1. The East Indian legacy in St Lucia

2. Pausing to reflect..Indian presence in Jamaica 

3. The importance of the Indian to Trinidad 

4. The P{light of Indians in Guyana 

THE EAST INDIAN LEGACY IN ST LUCIA by Jolien Harmsen

      "For my spirit, India is too far", writes Derek Walcott. Albeit not so far
      that he cannot write, in the following verse,

      "these fields sang of Bengal, behind Ramlochan Repairs there was Uttar
      Pradesh".



      Far and near at once: the story of East Indians in St. Lucia is full of
      this paradoxical sense of historical distance yet generational proximity.
      Indian immigrants arrived in St. Lucia not so very long ago - yet they
      slipped away from India in such a remarkably unremarkable manner. "There
      are no more elders. Is only old people".

       Whereas a sizeable group of       descendants of former African slaves   continue to yearn for Africa, the
      grand- and greatgrandchildren of Indian indentured workers rarely look to
      India for political or spiritual guidance. Their lives and futures appear
      to be firmly located in the West Indies. The question remains: how did
      East Indians get to come to St. Lucia, and under what conditions?
      With the full abolition of slavery in 1838 inevitably ahead of them,
      planters everywhere in the West Indies frantically began to look for
      another source of cheap, reliable labour to work their estates. They found
      this in south-east Asia. Between 1845 and 1917, hundreds of thousands of
      indentured workers sailed from India to the Caribbean. Most went to
      Guyana, Trinidad and Jamaica - but some six thousand set foot on shore in
      St. Lucia. Just over 1,600 people arrived here between 1856 and 1865 and
      another 4,427 Indians sailed to St. Lucia between 1878 and 1893.
      By 1891, there were some 2,500 East Indians in St. Lucia (colloquially
      known as 'coolies'), in a total population of 42,220 souls. Two years
      later, the last batch of indentured workers arrived on a ship called the
      'Volga', totalling 156 people. Some of the other ships on which they
      sailed here are the 'Leonidas', 'Chetah', 'Royle', 'Bann', 'Bracadaile'
      and the 'Poonah'.
      The labour contracts under which East Indians worked varied, but as a
      rule, they were bound to work on a designated estate for five years in
      return for a wage, housing, clothing, food and medical care. After five
      years they could choose between owning ten acres of land or ten pounds
      sterling or they could, after a further five or ten years of 'industrial
      residence', get a free passage back to India.
      By 1895, 721 Indians were still indentured in St. Lucia: 361 males, 152
      females, 13 children and 195 infants. In 1896, their number had dropped to
      149 and a year later, in 1897, the last Indians finished their labour
      contracts. By the turn of the century, St. Lucia had a free East Indian
      population of 2,560 persons.
      The records show that about half of all indentured labourers went back to
      India after finishing their contracts. Dozens, perhaps hundreds more would
      have liked to return, but became economic hostages after the Immigration
      Fund ran dry, leaving no money for return passages. Thus, all time-expired
      Indians who had arrived in 1891 on the 'Roumania' and in 1893 on the
      'Volga' were forced to settle in St. Lucia, despite possibly having
      families waiting for them back in India.
      So what do we see at the start of the twentieth century?
      Two and a half thousand East Indian men, women and children, settled in a
      dozen villages around the island, usually near one of the central sugar
      factories that dominated St. Lucia's economy until the 1950s.
      And then...
      "When sunset, a brass gong".
      Walcott again. A brass gong, sounded to assemble the village elders. An
      assembly that remained sacred even to a younger generation of Indians who
      were destined not to perpetuate their elders' traditions:

      "sacred even to Ramlochan,
      singing Indian hits from his jute hammock
      while evening strokes the flanks
      and silver horns of his maroon taxi,
      as the mosquitoes whine their evening mantras,
      my friend Anipheles, on the sitar,
      and the fireflies making every dusk Divali."

