
•The Rise of West Indian Cricket: From Colony to Nation. Hansib, London, 1996
•From Pillar to Post: the Indo-Caribbean Diaspora. Toronto: TSAR, 1997

BISNAUTH, Dale, Guyana
The Settlement of Indians in Guyana 1890-1930. Paperback (January 2001). Peepal Tree Pr Ltd; ISBN: 1900715163

BISSOONDATH, Neil Trinidad & Tobago/Canada
•Neil Bissoondath was born in Arima, Trinidad & Tobago, in 1955 and emigrated to Canada in 1973. He is the nephew of V.S. Naipaul and the late Shiva Naipaul.
•Digging Up the Mountains. (Stories) Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1985. [New York] Viking [1986].
•A Casual Brutality. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1988. London: Bloomsbury, 1988. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1989.
•On the Eve of Uncertain Tomorrows. (Stories) Toronto: Lester & Orpen Dennys, 1990. New York: Clarkson N. Potter, 1991.
•The Innocence of Age. Toronto: Knopf, 1992.
vSelling Illusions: The Cult of Multi-Culturalism in Canada. Toronto: Penguin, 1994.

BISSUNDYAL, Churaumanie Guyana/America, Novelist, poet, playwright and critic; winner of the Vera Rubin Residency Award.
Novels
•Whom the Kiskadees Call. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree, 1994.
•Labaria Puraan, Paddy Sheaves Books. Georgetown. 1995.
•The Game of Kassaku. GEICA. New York. 2002.
•The Players of Kasaku. Unpublished.Completed. 2002. New York
•The Drums of Kassaku. Unpublished. Completed. 2002. New York
Poetry
•Glorianna, Self Published. 1976
•The Cleavage. Self Published. 1986
vThe Presence. A Roopnandan Singh Publication. Georgetown. 1997
•The Ritual. Paddy Sheaves Books. New York. 2000
•Lotus in the Mud. Paddy Sheaves Books. 2000
Plays
•Trick and The Rajah. Guyana. 1986
•From Ganges to Demerary. Guyana. 1988.
•Migrant Error. Guyana. 1989.
•I is a Jumbie. Guyana. 1989
•Mad No Hell. Guyana. 1990
•Hello Eldorado. Guyana. 1990
•Disco Dulahin. Guyana. 1990.
•Brooklyn Raani. Guyana. 1990
•From Palos to Guanahani. Guyana. 1991
vThe Ritual, Paddy Sheaves Books. New York. 2000

BOODHOO, I.J. (Isaiah James) Trinidad & Tobago
Between Two Seasons. Harlow, Essex: Longman, 1994.

Camacho-Gingerich,Alina (ed): USA
Coping in America: The Case of Caribbean East Indians. GEICA, New York.2002

Chinapen, Jacob W; Guyana, Guyanese poet
Albion Wilds

Clark, Colin
East Indians in a West Indian Town, San Fernando, Trinidad 1930-1970. Allen and Unwin. London. 1986

DABYDEEN, Cyril Guyana/Canada, poet and novelist since in the seventies; poet laureate at the University of Ottawa
•Poems in Recession. 1972.
•Distances. (Poems) [Vancouver] Fiddlehead Poetry Books, 1977.
•Goatsong. (Poems) Ontario: Mosaic Press/Valley Editions, 1977.
•Heart's Frame. (Poems) 1977.
•This Planet Earth. (Poems) 1979.
•Still Close to the Island. (Poems & Stories) Ottawa: Commoner's Publishing, 1980.
•Elephants Make Good Stepladders. (Poems) Ontario: Third Eye, 1982.
•Islands Lovelier Than a Vision. (Poems) Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1986.
•Glass Forehead. Vesta Publications, 1987.
•A Shapely Fire: Changing the Literary Landscape. Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1988.
•To Monkey Jungle. (Short stories) Ontario: Third Eye, 1988.
•Coastland. (Poems) 1989.
•Dark Swirl. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1989.
•The Wizard Swami. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1989.
•Jogging in Havana. (Short stories) Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1992.
•Sometimes Hard. London: Longman, 1994.
•Born in Amazonia. (Poems) Ontario: Mosaic Press, 1995.
•Berbice Crossing and Other Stories. Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1996.
•Stoning the Wind. (Poems) Toronto: TSAR, ????.
•Black Jesus and Other Stories. Toronto: TSAR, 1996. Inbook, 1997. (Paperback)
•My Brahmin Days and Other Stories. Toronto: TSAR, 2000.
•North of the Equator. Beach Holme Pub. 2001
•DRUMS OF MY FLESH. TSAR Publications. 2005

DABYDEEN, David Guyana, poet and novelist; winner of the Commonwealth Prize for Literature; winner of the Guyana Prize for Literature
•Slave Song. (Poems) Dangaroo Press, 1984.
•Coolie Odyssey. (Poems) Hansib, London. 1988
•Handbook for Teaching Caribbean Literature. Heinemann, 1988.
•A Reader's Guide to West Indian and Black British Literature. Hansib, ???? Dangaroo Press, ????
•The Intended. (Novel) London: Secker & Warberg, 1991.
•Disappearance. London: Secker & Warberg, 1993.
•The Counting House. London: Secker & Warburg, 1996.

DABYDEEN, David and Brinsley SAMAROO (ed.)
Across the Dark Waters. Ethnicity and Indian Identity in the Caribbean. London: Macmillan Caribbean, 1996

DABYDEEN, David and SAMAROO, B. (eds), Guyana & Trinidad
Indian in the Caribbean. Hansib. London. 1987

DABYDEEN, Sally Ramage, Guyana/UK
•UK Steel Industry & International Trade (2004), iUniverse Publishers.
•Civil Liberties in England and Wales (2004), iUniverse Publishers.
•Legal and Regulatory Framework for Business in the UK (2004), iUniverse Publishers.
•An Introduction to Intellectual Property (2004), iUniverse Publishers.

DAS, Mahadai: Guyana, poet since in the seventies

DEODANDAN, Raywat: fiction writer, winner of the guyana prize for literature

DEPOO, T. (Ed): Guyana
The East Indian Diaspora. New York. 1993

DONNELL, Alison
Twentieth-Century Caribbean Literature. Routledge. 2006

DOODNATH, Samuel, Trinidad & Tobago
•From India to Trinidad & Tobago: Asha kidnapped. Self-published. San Fernando, 1987.
•Santiago and Kumar: first love fulfilled. Self-published. Siparia, 1989.

DYAL, Karr, Guyana/America
Sculptures, Paintings and Drawings. 2000

EHRLICH, Allen S.
East Indian cane Workers in Jamaica. PhD Thesis. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor. 1970

ESPINET, Ramabai, Trinidad & Tobago/Canada
The Swinging Bridge. A Novel. Harper/Phyllis Bruce Book. 2003

GIBSON, Kean, Guyana
The Cycle of Racial Oppression in Guyana. Univ. Press of America. 2003

GIRDHARI, Gary: Guyana, writer and poet
•Guyana Journal, since 1996 (editor & publisher). New York
•Education in Guyana with special reference to Science and technology, University of Guyana. 1977
•Reflections: On Politics, Human Conditions and Good Memories, 1998. New York

GIRDHARRY, Arnold R: Guyana/America
1. The Geometry of Marriage in Henry James. Ann Arbour: UMI, 1982.
2. Marriage for Sale: Three One-Act Plays. New York: Geneva Book, 1984.
3. Poetry of Psycho-realism. Notre Dame: Foundations, 1984
4. Country of New England:  A  Collection of Poems. Bristol, IN: Bristol Banner Books, 1991.
5. The Wounds of Naipaul and the Women of India. Acton, MA: Copley, 2003
6. An Anthology of Caribbean Literature. Acton, MA: Copley, 2003
7. Anthology of Caribbean Literature. Second Edition. Acton, MA: Copley, 2006
8. The Indian and Indo-Guyanese Diaspora: A British Default. Acton, MA: Copley, 2006.

GOPAL, Madan M., Guyana
Politics, Race, and Youth in Guyana. Edwin Mellen Press. 1992.

GOPAUL, Nanda, Guyana
Resistance and Change. The Struggle of Guyanese Workers (1961-1991) with Emphasis on the Sugar Industry. 1997.
Inside News Publications Inc., NY.

GOSINE, Mahin: Trinidad & Tobago/America
•East Indians and Black Power in the Caribbean: The Case of Trinidad. Africana Research Press, 1986
•Caribbean East Indians in America: Assimilation, Adaptation and group Experience. New York: Windsor Press. 1990
•The Coolie Connection (Ed). From the Orient to the Occident. (Ed). Windsor Press. 1992
•The East Indian Odyssey: Dilemma of a Migrant People. (Ed). Windsor Press. 1994
•Sojourners to Settlers: Indian Immigrants in the Caribbean and the Americas (with Dhanpaul Narine, eds)

GOSINE, Mahin, MALIK, Dipak and MAHABIR, Kumar: Trinidad & Tobago/America
The Legacy of Indian Indenture: 150 Years of East Indians of Trinidad. 1995. 267 pp. ISBN 0-9689-818-74
This book consists of a wide range of papers on the East Indian presence in Trinidad and to some extant Guyana from a sociological, political, historical and anthropological perspective. The themes include migration, the influence of Madan Mohan Malaviya, Mahatma Gandhi and Cheddi Jagan, Political Pluralism, Hindi, Women Laborers, Indian Culinary Dishes and the Indian use of Marijuana.

GOSINE, V. Ramsamooj: Trinidad & Tobago
The Coming of Lights. Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1992.

GYANCHAN, Rayman: Guyana, poet

HARRIS Wilson

HASSAN, Dolly Z.: Guyana/America
V.S. Naipaul and the West Indies

Hollett, David
Passage from India to El Dorado : Guyana and the Great Migration. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press. December 1999. ISBN: 0838638198

HOSEIN, Clyde: Trinidad & Tobago
The Killing of Nelson John and Other Stories. London, Ontario: London Magazine Editions, 1980

ISHMAEL, Odeen Guyana/America
•Problems of the Transition of Education in the Third World – The case of Guyana, UMI, Ann Arbor. 1990.
•Towards Education Reform in Guyana, New Guyana Co., Georgetown, 1993
•Amerindian Legends of Guyana. Wisconsin: Artex Publishing, 1995.

ITWARU, Arnold: Guyana/Canada
Shanti. London: Peepal Tree Press, 1988.

JAGAN, Cheddi: Guyana
•The West on Trial. Michael Joseph, 1966 et seq
•Forbidden Freedom. Hansib, 1954, 1994
•Race, Class and Nationhood. 1991 (with Moses Nagamootoo)
•The USA in South America. Hansib. 1998. (Edited by David Dabydeen)
•The Caribbean: Whose backyard
•The Caribbean Revolution
•A New Global Human Order. 2001· Harpy. ISBN 0-9684059-2-4

JAGAN, Janet: Guyana
•When Grandpa Cheddi Was a Boy. Leeds: Peepal Tree, 1993.
•Patricia the Baby Manatee and Other Stories. Leeds: Peepal Tree, 1995.

JAGAN-BRANCIER, Nadira: Guyana/Canada
Cheddi Jagan - My Fight For Guyana’s Freedom – with reflections on my father

JAILALL, Peter: Guyana/Canada, a leading Guyanese poet since in the seventies
•This Healing Place and Other Poems. Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc. 1993
•Yet Another Home. Toronto: Natural Heritage/Natural History Inc. 1997
•When September Comes. Natural Heritage. Toronto. 2003

JENKINS, E.J.:
The Coolie: His Rights and Wrongs. London. 1871

KAHALIDEEN, Rosetta: leading Guyanese poet since in the sixties

KALLICHARRAN, Laxhmie: Guyana, poet, writer
Hear the Gungrus Sing. Shraadanjali Pub. 1992

KANHAI, Cyrill: Guyana, leading Guyanese poet since in the fifties.

KANHAI, Rohan: Guyana/UK
Blasting for Runs. London: Souvenir Press, 1966.

KARRAN, Kampta: Guyana, poet, literary critic in the Caribbean

KEMPADOO, Oonya: Guyana
Oonya Kempadoo was born in England of Guyanese parents in 1966. She was brought up in Guyana. She has lived in Europe and various islands of the Caribbean. At the time Buxton Spice was published, she was living in Grenada.
Buxton Spice. London: Phoenix House [1998]. New York: Dutton, 1999.

KEMPADOO, Peter [pseudonym Lauchmonen]: Guyana
•Guiana Boy. Crawley: New Literature (Publishing) Ltd., 1960.
•Old Thom's Harvest. London: Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1965.

KHAN, Ismith: Trinidad & Tobago
•The Jumbie Bird. London: MacGibbon and Kee, 1961. London: Longman, 1974. 1985.
•The Obeah Man. London: Hutchinson, 1964. Toronto: TSAR, 1995.
•The Crucifixion. Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1987.
•A Day in the Country and Other Stories. Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1994.

KHEMRAJ, Harischandra: Guyana, winner of the Guyana prize for Literature
Cosmic Dance. Leeds: Peepal Tree, 1994.

KISSOON, Freddie: Trinidad, playwright since in the sixties

KLASS, Morton: America
•East Indians in Trinidad: A study of cultural persistence. New York: Columbia. 1961
•East Indians in Trinidad. Illinois: Waveland Press. 1988

KUMAR, Kesh: Guyana/Canada
the face that smiles and other poems

LA GUERRE, John Gaffar: Trinidad & Tobago
•Calcutta to Caroni: The East Indians of Trinidad. New York: Longman. 1974
•Basdeo Panday: A Political Biography. 2000. ii +272 pp. ISBN 976-8160-82-9
This study focuses on the early socializing influences on Basdeo Panday, his decision to turn his back on the prospect of an academic career, his plunge into working class politics, and the vicissitudes of his role as a Leader of the Opposition under a Westminster model of government. It also focuses on his various attempts to navigate the ethnic trenches and his ascension to power in 1995 as Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.

LADOO, Harold Sonny: Trinidad & Tobago
Harold Sonny Ladoo was born and brought up in Trinidad & Tobago. He emigrated to Canada where he first published No Pain Like This Body. He died in 1973.
•No Pain Like This Body.
Set in a Hindu community in the eastern Caribbean, No Pain Like This Body describes in vivid, unsentimental prose the life of a poor rice-growing family. Their struggle to cope with illness, a drunken and unpredictable father, and the violence of the elements is set against a sharply drawn village community. (Heinemann blurb)
Toronto: Anansi, 1972.London: Heinemann, 1987.
•Yesterdays. Toronto: Anansi, 1974.

Lawrence, K. O. & K. O. Laurence
A Question of Labour: Indentured Immigration into Trinidad and British Guiana 1875-1917. Palgrave. May 1994.

MAHABIR, Dennis J.: Trinidad & Tobago
The Cutlass is not for Killing. New York: Vantage, 1971.

MAHABIR, Kumar: Trinidad & Tobago
The Still Cry: Personal Account of the East Indians in Trinidad and Tobago during Indentureship (1845-1917). 1985. 191 pp ISBN 0-91166-03-5. Calaloux Publications. Distributed locally by Chakra.
The reports of five, surviving ex-indentured immigrant laborers are recorded verbatim to read like an epic poem. A woman, a Madras emigrant, a Muslim, a Brahmin and a cocoa/rubber estate worker narrate the conditions of life in village India when they left, the trauma of crossing the Kala Pani (Black Water), and the experience of adjusting to a new life among strangers under a driver and overseer on the plantation ranges of the New World.
Medicinal and Edible Plants used by East Indians of Trinidad and Tobago, Chakra Pub. House.1991, 2000. Thin book contains valuable information on sixty-five local plants, each of which is described and given a botanical name. Their medicinal uses include arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, headaches, strokes, impotence, sterility, ulcers and skin infections.
East Indian Women of Trinidad and Tobago: An Annotated Bibliography with Photographs and Ephemera. Chakra Pub. House. 1992. vi + 846 pp. ISBN 976-8012-78-5. This book is lb. first in the Caribbean, which provides information on 236 successful Indian women. 130 carefully chosen photographs, some of which are in color, accompany the 218 annotated references.
Caribbean East Indian Recipes. Chakra. 1992. Reprinted 2001. 129 pp. ISBN 976-8012-75-7
This cookbook represents a comprehensive collection of over 70 traditional vegetarian recipes. They have been handed down by indentured immigrants from India by word-of-mouth and practical example for over four generations. From delightful snacks to dinner-party specials - each recipe has been kitchen-tested and, therefore, meets a high standard of accuracy. Some of the dishes are beautifully illustrated in color to tempt your appetite

MAHABIR, Kumar and MAHABIR, Sita: Trinidad & Tobago
A Dictionary of Caribbean Trinidad Hindi. 1990. Third Impression 44 pp. Chakra Pub. House.
This illustrated dictionary contains more than 1200 Indo/Hindi items, which were in common usage in the plural society of Trinidad and Tobago at the time of collection. The items had entered the Trinidad Creole by the process of cultural diffusion.

MAHARAJ, Ashram B.: Trinidad & Tobago
Indo-Trinidad & Tobagoian Folk Tales in the Oral Tradition. Beucarro, Trinidad & Tobago: Indian Review Committee, 1990.

MAHARAJ, Clement: Trinidad & Tobago, died in 1995
The Dispossessed.
This first novel grew from the world of indentured sugar plantation workers. Arriving from India in 1917, their labor and the labor of future generations made their island rich but left them poor, far from home, and despised by native islanders. From the guaranteed work on the estates, the laborers were forced to move on, to survive in a hostile world not knowing where the next day's bread would come from. This is the story of their lives, their resilience and their ultimate survival. (Publisher's blurb) Oxford: Heinemann, 1992.

MAHARAJ, Devant Parsuram: Trinidad & Tobago, Writer and Author. Social, Religious, Political, and Cultural columnist
Hostile & Recalcitrant: Bhadase Sagan Maharaj. Maha Sabha Publications. 2001. (edited with Ramlakhan, Rajnie and Maharaj, Pundit Bhadase Seetahal.). The Biography and Selected Parliamentary Speeches of the earliest Indian and Hindu Leader in Modern Trinidad & Tobago.
Tulsi Das 500th Anniversary: A review of Sant Tulsi Das and the impact of the Ramayana in Hindu Trinidad.

MAHARAJ, Niala: Guyana/UK
Like Heaven, Random House, UK. 2006. ( www.nialamaharaj.com )

MAHARAJ, Rabindranath: Trinidad & Tobago
The Writer and his Wife and Other Stories. Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1996.
'Interloper" was shortlisted in the Commonwealth Prize for Literature
The Lagahoo's Apprentice. Alfred Kpnoff

MAHESH, Robert: Guyana/America. Author and Poet
A Pilgrimage to the Place of His Birth in Guyana. 1994

MALIK, Yogendra: Trinidad & Tobago
East Indians in Trinidad: A study of minority politics. London and New York: Oxford University Press. 1971

MANGRU, Basdeo: Guyana
•Benevolent Neutrality: Indian Government Policy and Labour Migration to British Guiana 1854-1884. Hansib, 1987.
•Indenture and Abolition: sacrifice and survival on the Guyanese sugar plantations. Toronto: TSAR. 1993
•A History of East Indian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates, 1869-1948. Edwin Mellen Press New York. 1996
•Indians in Guyana: A Concise history… Adams Press, 1999, 2000
•The Elusive El Dorado. Essays on the Indian Experience in Guyana. Univer Press of America. 2005

MANOO-RAHMING, Leewattee: Trinidad & Tobago
Curry Flavor

MANUEL, Peter Lamarche: America
East Indian Music in the West Indies: Tan-Singing, Chutney, and the Making of Indo-Caribbean Culture with CD (Audio). Temple University Press

MISIR, Prem: Guyana/America
•Workers’ Participation in Management: Case of Nationalized Enterprises in Guyana, 2nd Ed. New Delhi, India: reliance Publishing House. 1995
•Leadership Behavior and the Compliance Structure in Education: A Sociological Study of Ideology and Social Change in Guyana. Caribbean Diaspora Press, Inc. 1998
•Ethnic Cleavage and Closure in the Caribbean Diaspora. Caribbean Diaspora Press, Inc

MOHAMED, Nazer: Trinidad & Tobago
The End is Not Yet. Self-published. Curepe, 1985.

MOHAMMED, Sharlow: Trinidad & Tobago
•Apartheid Love. Trinidad & Tobago, 1982.
•Requiem For A Village. Trinidad & Tobago, 1982.
•The Elect. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1992.

MONAR, Rooplall: Guyana, winner of the Guyana Prize for literature
•Backdam People. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1987.
•Janjhat. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1989.
vHigh House and Radio. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1992.
•Estate People. Guyana: Roraima, 1994.

MOORE, Dennison: Trinidad & Tobago
Origins and Development of Racial Ideology In Trinidad: The Black View of the East Indian
1995. Chakra. 880 pp. ISBN 971-8052-26-0
Racism bedevils most societies in the world today. The book explores the Marxist perspective in the Capitalist mode of production and the role of the Church in the development of Racial Ideology in Trinidad. The methodology used provides an example for the study of racial ideology in other countries of the world.

MOOTOO, Shani:
Out on Main Street and Other Stories. Vancouver,B.C.: Press Gang Publishers, 1993.

MOTEELALL, Taij Kumarie: Guyana/America, poet

MUNIRAM, Hemraj: Guyana, fiction writer

NAGAMOOTOO, Moses: Guyana, novelist, poet and journalist
•Hendree's Cure: Scenes from Madrasi Life in a New World. Peepal Tree Press (UK), 2000.
•Anthology of Revolutionary Poems. (Edited) New Guyana Co. Ltd. 1976
•The Three Trials of Arnold Rampersaud: a true story narrative. New Guyana Co. Ltd. 1978
•Race, Class and Nationhood (with Cheddi Jagan). New Guyana Co. Ltd. 1991
•Fraud (a Synopsis of Guyana's 1980 Elections). New Guyana Co. Ltd. 1980
•Paramountcy over the Media in Guyana. New Guyana Co. Ltd. 1992
•The Way Forward - Towards a Political Solution In Guyana. New Guyana Co. Ltd. 1998

NAIDU, Janet A.: Guyana/Canada, poet since in the seventies
•Winged Heart. Greenheart. 1999
•Rainwater. Greenheart. 2005

NAIPAUL, Balkrishna: Trinidad & Tobago/Toronto
•Anc On The Horizo, 501 pages. Xlibris.2002.
•Legends of the Emperor's Ring, 503 pages. Xlibris. 2003.

NAIPAUL, Seepersad: Trinidad & Tobago
Gurudeva and Other Indian Tales. Trinidad & Tobago: Privately printed, 1943. London: André Deutsch, 1976.

NAIPAUL, Shiva: Trinidad & Tobago
•Fireflies. London: André Deutsch, 1970.
•The Chip-Chip Gatherers. London: André Deutsch, 1973.
•Love and Death in a Hot Country. New York: Viking, 1983.
•North of South. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1983.
•Beyond the Dragon's Mouth: Stories and Pieces. 1984
•An Unfinished Journey. London: Hamish Hamilton, 1986.

NAIPAUL, V.S.: Trinidad & Tobago, winner of the Nobel Prize
•The Mystic Masseur.
This is the story of Ganesh Ramsumair's success: of how, if he had not been so unappreciated as a teacher he would never become a masseur; of how, if he had not lacked talent as an ordinary masseur he would never have blossomed into a mystic one. Such a topsy-turvy success story could only have taken place in Trinidad & Tobago. (Heinemann blurb) London: André Deutsch, 1957. London: Hinemann, 1971.
•The Suffrage of Elvira. London: André Deutsch, 1958.
Miguel Street. The author's first book, but third published. A collection of stories. London: André Deutsch, 1959. London: Hinemann, 1974.
•A House for Mr. Biswas. London: André Deutsch, 1961.
•Mr. Stone and the Knights Companion. London: André Deutsch, 1963.
•The Mimic Men. London: André Deutsch, 1967.
•A Flag on the Island. London: André Deutsch, 1967.
•The Loss of El Dorado. 1969
•In a Free State. London: André Deutsch, 1971.
•Guerrillas. London: André Deutsch, 1975.
•A Bend in the River. London: André Deutsch, 1979.
•The Enigma of Arrival. London: André Deutsch, 1987.
•A Way in the World. New York: Vintage Books, 1995.

NANCOO, Stephen E., Robert S. Nancoo and Stephen N. Nancoo: Guyana/Canada
Indo Caribbean Canadians, Who’s Who, Profiles of Achievements. Canadian Educators' Press, 100 City Centre Drive, Box 2094, Mississauga, Ontario Canada, L5B 3C6.

NARAIN, Denise Decaires (Editor): Trinidad & Tobago
Contemporary Caribbean Women's Poetry: Making Style (Routledge Research in Postcolonial Literatures). Library Binding - 272 pages (December 28, 2001). Routledge; ISBN: 0415218128

NARAYAN, Ongkar: Guyana/Canada
Welcome to a New Guyana. Keysha Publishers. Canada.1996

NARINE, Dhanpaul: Guyana/America
Sojourners to Settlers: Indian Immigrants in the Caribbean and the Americas (Ed, with Mahine Gosine)

NARAIN, Harry:
Grass-Root People. Cuba: Casa de las Americas, 1981.

NARINE, Harricharan: Trinidad & Tobago
Days Gone By. Self-published. Mayaro. 1975.

NATH, Dwarka: Guyana
A History of Indians in Guyana. Self-published, London: Nelson. 1950

ORIE, Siddhartha L: Trinidad, travel writer
Guyana: A Tour Guide. Trinidad & New York. 1993

PERSAUD, Harry McD.: Guyana/America
Collection of Short Stories (Amerindians and Travel)

PERSAUD, Joseph S.: Guyana/America
Across Three Continents. An Indo-Guyanese Family Experience. Palm Tree Enterprises Publisher. 2002

PERSAUD, Krishna: Guyana, poet since in the sixties

PERSAUD, Lakshmi: Trinidad & Tobago/UK
•Butterfly in the Wind. Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1990.
•Sastra. Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1993.
•Raise The Lanterns High. Black Amber Book 2004

PERSAUD, Parbattie: Guyana, poet since in the seventies

PERSAUD, Randolph B., Guyana/America
Counter Hegemony and Foreign Policy. State University of New York

PERSAUD, Sasenarine: Guyana/Canada/USA
•Dear Death. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1989.
•The Ghost of Bellows Man. Leeds, Yorkshire: Peepal Tree Press, 1992.
•A Surf of Sparrows' Songs : A Poemanjali. Toronto: Tsar Publications, 1997.
•Canada Geese and Apple Chatney (Stories). Toronto: TSAR, 1998.
•The Hungry Sailor. TSAR Press, Toronto, Canada. 2000.

PERSAUD Thakoor: Guyana
Conflicts Between Multinational Corporations and Less Developed Countries: The Case of Bauxite Mining in the Caribbean With Special Reference to Guyana. Hardcover. June 1980. Ayer Co Pub; ISBN: 0405133782

PREMDAS, Ralph R.: Guyana
Ethnic Conflict & Development: The Case of Guyana

RAMAGE (Dabydeen), Sally: Guyana/UK
An Introduction to Intellectual Property. iUniverse. 2004
Legal and Regulatory Framework: For Business in the UK. iUniverse. 2004
Fraud - The Company Law Background. iUniverse. 2006

RAMESSAR, Marianne S
Survivors of another Crossing: A History of East Indians in Trinidad, 1880-1946. MacMillan, London, 1996

RAMHARACK, Baytoram (ed): Guyana/America
Centenary Celebration of the Arrival of Indians to British GuianaBritish Guiana East Indian Association (BGEIA). Chakra Publishing House. 2001
AGAINST THE GRAIN: Balram Singh Rai and the Politics of Guyana. Chakra Publishing House. 2005

RAMHARACK, Roopram: Guyana/America
Growing up Guyanese. 1994

RAMCHAND Kenneth: Trinidad & Tobago
•An introduction to the study of West Indian literature. 183 pages. Nelson Caribbean; ISBN: 0175660581
•Critical Perspectives on Wilson Harris. Hardcover (June 1986). Passeggiata Press; ISBN: 0914478974
•The West Indian novel and its background. 295 pages. Faber; ISBN: 0571088252; Heinemann; ISBN: 0435986651

RAMDASS, Amy: Guyana/Canada
Goddess Thoughts, Pandora Pub., Ont., Canada. 2005

RAMKEESOON, Peter: Trinidad & Tobago
Sunday Morning Coming Down. Port-of-Spain: Scope Publishing, 1975. Trinidad & Tobago: L.A Toby and Scope, 1991.

RAMNARINE, Devanand: Guyana/Canada/America
•The Political Economy of the US Caribbean Basin Recovery Act (1984). Queen’s university at Kingston: Donor Canadian Foundation •Project on Sovereignty and Security, 1989, 95pp.
•The Politics of the US Congressional Approval Process in the Passage of the Caribbean Basin Initiative. Queen’s university at Kingston: •Donor Canadian Foundation Project on Sovereignty and Security, 1989, 66pp.
•Toward a New beginning: Report of the Four-Level Government Inquiry into the Condition of racial Minorities in Toronto. Co-authored by 8-member committee, 1993. 125pp.