      Music, rites such as the Festival of Lights (Divali), some culinary
      traditions: they remain today at a time when, while some East Indians of
      the first and second generation are still alive, their youngest children
      are already seven generations or more removed from 'Calcutta', the place
      where their ancestors originated from, as they like to say. More likely,
      it is the port from which they were shipped.
      Indentured labourers in St. Lucia probably came from Bihar and Uttar
      Pradesh in Northern India. They were rural people - agricultural labourers
      and small farmers - of fairly low caste, although not usually the poorest
      people in their homeland. Many owned farms, cattle and property in India
      and came out to the Caribbean with a purpose: to save money and return
      home for a better future. Others, most notably women, used indentureship
      as a 'vehicle for emancipation', with the period of indentureship the
      price they paid for eventual (perceived) personal freedom. About
      two-thirds of indentured women were single: widows, 'deserted women',
      women who had run away from unhappy marriages, former prostitutes, single
      mothers and others.
      Migration of indentured labourers to St. Lucia was never very great but
      due to the island's low population density and their uneven distribution
      throughout the island, East Indians gained a fairly high profile in the
      ethnic make-up of the island. Essentially, Indian communities sprang up
      around the central sugar factories: Pierrot, Augier, Belle Vue and Cacao
      around the Vieux Fort factory; La Caye and Dennery near the Dennery
      factory; Marc and Forestiere near the Cul-de-Sac factory, and Anse la Raye
      near the Roseau factory. Also, a small Indian village arose in Balca,
      close to Balenbouche estate.
      Planters preferred indentured labourers to free workers of African descent
      because the contracts rendered the Indians more dependable. But in terms
      of physical endurance, East Indians were generally considered weaker. And
      while it is true that 25 to 30 percent of East Indians were in hospital at
      any one time suffering from malaria and spleen disease, 'dry-islanders'
      such as Barbadians living in St. Lucia displayed the same susceptibility
      to these illnesses.
      Moreover, the living and working conditions of indentured workers at the
      end of the 19th century were worse still than those of free people - and
      those were having a hard enough time as it was. There is the telling
      testimony of Colonial Surgeon Dr. Dennehy, who in 1897 testified that,
      "The coolies, to save money, run themselves down by underfeeding. When
      they come into hospital they pick up 10 or 12 lbs. in weight in as many
      days. Then they go out, work off their fat, and come in again to recruit".
      At the same time, it was said about other St. Lucians that they preferred
      not to be taken to hospital, "as for the sake of economy the diet has been
      cut very low, and they think they are not well enough fed."
      While interracial relations in St. Lucia never became as bitter a source
      of contention as they did in Trinidad or Guyana, East Indian elders worked
      hard at 'protecting' their families from miscegenation. They did so with
      mixed success. From early in the twentieth century, there was already a
      high enough rate of interracial sexual relations - usually between black
      men and Indian women - resulting in a sizeable mixed black/Indian
      population (colloquially known as 'Douglahs'). But interracial marriages
      remained unusual until at least the 1950s. It is only in more recent
      decades that St. Lucia has essentially become a melting pot of racial and
      ethnic distinctions - never mind the fact that there are still distinctly
      'Indian' areas in St. Lucia, and never mind that many people continue to
      colloquially indicate themselves and others as 'Koolies', 'Blacks',
      'Negroes', 'Béchés' (whites), 'Shabeens' (fair-skins), 'Redskins',
      'Syrians' and other such terms now shunned in official communications.
      Derek Walcott puts his finger on it so well. Where academics and others
      often drown their own voices in the sugar water of political correctness,
      St. Lucia's Nobel Prize laureate for Literature speaks the sober - if not
      harsh - truth about the racial coming-together of St. Lucia since the
      second half of the twentieth century:

      "they had started to poison my soul
      with their big house, big car, big-time bohbohl,
      coolie, nigger, Syrian, and French Creole,
      so I leave it for them and their carnival -
      I taking a sea-bath, I gone down the road."

      At the end of the day, creolisation has created it all: the process
      whereby peoples and cultures from an 'Old World' are transposed to a 'New
      World' where they proceed to recreate and reproduce themselves, shaping a
      culture and society that it neither a continuation of its old,
      constituting parts, nor something unrecognizably new. In St. Lucia,
      creolisation has formed everything: from the uniquely vibrant annual
      carnival celebrations, to its society in which descendants from Africans,
      Indians, Europeans and Eurasians have come together and worked out a new
      social order: one permeated, as most modern countries nowadays, with
      materialistic values and concerns. At the start of the 21st century,
      perhaps the really important difference is that at least here in St.
      Lucia, if one cares to look out for them, there are still the fireflies
      making every dusk Divali...