RAMPHAL, John Kuar Persaud: Guyana/USA
V.S. Naipaul's Empty Chapel. Sugarcane Publishing/XLibris. 2003

RAMRAJ, Robert: Guyana/America
GUYANA. Population, Environments, Economic Activities. Printed in the USA. 2003

RAMSARAN, W: Trinidad/Canada
•Novel: THE SURROGATE, published by Vantage Press, Inc. New York 1986. ISBN 0-533-0-6097-4
•Non-fiction: THE WORLD INSIDE, published by the Author 2002. ISBN 09730557-0-07 Printed in Canada by Aditek Design and Printing.
•A book of Poems: A WELLSPRING OF POEMS, published by the Author 2002. ISBN 0-9730557-1-5 Printed in Canada by Aditek Design and Printing.
•Non Fiction: A THOUSAND ARGUMENTS, published by the Author 2002. ISBN 0-9730557-2-3 Printed in Canada by Aditek Design and Printing.
•Novel: EMBRYO CHILD, published by the Author 2003. ISBN 9730557-3-1 Printed in Canada by Aditek Design and Printing.
•Novel: THE SPIRIT OF CHARLIE, published by the Author 2003. ISBN 0-9730557-4-X Printed in Canada by Aditek Design and Printing.
•Novel: DARK WATERS, published by the Author 2004. ISBN 0-9730557-5-8

RAUF, Mohammad A.: Guyana
Indian Village in Guyana: A Study of Cultural Change and Ethnic Identity

RUHOMAN, Peter: (ed) Guyana
Centenary History of the East Indians in British Guiana 1838-1938. East Indian 150th Anniversary Committee. 1988

SADEEK, Sheik: Guyana
•Song of the Sugarcanes. Guyana: Privately printed, 1975.
•The Malali Makers. Guyana: Privately printed, 1979.

SALLUHUDDIN: Guyana/America
•Guyana: The Struggle for Liberation 1945-1992. Guyana. Georgetown, 1994
•Labour at the Crossroads. New Guyana Company. 1992.

SAMAROO, Brinsley et al. (ed.)
In Celebration of 150 years of the Indian Contribution to Trinidad and Tobago. Arima, Trinidad, 1995

SAMPATH Nelson, Emmanuel (ed.)
The Literature of the Indian Diaspora. Greenwood Press, Connecticut. 1992.

SEECHARAN, Clem: Guyana/UK
•Tiger in the Stars: The anatomy of Indian achievement in British Guiana, 1919-1929. London: Macmillan. 1997
•Indian and the Shaping of the Indo-Guyanese Imagination, 1890s-1920s. Leeds: Peepal tree. 1993
•Bechu: 'bound coolie' radical in British Guiana, 1894-1901, with an introductory essay by Basdeo Mangru. University of the West IndiesKingston, Jamaica. 1999.
•Indo-West Indian Cricketers. Hansib. 1988. (with Frank Birbalsingh)
•Joseph Ruhomon's India: The Progress of her people at home and abroad, and how those in British Guiana may improve themselves. (Ed) University of the West Indies Press, Trinidad. 2001
•... Sweetening "Bitter Sugar": Jock Campbell's British Guiana, 1934-1966. (In press).

SELVON, Samuel: Trinidad & Tobago (1924-1994)
•A Brighter Sun. London: Allan Wingate, 1952. Harlow, Essex: Longman, 1985.
•An Island is a World. London: Allan Wingate, 1955. Toronto: TSAR, 1993. London: TSAR, 1994.
•The Lonely Londoners. London: Allan Wingate, 1956. Toronto: TSAR, 1991.
•Ways of Sunlight. London: MacGibbon and Kee, 1957. Harlow, Essex: Longman, 1985.
•Turn Again Tiger. London: MacGibbon and Kee, 1958. London: Heinemann, 1979.
•I Hear Thunder. London: MacGibbon and Kee, 1963.
•The Housing Lark. London: MacGibbon and Kee, 1965.
•A Drink of Water. London: Nelson, 1968.
•The Plains of Caroni. London: MacGibbon and Kee, 1970. Toronto: Williams-Wallace Publishers, 1985.
•Those Who Eat the Cascadura. London: Davis-Poynter, 1972. Toronto: TSAR, 1990.
•Moses Ascending. The second of Selvon's novels about West Indians in Britain, this is the entertaining sequel to The Lonely Londoners. (Heinemann blurb) London: Davis-Poynter, 1975. London: Heinemann, 1984.
•Moses Migrating. London: Longman, 1983. Essex: Longman Drumbeat, 1983.
[Washington, DC] Three Continents Press [1992]. (Hardcover and trade paperback). Includes a new preface by the author.
•Highway in the Sun. (Plays) ????.
•Eldorado West One. (Plays) Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1988.
•Foreday Morning: Selected Prose (1946-1986). [Essex] Longman [1989].

SHARMA, PD: Guyana

SHEWCHARAN, Narmala: Guyana
Tomorrow is Another Day. Leeds: Peepal Tree, 1994.

SIEWAH, Samaroo (ed): Trinidad & Tobago
Lotus and the Dagger: The Capildeo Speeches (1957-1994). Foreword by Dr John La Guerre
1994. Chakra. 800 pp. ISBN 970-8186-20-0
This volume carries 45 speeches of Simbhoonath Capildeo, Dr Rudranath Capildeo, former Members of Parliament and Senator Surendranath Capildeo. Interviews with contemporaries of the Capildeo complement the volume. It is illustrated with an elaborate appendix.

SIEWAH, Samaroo and ARJOONSINGH, Sattie (Eds): Trinidad & Tobago
Basdeo Panday: The Making of a Prime Minister. Selected Speeches (1976-1996)
Foreword by Daurius Figueira. Introduction by Dennis Brown. 1996. Chakra. 700 pp.
The compilation on Mr. Panday covers the period 1976-1995 as Parliamentary Opposition Leader and 1996 – as Prime Minister. Among the themes included are Politics in a Multi-Ethnic Democracy, Regional and International Relations, Multiculturalism sad the Mass Media.

SIEWAH Samaroo and MOONILAL Roodal (Eds): Trinidad & Tobago
Basdeo Panday: An Enigma Answered. A First Volume of Speeches. Foreword by Dr. John La Guerre.
1991. Second Impression. Chakra. 560 pp. ISBN 976-8001-78-I
This volume contains 58 speeches spanning the period 1966-~991. It is classified under themes such as Economies, Constitutionalism, Caribbean Integration, Ideological Pluralism, Race Relations, Trade Unionism and Politics. Photographs and cartoons as well as newspaper clipping accompany the text.

SIEWAH, Samaroo and RAMPERSAD-NARINESINGH, Indira (Eds): Trinidad & Tobago
Basdeo Panday: Man in the Middle. A Second Volume of Speeches. Foreword by Dr. Dennison Moore, Queen’s University, Canada. 1996. Chakra. 980 pp. ISBN 976-8102-83-8
Thin companion volume contains 62 speeches form 1972-1995. Some of the themes include Youth and Women, Mass Media1 Caribbean Heroes and Heroines, Education, Economies, Law and Society.

SILVERMAN, Marilyn
Rich People and Rice: Factional politics in rural Guyana. Lieden: Brill. 1980

SINGH, Chaitram: Guyana
Guyana: Politics in a Plantation Society (Politics in Latin America). Hardcover. 1988. 175 pages. Praeger Pub Text; ISBN: 0275929892

SINGH, Dharanjit: Trinidad & Tobago/America
Secrets of the Universe. New York. 1997

SINGH, Hari P.: Trinidad & Tobago
The Indian Struggle for Justice and Equality against Black Racism in Trinidad & Tobago; 1956-1962. Trinidad: Indian Review Press. 1993

SINGH I J Bahadur (ed.)
Indians in the Caribbean. Sterling Publishers, Delhi. 1987. 424 pages. Apt Books, Incorporated. 1987.

SINGH, Jagdish R.: Guyana/Canada
Earthly Tribulations. PublishAmerica. Baltimore. 2003
Pandora’s Heartaches. 2005

SINGH, Karna: Guyana, writer and poet

SINGH, Karna and STEPHANIES, George
"The Feast and Festivities of Mother Kali."

SINGH Paul: Guyana
Guyana: socialism in a plural society

SINGH, Kit Puran: Trinidad & Tobago
Saraswatee: A Novel of India. Seattle: Madrona Publishers, 1982.

SINGH, Naresh: Guyana/America
Sustainable Livelihoods. Kumarian Press, 2001. (with Kristin Helmore)

SINGH, Pritha: Guyana, writer, playwright and poet
“Fireflies” (a collection of poems)
Woman of the Mahabharat. 2000. 2001. New York

SINGH, Rajkumarie: Guyana, leading Guyanese poet since in the fifties.

SINGH, Ronald: Guyana/America
Fragrance of a Desert Rose: A Book of Poems. International Development Consultants. 1997

SINGH, Roopnandan: Guyana
•The Thorn in the Rose. 1994
•Eve. 1995
•Sky Dance. 1997
•Roll Play. 1998
•Shadow in the Dark. 2000
•Eternal Quest. 2000

SINGH, Seopaul: Guyana, writer and poet
Changing Moods. Collection of poems. (In press). 2002

SIRJU, Mohan: Trinidad & Tobago
So Let It Be. Toronto: Dovann Publishing Company, 1972.

SOHAL, HARINDER S.:
The East Indian Indentureship System in Jamaica, 1845-1917. PhD Dissertation. University of Waterloo, Canada. 1980

SOOKDEO, Neil A.: Trinidad & Tobago
Freedom, Festivals and Caste in Trinidad after Slavery: A Society in Transition. 2001. 346 pp. ISBN 1-4010-1768-1
Published by Xlibris Corporation, USA. Distributed locally by Chakra.
This book is about slavery, free labor and racism; it is also about racism. The chapters include information about the journey aboard the “coolie” ships from India, Trinidad in the nineteenth century, immigration and the demands of the plantation economy, education in the colony, colonial elites, Carnival, and the 1884 Hosay/ Muharram riots.

SOOKDEO, Sandra: Trinidad & Tobago
Indian Dance for the Caribbean. Foreword by Dr Kenneth Vidia Parmesad .1994. Chakra. 150 pp. ISBN 976-8104-68-8
This book explores the origin of dance and traces its movement and development in the Caribbean during indentureship (1845-1917). The relevance of the dance form in a Caribbean setting is discussed as well as a step-by-step approach.

SUKHDEO, Gokarran: Guyana, poet, novelist; winner of the Guyana Prize for Literature
•The Silver Lining. 1998. New York
•Poems of Love and Liberty. 1998

TENNASSEE, Paul: Guyana/America
•Guyana: A Nation in Ruins. GRRS, Toronto. 1982. 101pp.
•Caribbean Workers Struggle for Real democracy. FLACPO, Guarenas, Venezuela. 1987. Co-authored. 180pp.
•Guyana: A Nation-State too Young to Die. CARISFORM, Curacao, NA. 1987. 62pp.
•Caribbean Integration & The Labour Movement, Part I & Part II. CARISFORM, Curacao, NA. Co-authored. 1988. 140pp.
•Guyana: A Case for Free & Fair Elections. CARICARE Meeting. ISDG, Trinidad. 1989 (Booklet 24pp)
•The DLM: Origin-Diagnosis-Ideology-Objective-Structure-Programme. DLM Publications. Guyana. 1989 (Booklet 35pp)
•DLM and the Guyana of Tomorrow: Free & Fair Elections Now: Towards a New Guyana. ISDG, Trinidad. 1990 (Booklet 36pp)
•State Capitalism and Ideological Opportunism. Bauxite & Sugar Workers Struggle (1970-1980). CARISFORM, Curacao, NA. 1989. 110pp.
•Europe and its Impact on Caribbean & Latin American Working Class – Part I & Part II. Co-authored. 1992. 200pp.
•Perspectiva sobre la Integracion en el Caribe y America Latina, publicado en el documento sobre 1er Ecuentro Latino Americano de •Trabajadores, Republica Dominicana. Noviembre 1992. (Co-authored, booklet 50pp)

THAKUR, P.S.: Guyana/America
Guyana: Political and Social Satire. Cowhood, Inc., Canada. 1987

TINKER, Hugh:
A New System of Slavery: The Export of Indian Labor Overseas 1838-1920. London: Oxford Press, 1974
Separate and unequal: India and the Indians in the British Commomwealth, 1920-1950. London: C. Hurst, 1976

TIWARI, Bri. Maya: Guyana/America
The Path of Practice: A Woman’s Book of Healing with Food, Breath and Sound. Ballantine, 2000

VERTOVEC, Steven
Hindu Trinidad. London, 1992.

VIDYAHANAND, George: Guyana, poet since in the seventies

WOOD, D.: England
Trinidad in Transition. The Years after Slavery. Oxford. 1968 Accountants: Martins Press. Press. 2001. 273pp. (1838-1938). By The Press,

 

 

Poems  by Indo-St. Lucian poet and novelist McDonald Dixon 

 

COLUMBUS AGAIN

McDonald Dixon

For Derek and Roddy. Happy Birthday.

The sea speaks, regurgitates her
past, the curve of an oaken spar,
bitten by sea-ants, weathering
like the tongue of a boot, recklessly
flung by waves, beating seaweed
on a sandlocked beach, where the sun
pours contempt, from its barrels of heat.
Caulking those voices, screaming from
the bowels of the sea, to be heard
from their sargasso bed; not browning
with almond leaves after five hundred
years, mocking the tides as she speaks.

A diver skims the blue, paddling
with dolphin ease. A shark measures
his rhythm then departs. Whirlpools,
opaque metacarpals of the deep,
swirl, enveloping his dark feet.

Five hundred years, flesh grinding flesh
in its mill, rooted to bowels
alive in Earth, chewing their bits
spat from the top of mountaintops.
Drizzling their ash on valleys green
with a feverish melody,
strummed by wind and rain on box
guitars from the hills, when evenings
call for the brown bark acajou,
chiselled to shape the Cibonae's
hermetic shape.

Love is the fever, burnishing
the wood: Heaven is a gap through
the teeth of leaves. When the wind blows,
the curve of a woman, smoothen
by riverstones, excites a brave.
Her body's musk, like corn wine,
soothes the swelling around his lips.

Five hundred years, buried in shale;
horse dung, fossilized. The carrion
of an age nurses the navel
of vines, where the iguana breeds.
Great names, the verdigris of cities,
are buried here: Tolum; Tikal;
Palenque; Cozumel; Mayapan.
Wrapped in their jaguar shields, star shells,
their rulers rest, waiting their "tzab"
to dawn, bring resurrection.

They breathe, through the mahogany's
roots that burst their hearts, cracking
the stone pith which held a noble
race securely in its place. Light,
like the first dawn, streaks on a choir
of Mayan virgins, lamenting defeat.

A sea captain follows his stars.
Starboard, the rush of the waves remind
him of gondoliers, from a timeless
city, fixed to its polestar—North.
Somewhere in the dark, mapmakers
create their shapes on parchment. Light
iridescent; its spectrum glows,
stuttering to eclipse the night.
The whine of the sea flares into
a tidal rage—rebuking king and country.

Timber shrieks, chewed in the wild
Atlantic's jaws. Sextant and compass
fix their stars to horizons,
speaking the language of lilacs,
amber, and that crimson color—
blood. The sky drained of Titian's
pewter turns gentian blue. Smiles
to a canvas aired for its dose
of paint: The quincentennial
courtship with this alluring light,
begins.

On the breath of dawn, dying in
its own light, the baying of hounds
arouse another shore. The East that
was West drifts through a telescope
into view. Time-imprisoned cities
rock like caravels, bolted to
landlocked shores, blinking at their own
indigenous stars. On deck, his mind
fixed on a forest in Castille,
for a name to Christianize this place—
El Morro heaves in his heart.

Light races across the water,
like a flame carried by runners
through the streets of Athens.
Its sparks ignite our separate
seas. Living and dead are anchored
in these bays, that still hear the clink
from chains: A vague lilting language,
louder than whispers, clamoring to be heard.
The surf rolls her messages in liturgies
of tense. On bronzed sheets—the almond
leaf. Memory is a withered flower,
whose dreams of beauty fade with age.

Christopher Colon, a name
cast in bronze, stuck like a medal
on a chest of stone. His limestone
likeness permanently fixed in place,
surveys the ocean with a grin.
His blue eyes following the sun,
reflect the color of gold. Time
measures in carats; light flakes his
face. Ambidextrous hands follow
each other's movements with a twist,
known only to bowels, immune
to cramps in a dingy cabin
where rats speak out of turn

Oh dead sea captain! Viceroy!
Spain! you held me in your compass
of light, in all the holy names
of God. With a sweep from your pen
you claimed us: Islands whose names already
graced the Cibonaes' unwritten maps:
Five hundred years, your spirit raves
in a wind from the sea; gold capped,
in the toothless grin of the dis-
possessed. This claim cannot exorcise
the monstrous lie, engrained
in the seams of our history books.

Five hundred years, the old flute rests
rusting under its carapace
of sand. The wind distorts old tunes
imprisoned in its notes.
Silence, more deafening than surf
shatters a vase; noiseless, like dreams
embracing reality Recoils
like the hand of a child on hot red
coal stuttering to repeat your name.
Absence of the past is absentminded
history. A grandfather' s name eludes
my palate. From this catechism
caught in the pants below my knees,
I measure speech. My hands create
its shape. Islands, iridescent
like stars, the spectrum where dust takes
flight—I'm a fish caught in its net
of deceit.

To dream of Columbus, seasick
for a sheet of sand three thousand
miles away—like winter cramps, it crawls
under a tide of clothes. Cigarettes
burn without heat, filtered at both
ends. Cold, the blood of white planter's
son, colors skin. Ashtrayed with time,
together, they glow Blue, complexion
of cold; color of the eye's stone
stare that never spoke to me, except
through a Taino's marbled tongue—
The woman left bearing his curse.

The earth that was pregnant with yams,
The jungle that was green, iguana
green, with sunlight slicing through vine,
to coddle dirt, where seed took root
and sprang, yawns like a tired womb.
Nothing grows again in these bays
that have grown seasick from the heave
of feet and cries through this voice to
seaweed and urchin, entangled
in their hair. Conscience is alive,
but will not poke the dead. Horizons!
Bend your blue, to usher a sail
through straits of light.



Copyright © by McDonald Dixon

RELUCTANT TRAVELER

McDonald Dixon


Strapped to my economy seat
aboard a jet liner, twenty
seven thousand feet above
Guanahani, nearing the Keys—
I forgot Islands—it's autumn,
the skaters in Rockefeller
Plaza are filing patterns in
the ice. November's lights farming
billboards along Broadway, harvest
"Phantom" the play of the year,
"Miss Saigon," "Chorus Line," and good
old "Forty Second Street." Wherever
I find tickets, I'll book a seat.

After a brief stop in Miami
declimatizing, in leather
jacket, blue denims, LA Gear,
jetting to Gallagher s to recharge
on a porterhouse steak and a round
with the boys—one night on the town
is all I need. I cannot live here.
Nursing my plastic coffee
and a bagel that feels like my nose,
homesick, I remember warmth
and the flight of this lonely blackbird home.



Copyright © by McDonald Dixon

 

THE PILGRIM BAND

McDonald Dixon


They jog, barefooted, inching towards
the city, from hills where dawn latches
to the leaf. Sunlight, its bracelet
of gold shakes hands with dew The grass,
yellow petals seeding in her hair,
lists as the wind flies past. Seeds
of Cibonae; Taino; Carib;
Hausa; Aradas and Mandingo.

Fragile like the dragon-fly's wings,
soar with the wind to other shores.
Fixed on film, the image does not stick—
A latent haze obscures the face.
Where nothing comes to mind—nothing
is a man.

To know the pain that cities bring
to minds daydreaming of islands
strapped to their crude confessionals
in these cathedrals by the sea,
is to be blessed with the blight of place.
Immune to the dust of change tangling
like rosary beads around their feet.
These thoughts numb minds, but cannot trap
the heart.



Copyright © by McDonald Dixon

Source: http://www.thecarib beanwriter. com/contributors /mcdonalddixon. html

 

 

Other works by McDonald Dixon

 

Season of Mist

The Wake

Roseau---The Forgotten Village

Season of History

 

 

Shiva Naipaul

Trinidad   (1945 - 1985)
(Brother of V S Naipaul)

 

 

 

About Shiva Naipaul

Shiva Naipaul was born in 1945 in Port of Spain, Trinidad. He was educated at Queen's Royal College and St Mary's College in Trinidad and at University College, Oxford. He married in 1967 and had one son. His books include Fireflies (1970), which won the Jock Campbell New Statesman Award, the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize and the Winifred Holtby Prize; North of South (1978), the story of his remarkable journey through Africa; Black and White (1980); A Hot Country (1983); and Beyond the Dragon's Mouth: Stories and Pieces (1984). Many of these are published in Penguin Twentieth-Century Classics, as well as A Man of Mystery and Other Stories (1995), a selection of stories taken from Beyond the Dragon's Mouth. Shiva Naipaul died in 1985 aged only forty; David Holloway in the Daily Telegraph wrote, 'We have lost one of the most talented and wide-ranging writers of his generation.'

 

Novels

Fireflies (1970)
The Chip Chip Gatherers (1973)
Black and White (1980)
A Hot Country (1983)
Love and Death in a Hot Country (1984)
An Unfinished Journey (1986)

 

Collections

Beyond the Dragon's Mouth: Stories And Pieces (1984)
A Man of Mystery and Other Stories (1995)

 

Non fiction

North of South: An African Journey (1978)
Journey to Nowhere: A New World Tragedy (1981)

 

Awards

Whitbread Prize Best Novel winner (1973) : The Chip Chip Gatherers

 

 

This document is a duplicate of the Supplemental magazine from the Sunday Gleaner dated May 21, 2005.

 

In commemoration of 160^th arrival of Indians in Jamaica.

 

Table of Contents

1. Messages (i) Governor General – Sir Howard Cooke

          (ii) Prime Minister – P.J. Patterson

                               (iii) Leader of the Opposition – Bruce Golding

                               (iv) High Commissioner of India – K.L. Agrawal

                               (v) Chairperson of NCICJ –Mrs. Beryl Wiliams-Singh

 

          2. National Council for Indian Culture 

              “Preserving, promoting our culture”

 

          3. Prema Satsangh of Jamaica

              “Fostering the practice of Hinduism”

 

4.     Sanatan Dharma Mandir

“The Centre of much Indian activities”

 

5.     The East Indian Progressive Society

 

6.     Club India

“The social arm of the Indian Community”

 

7.     Indian Cultural Society in Jamaica

 

8.     Hindi Club of Jamaica

 

9.     The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University

“Open to everyone”

 

10. Popular Indian Festivals in Jamaica

 

PROFILES

      

11.Enid Made Bennett C.D. “A distinguished politican”

12. Henry William Jaghai “A son of the soil”

13. Winston Gulabrai Tolan “Promoting Indian Culture”

14. Pandit Ramadhar Maragh “His passion is his culture”

15. Ivan Alexander Blake “The nucleus of the Indian Community  

16. Indian dancing and its survival

17. The Contribution of Indians to Agriculture in Jamaica

18. Prema Satsangh Medical Clinic “Fulfilling a social need”

19. Indian Involvement in Sports

20. Indian Music

21. Irresistible Curry - recipes

          20. Mahatma Gandhi “Father of the Indian Nation”

 GOVERNOR-GENERAL’S MESSAGE

“A Major Milestone”

 

I welcome this opportunity to extend best wishes to citizens of Indian descent as you celebrate the 160th anniversary of the arrival of the first Indians to Jamaica. You are an integral part of our country and we wish you every happiness and abundant love on this special occasion. This is a major milestone, all will agree, and we join you in giving thanks to God for His blessings over this period.

 

We cannot deny that during your journey there have been problems and difficulties but your successes and achievements have been many. I would also like to offer special commendations to you for your tireless efforts to preserve, promote and share your exciting culture with other persons.

 

It is the commingling of those who came from different parts of the world that has made us into the unique people we are today. On behalf of our nation, I extend thanks to our Indian brothers and sisters for the part they have played in building this great country.

 

As you celebrate this milestone, I ask that you continue to pray for our country and its development and that you help us to establish a new vision and design a new purpose that will take us forward in these challenging times.

 

 

 

Howard Cooke

Governor-General

 

 

 

King’s House

Jamaica W. I.

2005 April 29

 

 

 

OFFICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER

 

MESSAGE FROM

THE MOST HON. P. J. PATTERSON ON, PC, QC, MP

PRIME MINISTER OF JAMAICA

“An Important Part of Modern Jamaica.

 

 

          I am pleased to send greetings to members of the Indian Community as you celebrate 160 years since the arrival of your forebears in Jamaica.

 

          People of Indian decent are an important part of modern Jamaican society. Indeed, Indians continue to make seminal contribution to national development as did their ancestors who arrived here in 1845. While their contribution in the area of commerce is well known, Indians have positively impacted the nation in other areas including health, agriculture, academia and politics.

 

          A remarkable feature of people of Indian ancestry has been the ability to retain an authentic Indian culture even as you blend with the local society. Through the expression of your culture and customs, the Indian community in Jamaica has contributed to the fashioning of a new and dynamic Jamaican cultural identity. This has truly made Jamaica “Out of Many, One People.”

 

          We recognise that the development of our society will involve inputs from people of different culture, race and religion and accept that this globalised world credence must be given to all persons to achieve their full potential and make their contribution to national development regardless of gender, race, culture or religion.

 

          I commend you for your contribution to the Jamaican society and wish the National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica every success in its celebrations.

 

 

 

 

P. J. Patterson

PRIME MINISTER

 

LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

Adding “Flavour” to our Jamaican Way of Life

 

 

I extend congratulations to the National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica, as it celebrates the 160^th anniversary of the arrival of Indians to our island. The Indian community has become an integral part of our Jamaican society and has contributed significantly in the areas of business, commerce and tourism. It has brought such diversity in ethnicity and culture and added a unique ‘flavour’ to our Jamaican way of life, which has given credence to our motto ‘Out of Many, One People’

As Jamaica celebrates this milestone with you, we hope to learn more about the Indian Culture and embrace its wonderful uniqueness. I wish for you every success in the activities planned to commemorate this milestone.

 

 

 

BRUCE GOLDING

Leader of the Opposition

 

INDIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER’s MESSAGE

“Contributing to the Progress and Development”

                              

I extend my warm greetings and best wishes to people of Jamaica and members of the National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica for celebrations of the 160^th Anniversary of the arrival of Indians in this beautiful island of Jamaica.

It gives a wonderful feeling that the people of Indian origin, whose ancestors arrived in Jamaica as indentured workers, are occupying positions at high pedestals in the Jamaican society, and having integrated so well into the mainstream are contributing to the progress and development of their adopted land while still maintaining their distinct cultural identity by retaining their umbilical links with the rich cultural heritage of their motherland.

 

Through periodic cultural activities, the National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica has been effectively showcasing the time-tested values of the social, cultural and spiritual lifestyles in India. I compliment all the office bearers of the council for their efforts and contributions towards the good cause and take this opportunity to convey my best wishes to the people of Jamaica. I hope and wish that through these celebrations the cultural bond and friendly relations between the people of India and Jamaica will be further strengthened.

 

 

 

THE CHAIRPERSON”s MESSAGE

“Keeping the Culture Alive”

 

 

As we commemorate the 160^th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Jamaica, we, their descendants, must first give thanks to the Almighty for the rich culture which is our legacy - a legacy which gives us choices.

 

Our foreparents did not have many choices but, despite this and the many difficulties they encountered, they did what they had to do and at the end, whether or not they amassed material wealth, they retained some, if not all their culture.  This they passed on to succeeding generations who, blessed with the value systems of this rich legacy to which they lay claim, have taken their place in all fields of endeavour and have been making significant contribution to the development of our beautiful island.

 

It is with much pride, therefore, that on this historic occasion, and on behalf of the National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica, I congratulate those who have been working assiduously to keep the culture alive for the next generation.

 

I wish also to thank all our sponsors and all who have been working behind the scene to make the events for the160th anniversary successful.

 

 

Beryl Williams-Singh, CD., (Mrs.)

Chairperson.

May 12, 2005.

 

 

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR INDIAN CULTURE IN JAMAICA

“Preserving, Promoting Our Culture”

 

The National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica was founded on March 1, 1998, as the umbrella organisation of Indian associations in Jamaica to preserve and promote Indian Culture by working together. Initially it was mainly due to the vision and efforts of Lyle Nathan, Dr. Sitaram Poddar, Mahadev Dukharan, Barbara Persaud and Lloyd Persaud.

Soon on their call, representatives of many Indian organisations met at the inaugural meeting at Club India premises on March 1, 1998 and established the Council to promote cultural activities in the country and enlighten people about the contribution of Indians, Indian heritage and culture in the development of Jamaica. The various organisations which formed the Council are (1) Prema Satsangh of Jamaica, (2) Indo-Jamaican Cultural Society, (3) Club India, (4) Indian Cultural Society, (5) Sanatan Dharma Society, (6) Friends of Indian community and (7) Ananda Marga Society and representatives of several parishes: namely Manchester, Westmoreland, St. Catherine and St. Ann. Brahma Kumari Raj Yoga Centre in Jamaica became affiliated later.

 

MEMBERSHIP IS FREE

The patron of the Council since its inception has been His Excellency Sir Howard Cooke, ON, GCMG, GSVO, CD. The incumbent High Commissioner for India to Jamaica is vested as Honorary Member.

Membership is free. Persons or groups interested in the aims and objectives of the Council may be invited by the Executive Committee to become members of the Council.

With reference to activities, out of the many, the most important ones are -

·       I Indian Heritage celebrations in May:

(1) On May 10, the Indian Heritage Day i.e. the day of the arrival of Indians in Jamaica, this year being the 160^th anniversary, a PRAYER SERVICE is held in which people of all faiths do prayer for peace, progress and prosperity.

(2) Annual Awards Banquet and Cultural Entertainment is held around that time to honour persons in the community who have made significant contribution to the promotion of Indian culture, education, religion and community service, among others. Awards are being given since 2001.

(3) A Family Fun Day is also held during May. The venue has been Chedwin Park in St. Catherine. This attracts Jamaicans of Indian descent from all across the island and is also very popular among Jamaicans generally. It is a day of socialising and rejoicing with family and friends.