      References:
      * Derek Walcott, 1992. 'The Schooner Flight' and 'The Saddhu of Couva'.
      In: Collected Poems, 1948-1984 (Faber & Faber, London, Boston).
      * West India Royal Commission 1897. Report of the West India Royal
      Commission, app.C, vol.3, part VII: Proceedings, evidence, and documents
      relating to the Windward islands, the Leeward islands and Jamaica.

      Jolien Harmsen holds a Ph.D in Caribbean History. She is the author of
      'Sugar, slavery and settlement. A social history of Vieux Fort, St. Lucia,
      from the Amerindians to the present" (St. Lucia National Trust, 1999). She
      is currently involved in writing a general history of St. Lucia and a
      series of crime novels set in the Caribbean.

Pausing to Reflect... Indian Presence In Jamaica

      By Ann-Margaret Lym and Michael Edwards
      Sunday, March 06, 2005

      The recent occasion of the first-ever Roti Festival offered pause to
      reflect on the Indian presence in Jamaica and its impact. In 1845, in the
      wake of Emancipation, the first Inidan nationals arrived on Jamaican
      shores to take up their positions as indentured labourers, with subsequent
      waves bringing in largely professional and merchant groups.

      Beryl Williams-Singh, who heads up the the National Council for Indian
      Culture, the umbrella group for several Indian organisations here, advises
      that the commemoration of the Indian arrival will be formally observed on
      May 10. Among the slated activities, she points out, are an Ecumenical
      prayer service and an awards banquet.


      A Hindu celebration ceremony where the Lord is invited to be present at
      the alter

      The Indian presence here has been felt - and continues - in many spheres.
      Professions, particularly in the medical field, reflect the Indian
      demographic heritage, as do the jewellery and appliance sub-sectors.

      Cultural impact, while evident, is not quite as cut-and-dried as it might
      seem. To begin with, there is not a definable homogenous Indian culture.
      With sixteen official languages, five major religions, and the caste
      system, the world's largest democracy is a veritable study in diversity.

      Certainly the music has proven a major component of Indo-Jamaican exchange
      (as has been the case with virtually every other nationality). The
      adaptation and fusion of Indian music with Western forms is a worldwide
      phenomenon.


      Indian dance forms have impacted on Jamaican culture in many ways

      During the 1960s, the sounds of India became a major departure point for
      jazz masters like saxophonist John Coltrane and guitarist John McLaughlin,
      whose group, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, is still regarded as one of the
      finest jazz-rock fusion combos. Similarly, pop/rock groups like the
      Beatles (especially the late George Harrison) incoporated Eastern sounds
      and philosophies into their music.

      More recently, Indian music forms have been fused with reggae/dancehall
      rhythms to create a highly danceable polyrhythm. The best known of these,
      the Diwali, helped to launch the international careers of deejays Elephant
      Man, Sean Paul and Wayne Wonder.

      Prior to that Anglo-Caribbean DJ Apache Indian had an international smash
      with a track called Arrnaged Marriage on the bhangra rhythm. The bhangra,
      a line dance with origins in the Punjabi region, also features the type of
      rhythmic hand claps that endeared the Diwali to dancehall aficionados.


      An Indian Saree
      Traditional Indian instruments include - harmonium, dholak (drum), the
      tabla and the dantal - the latter a stainless steel pipe that is struck
      with a smaller piece.

      Perhaps even more palpable than the music is the culinary impact. Curry
      (which itself the object of a culinary festival) is a staple in most homes
      and diners, chutney is a prized condiment, and tandoori cuisine is growing
      in appeal among both locals and visiting tourists. Some of the mango
      varieties growing in Jamaica have their Eastern heritage reflected in
      their names (Bombay and East Indian being the most obvious).

      Another cultural staple is religious practice. Presently, Mrs
      Williams-Singh says, there are around 2,000 Hindus in Jamaica.

      This month marks the advent of the Holi festival. The legend surrounds the
      defeat of an evil deity Holika, who would customarily consume children.
      Concurrent with "spring" festivals in many other cultures, it's seen as a
      time of renewal and rededication to purity and other ideals.

      Come August there's the celebration marking Krishna's (representation of
      God incarnate) birth and in November is Diwali, the festival of lights.