·        On the occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights, a DIWALI MELA (Indian Food Fair and Bazaar) is held in October/November in association with the High Commission of India. The Mela has become very popular in the Corporate Area.

·       As a registered non-profit organisation, the Council has, over the years, been giving financial assistance to needy children for educational purposes, making financial contributions to charitable institutions, also to Relief Funds in times of disaster. For this, fund-raising functions are held. Recently, a ROTI FESTIVAL, the first ever in Jamaica, was held. From the proceeds, contributions were made to (1) the Tsunami Relief Fund, (2) the Guyana Flood Relief Fund and (3) the Council's educational fund to help needy children.

·       Last year on September 30, 2004, the Council, with the help of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust and the High Commission of India, was able to get a bust of Mahatma Gandhi installed at the Park of World Heroes, 2 Tom Redcam Drive, Kingston.

The Council continues its efforts to bring harmony and unity amongst diverse groups of people to fulfill our national motto "Out Of Many One People".

 

THE END

 

 

PREMA SATSANGH OF JAMAICA

“Fostering the practice of Hinduism”

 

 

Prema Satsangh of Jamaica held its first Satsangh (Religious Service), on 12^th November, 1972 at the Williams’ residence on Guava Road in the Kingston 11 area, and since then much development has taken place.  The Organization fosters the practice of Hinduism which is “A way of Life”, with Cultural, Social and Spiritual disciplines.

 

In the early years Satsanghs were held at members homes on Sunday Mornings, but as the membership grew the need for a centre became necessary, and in 1982 Mr. Henry Jaghai offered Prema the use of his property at 10 Henderson Avenue for its activities which also facilitates the Free Medical Clinic, held on the first Sunday of each month and which has been in operation for over 25 years.

 

The Organization celebrates all major Hindu festivals – Phagwah, Diwali, Raam Nowmi, Shivraatri, Shri Krishna Janamashtmi, Raksha Bandhan and Navraatri and our Bhajans (Devotional Chants) are available with English transliteration and meaning for all to understand. Religious leaders are invited from time to time to give discourses on the Holy Books such as the Bhagwad Gita and the Ramayan.

 

Prema Satsangh offers help to the needy in the Waltham Park and surrounding areas.  A Seedha (food package) is distributed twice per month to 30 individuals and this is funded by members and friends through pledges.  Since its inception a Christmas Treat is held every year catering to over 400 children and adults – again with the help of members and friends as well as business establishments.  Donations come from as far as England to help us with our projects.  Assistance is also given to members of the Community in times of distress such as funeral expenses and disasters as with the last hurricane when a sum of $100,000.00 was distributed to help with the repairs as well as food for those who were affected.

 

Culturally Prema has tried to preserve what was brought by our forefathers and in 1993 a Summer Workshop was started to pass on the legacy to the young ones.  Volunteers come from New York under the leadership of Dr. Tara Singh to teach  religion, dance, music, singing and drama to over 50 youths for one week in the month of July and again funding is sought from the community for this project.  Prema youths have been dancing at weddings, parties and Cultural events all over the Island as well as excelling academically.

 

The aims of promoting our Religion and Culture as well as sharing with others and developing ourselves have all been very fulfilling.  We can truly say that we are thankful for the past, enjoying the present and hopeful for the future.

 

As we celebrate 160 years of Indian presence in Jamaica we feel truly proud that as an Organization we have members who have made an impact on the development of this our Island in the sun.

 

 

 

SANATAN DHARMA MANDIR

“The Centre of much Indian Activities”

 

The SDM Organisation in Jamaica was founded 1968 at 48 Spanish Town Road, Kingston, the centre of much Indian activities at that time, and during a visit by Swami Jyotir Mayananda and Swami Lalitananda who were in Jamaica on a spiritual mission.   Most of their discourses were centered around the Cockburn Gardens community at the home of Mr. Wilfred Ramgulam Calu and his wife, Clarice.

 

A lot of land was later acquired  but Satsanghs continued to be held  at homes in and around Cockburn Gardens area.    A number of persons gave much support  for the project which was completed in October 1974 and opened at a  Diwali celebration with much splendour and excitement.

 

A number of persons managed the operations of the Temple from time to time.  However, the activities of the Temple declined somewhat due to the emigration of many of the people of Indian descent from this area.

 

Efforts were made in the early 1990’s to refurbish what had remained of the Temple with a view to restoring some order and normality.

 

Efforts were made in the early 1990’s to refurbish what had remained of the Temple with a view to restoring some order and normality.

 

Satsangh is conducted every Sunday from10.00 a.m. to noon

Weddings are also conducted, upon request, for persons who wish to be married under Hindu rites.

 

 

 

                                                ***********************

 

THE EAST INDIAN PROGRESSIVE SOCIETY

 

 

East Indian had been arriving in Jamaica from India for almost a century before the East Indian Progressive Society was founded in 1940.

 

The formation of this new association was made necessary by the many burdens and liabilities that rested on the shoulders of those who had migrated from India under the indentured system and their descendants.

 

From its inception the East Indian Progressive Society was very active. Among its main areas of focus were the Revision and Repeal of the Indentured Immigrant Law, Land Settlement and Repatriation, Poor Relief and Medical Facilities, Cremation and Marriage Laws, Education, Sports, and jobs.

 

Committees were created by the young organization to deal with each of these subjects and branches were established in St. Thomas, Portland, St. Mary, St. Catherine, Clarendon and Westmoreland to support the present organization in Kingston in its work.

 

The Society laboured assiduously in these areas for many years and among the far-reaching successes it achieved was the recognition of Hindu and Muslim marriages, also retroactively, thus making a large number of children of such marriages legitimate overnight.

 

Also Jamaicans of Indian descent were taken off the very small Indian quota and placed on the much larger Jamaican quota for the recruitment of farm workers to the United States thus creating new job opportunities for a large number of Indians in Jamaica.

 

The Society helped to form the Cremation Society of Jamaica to agitate for the recognition of cremation as a means of disposal of the dead, a method long used by Hindus for thousands of years. Today cremation is available in Jamaica for anyone who wishes to avail himself of this facility.

 

The Society was the first organized effort to bring sporting activities to the community, and for many years assisted in providing educational and agricultural opportunities to many, especially the poor. Scholarships were provided and the Society allowed its headquarters at Bethune Avenue to be used as a school for young people. Land was subdivided in St. Andrew to allow Indians to do their farming of domestic crops and so make living for themselves.

 

By the late 1970, the Society had achieved all of its realizable goals and with many of its founder members having passed on its activities slowed down.  Thereafter it maintained some semblance of activity by giving a monthly dole to the poor. Eventually, even this activity was not enough to sustain what had once been a strong and vibrant organization and the Society was formally wound up in 1978.  The funds remaining in the organization were used to continue the programme of monthly dole until they were exhausted.

Today many new Indian organizations have been launched to provide cultural, religious, and entertainment activities for the Indian community and their friends, and it is interesting to note the participation of young people in these groups.

 

Indians in Jamaica today enjoy equal rights and opportunity with all other citizens of Jamaica, and it would be fair to attribute a large part of this success to the East Indian Progressive Society and the pioneering spirit of its early members. 

 

  

 

CLUB  INDIA

“The Social Arm of the Indian Community”

 

Club India, a membership club, is the social arm of the Indian community in Kingston.

It was founded in 1956 by Mr. S.P. Gupta and is presently housed at 38 Lady Musgrave Road, Kingston which, incidentally, was owned by Marcus Garvey our late National Hero. A plaque on the building and sign on the property known as Somali Court bears witness to his residence. This building is a national Monument.

 

The property is also used by various entities as it is considered community property that is run by an elected body. Community meetings and social events, including the teaching of Hindi on weekends are generally held here.

 

The club operates a kitchen, which provides Indian cuisine. Our delectable vegetable/chicken samosas and rotis are our speciality. The Club hosts happy hour on Friday evenings where Indian hors d’oeuvres are served complimented with background Indian music. The club offers indoor sporting facilities for badminton.

 

As we are committed in preserving Indian Culture in Jamaica, the club’s aim and objectives are:

 

• To provide social and recreational facilities for its members;
• To afford members facilities for meeting one another and entertaining
• To foster co-operation among the members and with the community.
• To encourage the intellectual pursuits and cultural advancement  of

            members and of the Indian Community in general.

 

 

INDIAN CULTURAL SOCIETY IN JAMAICA

 

This year marks 23 years of continuous activities for this vibrant and friendly Society, it having been founded on March 28, 1982 by a small group of enthusiastic expatriate Indians determined to maintain the cultural heritage of those ancestors who first landed on May 10, 1845, at Old Harbour in Jamaica.

 

The primary objective of the Society is to promote cultural, social and educational facilities among all Jamaicans and to propagate these principles within the length and breadth of Jamaica to all those who display an interest in learning something of Eastern Philosophy. 

 

Every year the Society celebrates the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, October 2, with the children at the National Children’s Home. They are given a thorough medical check-up by the medical personnel of the society, they are feted with goodies and are usually presented with items for use at the School, including basic food items.

 

The Society celebrates the many festivals of India such as Holi, Diwali and some of those on the Hindu calendar.

 

 
 

 

 

 

HINDI CLUB OF JAMAICA

Hindi Club of Jamaica was founded by Dr. Sitaram Poddar and his wife Dr. Damayanti Poddar on January 28, 2004, that date being the International Sitaram Poddar Day as a World Biographee, to promote Hindi and to develop fellowship between the people of Jamaica and India.

Dr. Sitaram Poddar has been teaching Hindi voluntarily and promoting Indian culture and fellowship, besides carrying out his duty as a lecturer in Anatomy at UWI, Mona (now retired). Dr. Poddar is appointed as an honorary Hindi teacher by the Government of India on the recommendation of the High commission of India in Jamaica.

Since 1991, Dr. Poddar has been teaching Hindi at Club India. Classes are held every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Hundreds of students from various fields - International relations, Linguistic, Tourism, Custom and Immigration, Journalism, Air Services etc. and of Indian and Indo-Jamaican cultural background have benefited from the programme.

The Hindi Club is formed to encourage use of Hindi to develop fellowship and cultural exchanges between the people of two countries.

On the occasion of the 1^st anniversary of the Club, a Hindi book titled "Talk in Hindi (Hindi mein baat keejiye)" written by Dr. Sitaram Poddar was launched. The book is written in both the English and Hindi scripts. It is aimed at encouraging use of Hindi in conversation. The book should also be useful for visitors to India. Hindi Club members meet on the first Saturday/Sunday of each month from 11 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

Dr. S. Poddar IOM

President, Hindi Club of Jamaica

 

 

BRAHMA KUMARIS WORLD SPIRITUAL UNIVERSITY

16 Leaders Avenue, Montego Bay Phone: (876) 979-5261  (876) 971-8197 Fax: (876) 952-1743 E-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

JAMAICA

 

62 Paddington Terrace Kingston 6

Phone: (876) 978-6171

Fax: (876) 946-9303

E-mail: kingston@bkwsu.com

 

“Open to Everyone”

 

The Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University was established in Sindh Hyderabad (now in Pakistan) in 1937. The first Centre was opened in Jamaica in 1986. At present there are two Centres, one in Kingston and the other in Montego Bay with service also being done in Ocho Rios. Outreach programs have been done in Spanish Town, Glengoffe in St. Catherine and in other communities. Courses offered include, Positive Thinking, Self Management Leadership, the Four Faces of Women and Introductory Course to Raja Yoga Meditation. The courses are offered free of charge, voluntary contribution accepted. The Introductory Course gives detail understanding on aspects of spirituality such as one’s true spiritual identity, the awareness of God, the Source of Spiritual Power, how to forge a relationship with God, understanding the Laws of Karma and how they affect one’s life, incorporation of Raja Yoga into a busy lifestyle and imbibing Social, Moral and Spiritual Values in life for one’s inner development.

 

The Brahma Kumaris is open to everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, sect, age or religion. It offers an opportunity to learn meditation and deepen their understanding of universal principles and innate values through a variety of courses, educational resources and learning resources. The institution provides a caring, co-operative and supportive environment, which encourages individuals to bring out the best in themselves.

 

Above all the Institution emphasises the benefits of moral and spiritual approaches to life, enabling people to develop attitudes and behaviours which stem from shared core values such as Purity, Love, Happiness, Peace, Bliss, Spiritual Powers and Virtues, and their understanding.

 

            Popular Indian Festivals in Jamaica

 

Indian festivals are many. Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists all celebrate their festivals. The indentured workers who came to Jamaica from India 160 years ago, were mostly Hindus. A small percentage (1.5%) was that of Muslims. Generations of Indians have been carrying on the tradition by practicing cultural activities and celebrating festivals. Of the many festivals, three are described here which are quite popular.

 

DIWALI, the festival of lights

 

Diwali is one of the most important and colourful of the Indian festivals and is celebrated enthusiastically by Indians all over the world. Diwali or Deepawali means rows of lights signifying removal of darkness.

 

Diwali falls on the fifteenth day, called Amawasya, of the Hindu calendar month Kartik (corresponding to October/November). It is the darkest day of the month. The celebration traditionally takes place for five days - two days before (Dhanteras and Chaturdasi) and two days after (Annakoot and Bhaiyadooj) the Diwali Day.

 

Hindu mythology explains that on the Diwali day the divine Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth, appeared out of the churning of the ocean by the Devas (Gods) and the Asuras (Demons). The occasion is also associated with the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya having defeated the rakshas Ravana in battle. A common understanding of the celebration is the triumph of light over darkness translated to mean the success of good over evil.

 

Diwali also marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of the winter. For Hindu businessmen, it marks the beginning of the new financial year.

 

Preparations for the festival start months before the event. People start by repairing damages to their houses, cleaning, painting, redecorating and new furnishing. On the 13^l day of Kartik month, known as Dhanteras, people buy new clothes, jewellery and household items. On the 14^th day, Chaturdasi or Chhoti Diwali or Pre-Diwali Day, people work hard to remove all impurities and ills from the atmosphere. In the evening, they worship Yama, the Lord of Time and Death, by offering one lighted Diya. On the Diwali Day, the whole atmosphere is filled with purity and newness, gay and splendour.

 

In the night all homes, streets and business places are decorated with twinkling diyas (or by small electric bulbs). A variety of sweets (ladoo, burfi, golab jamun, phulauri and many more) are made. Devotees do fasting on Diwali Day. In the evening, they do Lakshmi puja (worship and prayer) with family and friends. Business people start new account books. After puja, they exchange greetings. Youngsters touch the feet of seniors to get their blessings. Sweets are distributed. Sweets signify all that is good - good luck, prosperity and happiness.

 

Community celebrations add pomp and grandeur with music, singing and dancing. At many places cultural shows and dinners are organised.

 

Next day of Diwali is Annakoot Day. Hindu families prepare 56 kinds of Indian dishes, all vegetarian. After offering to God, the food, called Prasadam, is served to families and friends and also to under-privileged in the community.

 

The second day is Bhaiyadooj. It is a special day for brothers and sisters when they wish for longevity and prosperity. The bond between brothers and sisters is renewed and strengthened

 

The festival is observed not only by Hindus but by people of all faiths, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Christians, Buddhists and others and is considered a time for communal gatherings and spiritual enlightenment.

 

The rich culture and spirit of Diwali has survived political, economic and social vicissitudes and barriers while carrying the universal symbolism of the triumph of light, goodness, knowledge and truth.

HOLI, the festival of colours

 

Holi or Holika, popularly known as Phagwa in this part of the world, is celebrated on the last day (Purnima) of the Hindu month of Phalgun. There are many claims as to the origin and celebration of Holi.

·           It is celebrated as 'Thanksgiving' to mark the "cropover" of the bounteous harvests at the end of winter and beginning of spring.

·            It also marks the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Phalgun is the last month of Hindu calendar.

·           Another popular belief is the destruction of the demon king Hiranyakashyapu and the protection of his godly son Prahalad through divine power. The event signifies the triumph of good over evil and is celebrated by the lighting of bonfires (Holikadahan).

Holika was the sister of Hiranyakashyapu and it is said that she had the boon that she would not burn by fire. So she took Prahalad in her lap and sat on the fire to kill Prahalad. But due to divine intervention, the opposite happened - Holika was burnt to ashes and Prahalad survived.

 

Celebrations start several days before Holi day. People throw water (until drenched) or powder (Abeer) on each other. Spray guns are used to spray the liquid and the powder is applied by hands or sprinkled from bottles or cans. There is great fun and merriment and some revellers visit as many places as possible before midnight. The celebration is glorified by chowtal singing, rhythmic clapping and devotional dancing. The celebration reaches the climax on Holi day. In the night they have the bonfire of Holika. They go around the bonfire three to seven times singing and dancing and also throwing woods in the fire to keep it burning. After the ritual, there is sharing and eating of sweets.

 

The beauty of Holi is to colour each other with the feeling of good wishes and to remember that we all are equal and the children of the same supreme father (God). Many families use this event to mend strained relationship and live in harmony. Holi means to burn away the evils and re-establish a new world filled with divine virtues and happiness.

 

HUSSAI

 

Hussai is a Muslim festival and is essentially a part of Muharram. It is not a festival of celebration but is an occasion of mourning. It is in remembrance of Imam Hussain Ali and his followers who died in the battle of Karbala.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PROFILES

ENID MAUDE BENNETT C.D.  

“A Distinguished Politician”

A distinguished Politician and a Trustee of the Jamaica Labour Party since 1978.  She attended the Linstead Primary School and St. Helen’s Commercial School in Linstead.  Became Parish Councillor for St. Catherine in 1966. Miss Bennett swept the polls in two constituencies in St Catherine when she contested successfully in seven consecutive General Elections, resulting in her serving as Member of Parliament for thirty years between 1967 and 1997.  During the period 1980 to 1984, she was Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government and during 1984 to 1988, Minister of State in the Ministry of Social Security.  Subsequently, she acted as Minister of Social Security June 1988 to end of 1989.

 

In 1978 she was elected a Deputy Leader of the Jamaica Labour Party, a post she held until 1997 when she retired from representational politics.

 

As a member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, she visited several foreign countries including India and Sri Lanka.  Miss Bennett is a recipient of several awards including Commander of Distinction; Bureau of Women’s Affairs; Jamaica Political Caucus; Women of Great Esteem (New York, U.S.A.); Ambassador for Peace and Inter-religions International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP).

 

 

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HENRY WILLIAM JAGHAI

                                               

                                                  “A Son of the Soil”

 

Entrepreneur, Community leader, East Indian cultural promoter and racehorse breeder are just a few words to describe Henry William Jaghai J.P.  This son of the soil, a product of Tivoli Gardens (his birthplace), rose from the ranks of poverty to assert his place among those of other successful Jamaicans.

 

High ambitions, hard work and a strong self discipline paved the way for Henry, a mechanic by profession, to start his own auto parts business, Jaghai’s Garage  in 1968. By applying his visionary and leadership skills. Henry worked relentlessly in building his business to become one of the leading garages and suppliers of BMC (British Made Cars) spare parts, in the 1960’s to the 1990’s.

 

Henry has always maintained a link with the motherland, India from where his ancestors came, through his numerous contributions to the preservation of Indian culture in Jamaica.  He was one of the founding members and financier of the Sanatan Dharma Mandir on Hagley Park Road, the first ever Hindu temple in Jamaica. In 1978 he was instrumental in forming another East Indian organization, the Jamaican Hindu Culture Society.  He donated his premises at 10 Henderson Road to the Prema Satsangh Mandir in 1984 to operate a Hindu temple as well as a free medical clinic for the community. 

 

His love for Indian culture embraced many aspects. In 1995 he was one of the main organizers of the 150th celebration of the  landing of East Indians in Jamaica.  He managed, captained and financed the All-Indian Cricket team, which toured Trinidad and Guyana in 1973.

      Between 1978-1990 he hosted several traditional Indian festivals such as Pagwah,  and Diwali at his Bombay Stud Farm, Bushy Park. He has promoted numerous Indian stage shows featuring musicians and singers from Trinidad and Guyana. In 1994 he spearheaded a cultural tour- sponsored by UNESCO- to Suriname and Trinidad where he acted as stage manager and organizer for all the participating artistes. Henry has produced eight LP records of Indian folk music utilizing local talents as well as artistes from India, U.S.A., Canada, Trinidad and Guyana. His involvement in music and dance prompted him to form his own East Indian folk dancing troupe, “Jaghai’s”.  One of Henry’s greatest achievements was the conceptualization of an idea to fruition, with the 1999 launching of the book he produced, “Home Away From Home: 150 Years of Indian Presence in Jamaica, 1845-1995”, a historical journey about the East Indians who came to Jamaica.

 

Henry has stood true to the Jamaican motto, “Out of Many, One People”, as he has extended his helping hand to all in need, regardless of race. For his outstanding involvement and contribution to the community, Henry Jaghai was bestowed with the title of Justice of the Peace, a duty he executed so well that in 2002, he received the prestigious Golden Scale award for being the most outstanding JP in the county of Surrey.

 

He has also performed outstandingly in the sporting arena, of the “Sport of Kings”, horse racing.  The passion for horse racing transformed him from a mere racing observer to owner and eventually, breeder.  He ties in his love for horse racing with the love for his culture, in the naming of his horses, some of the more prominent ones being Lady Geeta and Sir Mohandas Baba.  His Bombay Stud Farm has made an indelible mark in the industry as he holds the undisputed title of “Champion Breeder” for the past eight years.  In 1994 he copped the prestigious “None Such Award” for outstanding contribution to horse racing and was again publicly acclaimed in 2003 when he was inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame.    

 

Henry William Jaghai J.P., a true Jamaican, has exemplified himself through his outstanding contribution to his country. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WINSTON GULABRAI TOLAN

                                      “Promoting Indian Culture”

 

Winston Gulabrai Tolan attended Greenwich Primary School, Kingston College and the University of the West Indies.  He went to India in 1977, on an ICCR scholarship, where he attended S.M.S. Medical School in Jaipur, Rajasthan returning in 1983.

Dr. Tolan has been employed to the Mandeville Public Hospital since 1983 and as Senior Casualty officer, is in charge of the Casualty, Accident and Emergency department for over 10 years. At the inaugural “All-Island Hospital Worker of the Year” award (Med) sponsored by the Ministry of Health he was awarded runner-up. He has also been selected “Employee of the Year” by his peers at this Hospital.

Dr. Tolan, has been, and continues to be, actively involved in the promotion of Indian culture.  He was one of the founding members of Prema Satsangh in 1972 and served as President for over 10 years.

HINDUISM

He is involved in both the religious and the cultural aspects of Hinduism.  He is also involved in singing and is one of Jamaica’s leading vocalist of Indian Music. Dr. Tolan was instrumental in the founding of the Prema Youth Organisation (PYO).  PYO participated in sports and cultural activities and also organized extra classes for children in the community.  Prema Sangeet Orchestra and the Prema Samaj Troupe were formed through his efforts and they performed at stage shows in Kingston and Clarendon.

Dr. Tolan has not forgotten the days, when he used to travel with Dadiraam on a bicycle, with the harmonium on the handle, to various homes for Satsangh, and how his three-man band of Dadiraam, Phillip and himself used to travel on minibus outside of Kingston to play at various functions, carrying the Dholak (drum), Harmonium and Dantaal with them.

 

After his return from India, Dr Tolan picked up where he left off in his involvement with Prema Satsangh and other cultural activities.  Prema Satsangh started a free medical clinic and he was one of the first doctors working at the clinic.

Despite his responsibilities as a Medical Doctor, he continues to be actively involved in the culture today.  He is the host of Indian Talent on Parade on Power 106, a programme for which listenership is not confined to Jamaica but reaches out to the world via the internet.  He promotes Indian music through the Naya Zamana Orchestra. He has been one of the major organizers and promoter of the annual celebrations held at Chedwin Park. His participation in Holi (phagwah) and Diwali Mela in Jamaica ensures the continued celebration of these festivals locally.

 

In 1988, Dr. Tolan  lead a team of  East Indians from Jamaica to the “ Fourth Conference on East Indians in the Diaspora” held in New York

   

He has been a regular performer at Diwali Nagar in Trinidad for the last four years which attracts an audience in excess of 30,000 persons. He travels to Miami regularly to participate in various Festivals as well as perform at other cultural functions.

Dr. Tolan is a strong believer that through hard work, discipline and humility one will achieve one’s goal in life.

 

 

 

                                  PANDIT RAMADHAR MARAGH

“His Passion Is His Culture”

 

Pandit Ramadhar Maragh  (Docky) was born on December 25, 1926. His father, Sewkumar Maragh (Immigrant from Basti) married Enid (an Indo- Jamaican) and had seven sons and one daughter.   Ramadhar attended Ebenezer School and St. Simon’s College.  In 1942 he married Gangadai Maragh and the union produced six sons and six daughters.

 

‘Docky’ as he is popularly known, is fluent in speaking, reading and writing Hindi.   He began his training as a Hindu priest under the tutelage of his father from his early childhood.   In his early years he was employed in various fields including managing the Queen’s and Majestic Theatres on the Spanish Town Road.  He assisted his father part-time performing priestly duties, and after his father’s death, he became a full time priest which duties took him across the length and breadth of Jamaica.   He was appointed a Hindu Marriage Officer in 1969. As the only recognized Hindu priest in the Island since 1982, Panditji has been performing his duties with devotion and humility. In recent times his services are often required by Jamaicans who reside overseas.

 

Panditji has a passion for his cultural heritage and for many years has organized parades, floats and other activities for Hindu festivals.   He has also been very involved with national events e.g. Jamaican Independence Day Float parade, and has done yeoman social service for the community of Denham Town where he lived for the greater part of his life.

 

Panditji’s wife pre-deceased him in 1969 and one son over three years ago.         

      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MR. IVAN ALEXANDER BLAKE

“The Nucleus of the Indian Community”

 

Born on January 5, 1915, he grew up in Smith Village, now known as Denham Town.

He attended Smith Village Elementary School and was forced to delay his ‘schooling’ in order to help his mother and younger brother.   Mr. Blake recommenced studies by private tuition and wrote the Junior Cambridge Examinations. Later, while employed at the Jamaica Government Railway, he pursued  evening studies at the Kingston Technical School where he obtained certification as Fellow of the Institute of  Banking (F.I.B.).

 

Mr. Blake worked at the Jamaica Government Railway in a clerical capacity from

1931 to 1948 making rapid strides into managerial positions.  He then resigned to start his own business – ASIA VARIETY STORE. -  Spanish Town Road.  He closed this business when the environment started deteriorating due to crime and other circumstances, and moved to New Kingston where he established Apex Traders Ltd..   This he closed when he retired in 1999.

 

A founding member of the East Indian Progressive Society in April 1940, Mr. Blake was its first Secretary and served that organization continuously for its lifetime.   Through this body he made significant and tremendous contribution to the community in particular to the development and uplifting of the less privileged Indians.  He was the nucleus of the Indian community.  He served as President, E.I.P.S. on three occasions and several times as Secretary and Treasurer.

 

Achievements:

 

• Organised and collected funds for building Cultural Community Centre at No. 3 Bethune Avenue, Kingston 13.   This was opened in 1945 and named ‘Varma Hall’ in honour of the Founder of the Society, Dr, J.L. Varma.

 

• Financed the modification of the Centre for use as a school and saw to its subsidy by the E.I.P.S.  

 

• Organized funds and managed a 10-acre property (with a well and pumps for

      water) on Penwood Road, Kingston 13, on which displaced East Indians were          

      settled (on easy payment terms) to grow vegetables for a living,  during  the period of World War !!.

 

• Was responsible for selecting suitable East Indians for Farm Labour in the

USA during World War II after the USA approved the request.  No East Indians were allowed before.

 

• Organised the cultivation of crops during the war and was the Founder President of the first Rice Growers Associationm

 

 

INDIAN DANCING AND ITS SURVIVAL IN JAMAICA

                         

Indian dance has always held a special place in the memory of people who have some interest in Indian culture.   It is also appreciated by persons of other ethnic groups – often mesmerized by the movements of the eyes, the hands and the bells on the dancers’ feet, not to mention the beauty of the dancers.

 

There are too, the folk dances, which are very popular among some sectors of the Society, that are indicative of the areas from which the indentured labourers came. For a very long time the culture was sustained by this type of dance, which in most cases, was performed by men.

 

For those whose focus was on classical and semi-classical, they had to be satisfied with the infrequent performances which came our way, sponsored by some of the Indian organizations.   Slowly but surely this situation improved, by virtue of the increased awareness of the culture, increased educational opportunities, increased exposure

due to technological advances, and training.  We can now boast of having persons who can give a good account of themselves in this area.

 

TEACHING METHODS

Most of our dancers are from the age group 3 to 21 years.   The majority are self-taught, by use of Videos, DVD, Movies and also by Internet facility, and they do mostly ‘filmy’ dances.   Some of them had limited training, supervised by Camille Nathan; and over the past 4 years at the one-week Summer Training Camp organized by the Prema Satsangh Group.  They provide entertainment for the Council, their organizations and others, and on occasions for official functions of Government or the Diplomatic Service.

 

Currently in Jamaica there are three dance groups which are active.  They are listed below:

 

“PREMA” dance group – this consists of young adults, aged 17-21 years, some of whom are students of the University of the West Indies.

 

“GALLOW GROUP”- consists of three cousins, two in fourth and fifth forms and one who is expected to start High School in September of this year,

 

“RATNAVALI” (means a bunch of gems) dance group – consists of six members, their dance names being “angel”, “flower”, “maddy”, “star”, “diva”, and “princess”. Their age range is from 11-13.

 

TRAINING

Some of their training is done with the “Anjali’s School of Contemporary and Classical Dance” which opened its doors some three years ago. The school currently consists of 22 girls aged 5 to 30 years and 4 boys.  They too perform for activities of the Council and on other occasions.