      While it is a pan-theistic faith (having many Gods), Hinduism points to a
      main, or source God - OM - who has many helpers. Williams-Singh explains;
      "They say that Hindus worship many gods, but that's not true. There's one
      main God and he has many helpers.

      You also have God incarnate who come to earth when there's a decline of
      peace. God has so far manifested himself as Raam[whose birth is observed
      in April] and Krishna."

      The undit/pandit(the word has since passed into the broader lexicon to
      signify an opinion maker or expert), guides Hindus along their earthly
      journey, and is consulted, Mrs Williams Singh points out, before every
      major decision.

      "The pundit gives you advice on every aspect of your life - marriage,
      education, work etc. Parents who arrange marriages go to the pundit, and
      horoscopes are checked along with other things. If you have a desire or
      prayer, you go to the pundit," says Williams-Singh.

      Viewed as pagans shortly after their 1845 arrival, the Hindus gradually
      emerged from suppression. Many were persuaded to follow Christianity,"
      says Williams-Singh, adding that some saw it as a means of upward social
      mobility.

      Although the suppression of the Indian religion and lifestyle here in
      Jamaica was not overt, their beliefs and practices were generally frowned
      upon, so public worship was minimal.
      Presently, according to Williams-Singh, there are two public Hindu places
      of worship in Jamaica - both in Kingston - and only one pundit.

      "We now have one more pundit in training. But we've had one for around 60
      years now," she says.

      Assimilation has also affected traditional garb, but even that has worked
      both ways. Even though most Inidans today have adopted Western modes of
      fashion, the sari, the nehru suit (round-collared tunic often worn with
      fitted pants) are featuring prominently in Western fashion, whether whole,
      or in variations.

      Whether in tastes, sounds, sights or worship, Indo-Jamaicans, and indeed
      the wider society, are much richer for that fateful boat ride in 1845.



      JAMAICA : INDIAN HERITAGE DAY IS MAY 10.
      Jamaica, in recognition of the history of the Indians who came
      has declared May 10 as ‘Indian Heritage Day’.

      Migration of Indians to Jamaica – Integration and Contribution to
      Development


      People from the Indian sub-continent were first introduced to Jamaica as
      ‘indentured labourers’ on a contractual basis to work on sugar and banana
      estates and livestock holdings, following the abolition of slavery.

      The first group arrived on May 10,1845, on the S.S. Blundell with a total
      of over 36,000 arriving between then and sometime around 1917. ( A plaque
      in commemoration of the first landing was mounted in Old Harbour in 1983.)

      These persons were allocated to estates in Clarendon, St. Mary, Portland,
      St. Thomas, St. Catherine and Westmoreland, initially. The terms of
      indentureship provided for their return to India on completion of five
      years’ service. Overall just over one-third returned to India, a small
      number of whom rejoined the programme. Some of the benefits promised were
      not delivered hence some of the migrants were unable to pay for return
      passages. Some remained as they saw the opportunity for a better life,
      while others had formed alliances and remained for that reason.

      When the indentureship programme came to an end roundabout the 1930’s,
      many then left the estates and sought employment in other parishes. Some
      journeyed to neighbouring countries, Cuba in particular, where they worked
      mainly on sugar estates, with some returning to Jamaica, while others
      remained.

      The Indians brought with them their cultural patterns, customs, and
      practices – language, cuisine, religion, music, dance, craftsmanship (many
      were jewellers), family systems, dress, discipline and reputation for hard
      work.

      They faced many difficulties due to the cultural differences and no doubt
      this led to their ‘holding on’ to aspects of their cultural heritage.

      One major challenge was the legality of marriages performed under Hindu
      and or Moslem rites – this meant the children were ‘bastards’ and could
      not inherit the property of parents readily, among other things. At the
      representations of the then active East Indian Progressive Society the
      relevant Law was passed by the Government in the early1960’s.

      The Indians engaged themselves mainly in agricultural pursuits, e.g. rice
      growing, vegetable farming and floriculture. Significant contribution was
      made in the growing of rice in the parishes of St. Catherine and
      Westmoreland during World War II, thereby alleviating some of the
      difficulties for the Island brought about by the restrictions on overseas
      importation of food.

      Some of the ex-indentured labourers displayed greater initiative than
      others and eventually became landowners and businessmen which not only
      improved their standard of living, but enabled them to provide better
      educational opportunities for their children thereby accessing greater
      social mobility.