 

It is important to note that the interests of these young people are not only confined to their Indian culture, but they are involved in many other activities such as synchronized swimming, badminton, hockey, piano playing, poetry writing and ballet dancing.

Their performance on an academic level exceeds, by far, regular standards.  This latter trait is of significant pride to their parents and the Council.

THE CONTRIBUTION OF INDIANS TO AGRICULTURE

 

India is a land where agriculture is very important to the survival of the economy. Feeding its large population demands efficient and high producing farming techniques. So, it was only logical, that after the abolishment of slavery, and the coming of emancipation, that the Caribbean region would look to countries where farming was a natural and essential part of the functions of its people, people who had expertise in the cultivation of sugarcane, the crop that was the mainstay of the Caribbean economy. In celebration of the 160^th anniversary of the arrival of the East Indians, it is imperative that we highlight the significant Indian contribution to agriculture.

Most of the following material is extracted from Home Away from Home: 150 Years of Indian Experience in Jamaica, 1845-1995, by Laxmi and Ajai Mansingh, Ian Randle Publishers, 1999. The book was the brainchild of Henry Jaghai and is dedicated to the indentured Indian workers (1845-1917) and their descendants in Jamaica.

 

The contribution of Indians to Jamaican agriculture is widely recognised. They not only brought new skills for the cultivation of traditional crops (24) but many of the over 75 plants of Indian origin which came directly or indirectly from India to Jamaica, can be attributed to the indentured workers. Verene Shepherd has noted that tobacco, flower and vegetable farming used to be mainly in the hands of the Indians Furthermore, the Indians introduced channel irrigation system, which was hitherto unknown to the planters

 

Sugarcane cultivation. The indentured workers were sought by the Carib­bean planters because the yield of sugarcane in India was very high and the quality of sugar produced was much superior. Indeed, the high quality of their work, which presumably involved delicate agronomic practices, was recog­nized by Jamaican planters and recorded by Protector of Immigrants.

 

Banana cultivation. When banana was introduced into Jamaica in 1872, many Indian workers were moved to banana farming because of their familiarity with the plant. By 1892, their assistance had enabled banana plantations to become a significant factor in the Jamaican economy and today, it is a mainstay of most small farmers in the island

 

Rice cultivation. Rice has been the staple crop of most Indians from time in memorium.

In Jamaica, attempts by planters since 1707 were unsuccessful due to techni­cal difficulties.  The Falmouth Post of 1848 reported an unsuccessful experi­ment by General Herard (exiled Haitian president) to grow rice in St Thomas-in-the-Vale. It was left to the Indian indentured workers, with skills of cultivating paddy, thrashing it and hulling it in their home-made dhenkis to start large scale cultivation of the crop in Jamaican swamps in the 1860s. Their success encouraged the importation, in 1874, of 3.5 bushels of paddy seeds from India for distribution among the Indian farmers. The Protector of Immigrants in his 1883 report wrote, ‘the cultivation of rice by time-expired immigrants has now attained considerable importance

 

In fact, the Indians rented the otherwise useless swamps from the land lords and cultivated their own rice which provided them a sense of security insofar as the supply of a staple food grain was concerned. They fished in swamps and caught or shot ducks for adding free protein diet to their menu. Gradually, the Afro-Jamaicans entered the field and adopted the Indian technology. The transfer of technology to Afro-Jamaicans was complete with Hindi terminology such as herd (seedlings), chitkai (dispersal of seeds), lagwai (transplanting), nirai (weeding), sichai (irrigation), katai (cutting/ harvesting), kharyan (threshing ground), gobar lipai (plastering with cow dung) of kharyan, patkai (thrashing), usai (winnowing), dhan (paddy) and payyal (stem trash). Amazingly, just like their Indian counterparts, these farmers slept at the kharyan on khatia to do rakhwali (guarding) of their harvest. In fact, the authors relaxed on their khatia while gathering this information .

 

Shepherd has written an excellent account of the growth of the rice industry in Jamaica during the first half of the twentieth century. There were 138 registered rice farmers in Jamaica in 1911. Still, rice was imported, and in 1926, 93% of imported rice came from India. By 1935, over two thousand acres of rice were cultivated by the Indo-Jamaicans, of which, 645 acres were in Westmorland, 344 in St Mary and 300 in St Catherine. Over 308 Indians with more than one acre of land cultivated rice in 1943 in St Catherine alone. By now, Afro-Jamaicans contributed 30% to the total rice produced in the island. The Jamaica Agricultural Society and the East Indian Progressive Society assisted in the formation of the Central Rice Growers Association, which increased the acreage in 1950 to 5,400. During the second half of the last century, rice production in the island has declined enormously.

Though rice cultivation requires dirtying hands and feet in the mud, many Indians still love the experience. Some of those who have braved the conditions since the 1930s are Ali Baccas, Harold Bajue, Bulus Barker, William Bedasee, Joe Binda, Cecil Brass, Kenneth Brass, P. Charoo, Chedisingh, Alfred Chetram, Norman Chutkan, John Dookie, Myrtle Dukharan, Aston Fray, William Garieve, Comal Hill, Mohammed Khan, John Lalla, Alvin Maragh, Simeon Maragh, Roy Paharsingh, Margaret Persard, W. Salbie, G. Suckie and Stedman Tater.

 

Horticulture and Floriculture. The tradition of vegetarianism and the use of flowers in daily Hindu prayers had made the Indians experts in vegetable and flower cultivation. From provision lands on the plantations to purchased or rented lands in Indian settlements, market-gardening was a healthy full- or part-time occupation of many Indians. The niche was left vacant for the Indians, as consumption of vegetables was not popular among Afro-Jamaicans. Indians dominated market gardening from the 1870s to 1950s, particularly in the corporate area.

Verene Shepherd discovered that Indian gardeners apparently pio­neered floriculture in Jamaica over 100 years ago. In the 1890s, all of the flowers and decorations needed for weddings and other occasions were supplied by the ‘Coolies’ “as this is their specialty and they certainly make excellent gardeners.” Indeed, there is hardly any Indian home in Jamaica, where genda (marigold) is not planted. An interesting aspect of Indian horticulture had been organic farming - without the use of pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Different vegetables were grown in parallel beds which apparently acted as 'companion crops' to deter insect pests. Cabbage, spinach, okra, tomato, beans, onions and garden egg were grown together. Alternatively, tobacco was grown with other vegetables. Fur­rows were made in a way that conserved rain and irrigation water. Compost and night soil, manual weeding and mulching provided nutrients and conserved water.

Since their agricultural skills brought the Indians to Jamaica, most of them felt comfortable in choosing farming as their post indentureship occupation. Many of the the indentured Indian settlers were given lands, which they cultivated successfully while the enterprising among them acquired more land by strategic planning and diligence.

Most of the Indians moved into the belt where sugarcane, bananas and coconuts were predominant. To a much lesser extent, a few were involved on a small scale in te production of cocoa, citrus, orchard and root crops, vegetables, coffee and cattle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PREMA SATSANGH MEDICAL CLINIC

“Fulfilling a Social Need in the Community.”

 

Purpose & Origin:

 

Prema found the necessity of not only talking love at their meetings, but felt the urgent need of sharing this love and kindness by doing some social work amongst their members and friends in the nearby area.  The Clinic seeks to provide as comfortably as possible whatever expertise it has in the area of Medical help, and Social and Preventive Medicine.

 

The first Free Medical Clinic was held at the residence of Mr. Michael Brown on Mahoe Drive, moved to Mr. Sidney’s Bepat’s residence at Grass Quit Glade in the Kingston 11 area now at 10 Henderson Avenue where it has been operating since 1982 through the kindness of Mr. Henry Jaghai who offered us the use of his property for our activities.  Initially Dr. Hame Persaud was the sole doctor for the clinic but as time went by and the patient load grew help was solicited from doctors in the community.  Medical students from the University of the West Indies also offered their services to the clinic.  The clinic is held on the first Sunday of each month from 9:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M.

 

Who benefits:

 

Members of the Community suffering with illnesses such as Hypertension, Diabetes, Heart Failure, Arthritis, Asthma, Peptic Ulcer, Peptic Ulcer and Gastritis as well as those with coughs, colds, worms and malnutrition.  Patients are given a ‘pep’ talk on healthy living at the beginning of each clinic, and between 50 and 80 patients are seen on each clinic day.  The patients come from all walks of life ranging in ages from birth to 100 years.  Difficult cases are referred to the University Hospital or the Kingston Public Hospital for follow-up treatment. 

 

Assistance: 

 

Over the years donations have come from various Organizations and Individuals to help in the running of the clinic.  U.S.A.I.D. started the ball rolling with a donation of US$5,000 to refurbish the building to accommodate three doctors as well as a waiting and reception area.  Mr. Henry Jaghai has also built a shed to seat those patients who are not able to fit in the original waiting area.  Items such as examining couches, filing cabinet, scale and blood pressure equipment have come from members and well wishers of Prema.  The Pharmaceutical Society of Jamaica through its members have been providing samples of regular medications at each clinic.  This helps to ease the burden of the cost of the medications to the patients.  The pharmaceutical companies also take turns in providing a snack for the patients at the clinic.

Dental Clinic:

 

To further improve our service to the Community, the idea of a Dental Clinic was thought of, and in 2004 the Colgate Dental van was added to the services offered by the clinic.  The Dental Clinic team is headed by Dr. Syed Hussain and funding for one year has been granted by the United Way of Jamaica.  About thirty patients are seen per session and services offered are cleaning, extraction and advice on good dental health.

 

Prema Satsangh is proud to play its part in offering these services to the Community and thank those who have made it possible.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDIAN INVOLVEMENT IN SPORTS

 

Compared to Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, not many East Indians came to Jamaica. As a result there are fewer, much fewer, descendants of East Indians in Jamaica than there are in both Guyana and Trinidad, and because of that, the Indian presence in the history of Jamaican sport is not as strong as it is in those countries. Over the years, however, Indians have been involved in a number of sports at all levels. They have been involved as players and/or administrators, and a number of them have contributed to the greatness of Jamaican sport – particularly in cricket, football, table tennis and golf.

In cricket, for example, there was Bob Maragh, Lloyd Williams, Len Chambers, Rex Suckoo, Lex Mutra and Lascelles Collesso. In football, there was Derrick Dennicer; in table tennis, there were Leo Davis and Ingrid Mangatal; and in golf, there was Biah Maragh.

 

THE SPIN TWINS

 

Maragh represented Boys’ Town and Jamaica, and as a left arm spin bowler, he was second in the country only to the great Alfred Valentine – the smiling Jamaican who, along with Sonny Ramadhin, an Indian from Trinidad and Tobago, formed the spin twins that bowled the West Indies to their famous victory over England in 1950. Williams, Chambers and Suckoo also represented Jamaica. Mutra represented Jamaica Colts. Collesso was a leading senior cup player while representing Kensington, and apart from his involvement as a player, Chambers also served Jamaica’s cricket as a board member, as a manager of the youth team, and as a selector of both the youth and senior teams.

Another Jamaican Indian who served cricket with distinction is Dolly Bacchus-a former long time president of the St. Catherine Cricket Club and member of the Jamaica Cricket Board, and still another is Ruddy Williams-former captain of Melbourne and currently chairman of the national selection committee.

Dennicer, known as the ‘Little Indian’ while moving through the midfield, was an outstanding schoolboy footballer and a good national player.

Leo Davis, for many years, one of the top Jamaican table tennis players, was a colourful, attacking player, and a member of the Jamaican team that dominated the Caribbean Championships, the singles champion of Jamaica, and singles champion of the Caribbean.

Ingrid Mangatal, a left hander who is now a judge in the high court, represented Jamaica many times and was the women’s singles champion of Jamaica on more than one occasion, including 1980 when she won the junior and senior titles and the women doubles.

 

Star of the Jamaica team 

Maragh, better known as “Biah” was a tremendous golfer. He also represented Jamaica many times, in shooting 284 and leading the team to victory, he was the star of the Jamaica team that won the Caribbean Amateur Championship at Tryall in 1989, and with a round of 62, he holds the course record at Tryall.

 

For many years now, Maragh has been, as he was during the years of Johnny Walker World Championship of Golf, the course superintendent at Tryall.

On top of those, Shane Matthews and Michael Siva represented Jamaica at chess, Roy Paul Jr., Kristal Karjohn and Vishnu Seixas represented Jamaica at badminton. Vishu Tolan is the president of the Badminton Association, and his son, Vijay, is one of the country’s most promising young players.

There is also Henry Jaghai-a father figure, for many years the man behind the Indian participation in cricket competitions around the city and still one of the most important people in the horseracing industry. For those who do not remember, the all Indian team won the Hamilton Cup in 1944, the Carib Cup in 1950, the Masterton Cup in 1961 and 1966, and the Rankine Cup in 1966 and 1978.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INDIAN MUSIC

 

The East Indian immigrants to Jamaica brought with them a rich cultural heritage. The music form prevalent in the region of their origin in India (Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar) was the most popular then.

Termed today as traditional folk or dinner yard music, it essentially consisted of the musician(s) and singer(s). The songs revolved around events and festivities suc as Holi or Phagwah, Pujas or religious services, deaths, weddings or merry making. There were songs for almost every event, and every aspect of life.

Initially, most songs were religious in origin. The instruments brought by our forefathers are still in evidence today, but on a smaller scale. The most popular instruments used in Jamaica now are listed below.

 

• D. DHOLAK – a popular barrel-shaped folk drum from Northern India with heads on both sides. While the right head is simple, the left hand head has a special application on the inside. This application is a mixture of tar, clay and sand (dholak, masala), which lowers the pitch, and provides a defined tone. The dholak may be tuned; when laced with ropes, series of rings are pulled to tighten the instrument. Sometimes metal buckles are employed to tighten the instrument; it is then called a Naal.
• SARANGI -   was the premier bowed instrument of North Indian music. It became popular in the mid 17^th century to accompany local music. It still retains this vital role today, but is largely supplanted by the harmonium. It consists of a squat, truncated body. It has a soundboard of goatskin. It has three main playing strings of heavy gut. These are the ones which are bowed. It also has an additional 30-40 sympathetic strings, which give the instrument its characteristic sound. The strings are pressed down on a fingerboard, and playing  strings of the sarangi are stopped with the fingernails of the let hand.
• TABLA – a pair of drums played wit fingers and the wrists of both hands. The right hand, smaller, high-pitched drum is called a tabla or dayan, and the left hand dayan or dagga. The bayan is recognisable for its low ‘swoops’ of sound and colourful pitch effects. The tabla is a conical (almost cylindrical) drum shell carved out of a solid piece of hard wood. The tabla shell has one open end covered by a composite membrane. The base of the drum has a slightly larger diameter tan the top. The bayan is a hemispherical bowel shaped drum made of polished copper, brass, bronze or clay. Like the tabla, a composite membrane covers the bayans open end. Drum heads are made of goat’s skin with a central circle of black paste made of flour, ferric oxide powder and starch.
• DHANTAL – a long metal rod struck with a small u-shaped metal, bent at both ends.
• HARMONIUM – also known as peti or Baja. An import from Europe to India, it is essentially a reed organ with hand pumped elbows. Its most common use is in religious music, as a melodic accompaniment to vocals.

 

Music was integrally related to dancing, with each song, a dance was appropriately done. The ever popular nachania or frock dance is one of the seven types of folk dances brought to Jamaica between 1845 and 1920, and is still danced at weddings and many stage performances. The dancing frock is made up of an array of bright and different colours. The kathgora or wodden horse dance usually depicted certain scenes from the battlefields, or the life of some hero, including romantic adventures. The horse is usually colourfully decorated for the occasion, and the rider dresses like a prince.

 

·       The JHANGIA – the essential features of this dance are the disciplined footwork, synchronised with rhythmic music, body movements and hand gestures.

The advent of the 1960’s saw the formation of the first local band with electronic setup of equipment, keyboards, guitars and sound amplification.

 

·       THE INDIAN TALENT MERRYMAKERS brought us the latest in both music from India, other Caribbean islands and traditional folk music. The foundation members and exponents of Indian music included Krishna Deonarine, Papa Dookie Graham, Ganga (Robert) Tolan, Roy Matthai, Wally Byroo and many others.

 

·       THE PREMA SANGEET BAND with a familiar style of music followed with Jeevan. CHOWTHI providing the needed expertise and stimuli for many of our present singers and musicians, to start their careers. Much credit has been given to Jeevan Chowthi during his many years as a social worker and musician. The Prema SAMAJ with Mr. Gham Bankersingh and his daughters added variety with traditional folk music.

 

·       THE RAJA SARANGI GROUP with the late legend, Johnny Mykoo, as leader and lead singer transformed traditional folk music, with an intermix of older instruments and newer electronic ones. His energetic rendition of songs made him a household name even after is untimely death. Interestingly, most of the words of some of these songs have changed, due to the songs being passed down by word of mouth with the passage of time. Another important point was that most of our singers and musicians were self taught, which was a remarkable achievement.

 

·       THE NAYA ZAMANA BAND formed in the 1990’s is currently the only active band that continues to play a mix of traditional folk, Indian film songs and Chutney music, bhajans or religious songs. Leader Michael Gallow on tabla/dholak, Suren Chutkan on keyboards, Phillip Graham on dholak and Vijay Jagessar on harmonium complement Wally Byroo, Thaddeus Bessai and Dr. Winston Tolan on vocals. At present, the popular forms of music enjoyed by the Jamaican public are :

 

i)                Traditional folk music

ii)               Chutney music. An up-tempo music form accompanied by the dholak, the harmonium and the dhantal. Within recent times some chutney music contains soca and calypso rhythms (hence chutney soca). One author claims chutney as the former domain of women, since the instruments used such as the dholak, were some of the few acceptable for performance by female musicians.

iii)             Old Indian film songs of the greats like Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh. Rafi

iv)             Indian pop music. This has a mix of Indian and English pop music is becoming very popular.

v)               Remixes: Old songs mainly from Indian movies are remixed from advanced technological instruments while retaining the lyrics. Reggae music has some influence on Indian pop music. Tassa music associated with Hosay festival plays an important role in Indian music. Conical tassa drums, a double headed bass drum and a jhangi ( a large pair of cymbals) make up the tassa band. Tassa drums are made by stretching goatskin covers over clay shells before being played, they must be heated o tighten their skins and raise the tone to an optimal pitch.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IRRESISTIBLE CURRY

 

Mention ‘Indian Food’ and the word “CURRY” comes to mind - hot, spicy, aromatic and irresistible. This is definitely not an overstatement, and can be substantiated by the crave that Jamaicans (from all cultures and lands) have for this delectable dish, in whatever form. Curried chicken, in its many variations, has almost become a national lunchtime dish. What makes Jamaican-Indian cuisine so very unique and tasty is its rich blend of flavours and spices from the different cultures that have come to this beautiful island paradise. The evolution of the Jamaican-Indian cuisine, to what it is today, is partly due to the unavailability of many of the traditional Indian spices and herbs, and so our fore-parents who came originally as indentured labourers, had to make do (tun dem han an mek fashan) with what was available at the time. Recently, these traditional Indian spices have become more available, not to say that they were not here, but there has been a marked increase in the supply and demand of these items

 

The intention of this article is not to give the history of the ‘Jamaican Curry’ or to trace the variations across the island but to give an incite into the different types, and use, of spices and herbs that are available. Of course it would not be complete if a number of the favourite recipes were not included.

 

Observation of many of the “CURRY CHEFS” in Jamaica, leads to the conclusion that no two chefs make the same curry goat, but yet they are all great tasting. What will be given here are recipes which should be used as guidelines and should not be taken as law, since cooking is an art and each artist has his/her different tastes and likings. This is what leads to delicious creations, so do not be afraid of experimenting in the kitchen. Perhaps, the one law that is adhered to is that the ‘curry powder’ should not touch the meat before the pot, and this will be made clear in the recipes. Curry powder is not turmeric (the yellow ingredient), but is a mixture of many different spices and MAY include turmeric. Different manufactures, or homes, will have different combinations of these spices. Curry can be defined as (i) A mixture of spices used primarily in Indian cuisine; may include turmeric (haldi), coriander (dhania), cumin (geera), cayenne or other chillies, cardamom, cinnamon, clove (laung), fennel, fenugreek (methi), ginger, and garlic, (ii) a dish seasoned with curry or curry paste.

 

The word “curry” is thought to have been coined by the British in India centuries ago. Possible contenders for the origin of the word are, Karahi or Karai (Hindi), a wok-like frying pan used all over India to prepare masalas (spice mixtures): karhi - a soup-like dish made with spices, chickpea flour dumplings and buttermilk; Kari - a spicy Tamil sauce; Tarkari - a seasoned sauce or stew; or Kari Phulia, neem or curry leaves.

 

 

A very important aspect of Indian cooking is the building and layering of the flavours, which helps to tantalize the taste buds. Care should be taken when using whole spices, and you should warn your guests if these are left in the dishes, since your guests could be surprised by the sudden and unexpected burst of flavour and aroma.

 

 

 

Curried Goat

 

Ingredients:

3 lbs    goat meat

2 tbs    curry powder

4          methi seeds

¼ tsp   geera

1½ tsp salt

1½ tsp black pepper

2          medium onions (chopped)

8          cloves garlic (finely chopped)

2          stalks scallion (chopped)

4          sprigs thyme

½         scotch bonnet pepper (seeded and chopped) (use less or more to suit taste)

3 tbs    vegetable oil

4 cups water

 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a dutch pot (dutch oven) or heavy sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add methi and geera seeds fry for 30 seconds
3. Add ¼ of each of the onion, garlic, scallion and scotch bonnet and fry, while stirring, until golden brown.
4. Add curry powder and black pepper and fry, while stirring, for 30 seconds to one minute. Be careful not to burn!
5. Carefully add the goat meat. Add the salt and stir regularly to prevent burning of the spices. Stir until liquid starts to accumulate.
6. Stir in ½ of the remaining seasonings, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the juices have been reduced to a thick sauce.
7. At this stage you can either, add the remaining seasonings and enough water to cover the meat, or reduce the sauce to dryness while stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pot, a technique called “bhoono-ing”. This intensifies the flavours, but requires patience. Add the remaining seasonings and bhoono for 5 minutes, and add enough water to cover the meat.
8. Simmer until meat is tender, making sure to add water as required.

 

When finished, add a dash of garam masala to enhance the aroma, garnish with chopped fresh coriander and serve hot with rice or roti.

 

Curried Chicken

 

This is done very similarly to curried goat but after step 4, where the meat is added to the fried spice mixture, the chicken and all the seasonings are added at this stage, stirred, water added, covered, brought to the boil and simmered for 30 minutes. Serve with rice, roti, naan or your favourite starch.

 

 

 

 

 

Curried Fish

 

Fish cooks in a much shorter time than goat or chicken so care has to taken so as not to destroy the texture. Cooking time is shortest when using fillet, longer times for whole fish and if using the heads of larger fish, then more time is required to tenderize. Generally the curry sauce is prepared and then the fish of your choice is added and cooked until done. The state of “done-ness” is entirely up to your liking. STIRRING IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN!

 

Ingredients:

4          whole snapper (1/2 lb size)

1 tbs    curry powder

4          methi seeds

¼ tsp   geera

1 tsp    salt

1 tsp    black pepper

2          medium onions (chopped)

8          cloves garlic (finely chopped)

2          stalks scallion (chopped)

4          sprigs thyme

½         scotch bonnet pepper (seeded and chopped) (use less or more to suit taste)

1          green mango (peel and cut the flesh in ¼ inch slices, discard the seed)

2 tbs    vegetable oil

3          plum tomatoes (diced)

2 cups water

 

Method:

1. Heat the oil in a heavy flat-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. (Pan should be big enough to hold all the fish in a single layer).
2. Add methi and geera seeds fry for 30 seconds
3. Add ¼ of each of the onion, garlic, scallion and scotch bonnet and fry, while stirring, until golden brown.
4. Add curry powder and black pepper and fry, while stirring, for 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn!
5. Add the remainder of the seasonings and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Add the water and salt. Stir and place the fish evenly in the pot.
7. Add the mango and tomato pieces, making sure that they are in the liquid.
8. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes (or longer of desired)

 

Serve immediately with rice or roti. Garnish with sprigs of fresh coriander or chopped scallion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Curried Mango (Mango Tarkari)

(Spicy, sweet & sour mangoes)

Ingredients:

6          green mangoes (preferably hairy/common but any variety can be used)

1 tbs    curry powder

2          methi seeds

1          pinch   geera seeds

1 cup   brown sugar

½  tsp salt

1 tsp    black pepper

1          medium onion (chopped)

6          cloves garlic (finely chopped)

1          stalks scallion (chopped)

½         scotch bonnet pepper (seeded and chopped) (use less or more to suit taste)

2 tbs    vegetable oil

3 cups water

 

 

Method:

1.               Quarter, peel, remove the insides of the seed and wash mangoes.

2.               Heat the oil in dutch pot or heavy sauce pan over medium heat

3.               Add methi and geera seeds and fry 30 seconds.

4.               Add ¼ of each of the onion, garlic, scallion and scotch bonnet and fry, while stirring, until golden brown.

5.               Add curry powder and black pepper and fry, while stirring, for 30 seconds to one minute. Be careful not to burn!

6.               Add the mangoes and bhoono (stir while scraping the bottom of the pot consistently) so that the pieces are coated with the spice mixture.

7.               Add salt, half of the remaining seasonings and enough water to cover the mangoes.

8.               Cook over medium heat for ½ hour or until mango becomes tender.

9.               Add sugar and the remainder of seasonings and simmer until sauce becomes thick. Stir occasionally so as to avoid burning. In the latter stages it is safe to reduce the heat to low.

10.            Check for sweetness since some mangoes are more acidic (more sour)

 

 

Aloo Tarkari (Curried potatoes) with mixed vegetables

 

Ingredients:

2 lbs    potatoes

1 tbs    curry powder

4          methi seeds

¼ tsp   geera seeds

2  tsp   salt

1 tsp    black pepper

2          medium onions (chopped)

8          cloves garlic (finely chopped)

2          stalks escallion (chopped)

½         scotch bonnet pepper (seeded and chopped) (use less or more to suit taste)

2          plum tomatoes (diced)

1½ cup frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, green peas and corn)

3 tbs    vegetable oil

4 cups water

 

Method:

 

1. Peel, wash and cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes.
2. Heat the oil in dutch pot or heavy sauce pan over medium heat
3. Add methi and geera seeds and fry 30 seconds.
4. Add ¼ of each of the onion, garlic, escallion and scotch bonnet and fry, while stirring, until golden brown.
5. Add curry powder and black pepper and fry, while stirring, for 30 seconds to one minute. Be careful not to burn!
6. Add the potatoes and bhoono (stir while scraping the bottom of the pot consistently) so that the pieces are coated with the spice mixture.
7. Add salt, half of the remaining seasonings and enough water to cover the potatoes.
8. Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until potatoes becomes fork-tender.
9. Add the remainder of seasonings and simmer for 15 minutes. At this stage more water can be added to give a more runny consistency if desired. More stirring will cause the curry to thicken.
10. Stir in the thawed mixed vegetables and simmer for 5 - 10 minutes (depending on how firm you like the mixed vegetables).
11. Sprinkle with a ¼ tsp of garam masala to enhance the aroma and garnish with chopped fresh coriander.

 

Serve hot with rice or roti.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dahl

 

What will be shown here is the versatility of the simple dhal. Dhal can be had as an appetizer or as a main meal with rice or roti. There are many variations using different types of peas, beans and pulses, and mixtures. In Jamaica the two common types of dahl are made from yellow split peas, and a mixture of yellow split peas and red peas (kidney beans). Red lentils (masoor dhal) can be used to make a very quick and tasty dahl.

 

 

 

 

Yellow Split peas dhal

 

Ingredients:

1 cup   yellow split peas (picked and washed)

4 cups water

1 tsp    curry powder

1 tsp    salt

½ tsp   chopped scotch bonnet pepper

3 cups water (the amount of water can be varied to adjust the consistency of the dahl)

3 tsp    minced garlic

3 tsp    minced onions

3 tsp    chopped scallions

2 tbs    vegetable oil

 

Method:

1.               Cook split peas with curry powder, salt, 2 tsp each of garlic, onions and scallions, until soft and dahl is of desired consistency

2.               Heat the oil and remainder of the onions, garlic and scallions and fry until golden brown. Add to dhal, stir, cover and serve hot

 

 

 

 

 

 

MAHATMA GANDHI

“Father of the Indian Nation”

 

 

Apostle of Peace and Non-Violence

(October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948)

 

Mahatma Gandhi’s full name was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He was born in India. After studying law in England, he journeyed to South Africa in 1893 to work with an Indian firm. It was here that he became conscious of injustice and oppression when he saw the inhumane treatment meted out to the Africans and Indians by the white ruling class. It was in this atmosphere that his sense of social injustice was heightened. He gave up what had become a lucrative legal practice and devoted his energies to public work.

 

Gandhi was a man of peace and non-violence who held the conviction that change brought about by war was always wrong. He employed peaceful methods of protest such as civil disobedience against the South African government.

 

In 1914, Gandhi returned home and emerged as an outstanding leader in India’s struggle for independence. From 1919 to his death in 1948, he fought for the rights of the Indians oppressed under British rule. During the course of his fight he suffered a number of arrests and imprisonments, but continued to advocate non-violent protests against injustices. The sustained commitment to the use of this technique led to the freedom of his countrymen from the shackles of colonialism and imperialism.

 

Gandhi’s ideas have impacted on the fight for decolonisation in Africa and the Caribbean as well as the civil rights movement in North America. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in particular, fought racial discrimination in the United States of America inspired by Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violence.

 

Mahatma Gandhi was one of the great men of the world who fought for the rights of his people: he lived, suffered and died for them. He led a simple, saintly life that made him adored by all as Mahatma, which means ‘a great soul’, ‘a man of God.’