      Although many continued to struggle in the generally lower socio-economic
      environment, Indians gradually became fully integrated in the unique
      Jamaican diaspora of ethnic co-existence.

      Descendants of the ex-indentured labourers have over the years equipped
      themselves academically and their contribution to the development of our
      country can be readily identified in all areas of national life-
      Agriculture, the Arts, Aviation, Banking, the Civil Service,
      Communications, Construction, Engineering, Finance, Information
      Technology, Law, Merchandising, Management, Medicine, Politics, Religion,
      Sports, Teaching, Transportation.

      From sometime in the 1920’s other Indians came to seek a livelihood in
      Jamaica – firstly there were the merchants who in time made Jamaica home.
      Many are today involved with the In-bond trade. They and their off-springs
      continue to contribute to the country’s economic activity whether in
      business or the professions.

      Later there were professionals who came on their own or under special
      recruitment by the Government for specified periods, some of whom have
      remained and have become naturalised Jamaicans.

      The community of persons of Indian origin over the past three-quarters of
      a century has been served by a number of organisations aimed at –

      - preserving and promoting indian culture;


      - fostering programes for the upliftment of the well-being of the

      less privileged in our Society, e.g. assisting children for educational
      purposes, food packages for indigent and senior

      citizens; free medical clinic and catering to the spiritual needs.


      Cultural activities include stage presentation of songs and dance,
      lectures on a range of topics by visiting experts from India and
      elsewhere, observance of Indian festivals, e.g. Diwali, the Festival of
      Lights, and auspicious days on the religious calendar, participation in
      national events,e.g. Float parade for Independence celebrations.


      There are several musical groups and Indian dance instruction is available
      privately. More recently a Dance school has been established. For over
      thirty years a weekly programme has been aired on radio which showcases
      music, songs and other related matters.

      There is much local talent which is being developed and there are
      connections with external organisations and groups which permit the
      interchange of cultural activities and transfer of knowledge.

      People of Indian origin who were born in Jamaica are citizens by birth;
      later arrivals have become citizens by naturalization, while there are
      others who are working here on contractual basis.

      Having regard to their known capacity for discipline and hard work, they
      continue to strive for the best and make meaningful contribution to the
      development of our nation.

      The Government of Jamaica, in recognition of the history of the Indians
      who came has declared May 10 as ‘Indian Heritage Day’.


      Contributed: Beryl Williams-Singh, C.D.
      Chairman,
      National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica.

The Importance of the

Indian to Trinidad.

D. Parsuram Maharaj
An executive member
of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha.

There are many today who are quik to tell the Indian community to “Go back to India”.

These statements are said without the thought of the Indian contribution to the development of Trinidad. There are many who still confuse a national identity with ethnicity and religious origins. To these one cannot be an Indian or Hindu and be called a Trinidadian. Thus these people ask where have all the Trinidadians gone? To these persons a brief refresher, in this month of Indian Arrival, on the contributions of the Indians to Trinidad’s economic survival which made Trinidad’s economy different from that of the other Caribbean islands.

The Indian made his appearance in Trinidad, and indeed in the Caribbean, after the abolition of slavery in 1834. Presbyterian minister John Morton commented “ The emancipated slave either would not work or diverted their energies to their own gardens.

For want of workmen the sugar interests came to the brink of disaster”. Every effort was accordingly made to get labourers from all possible quarters. In 1834, a number of immigrants were brought from Fayal and Maderia, but work in the cane field did not suit the Portugese..... The West Indian body in writing to Lord Stanley, October 19th, 1843, urged him to assent to Indian Immigration ‘as a regular supply of labourers was absolutely necessary’. November 06th 1843 replied that he was trying to get negroes ‘from Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick’ but did not agree to immigration from India, and closed the correspondence.

On November 29th 1843, Lord Stanley recognizing the critical state of affairs in the West Indies, suggests to the Governor-General of India that the order restricting East Indians from emigrating except to Mauritius should be canceled. This opened the way for East Indian immigration to the West Indies.

Terms were reached between the Home, the Indian, and the Trinidad Governments, and the first ship the Fatal Razack with 214 East Indians immigrants arrived on May 30th 1845.” [ Ironically the first Indian immigrant recorded was a man called Barath which meant India.] Morton further commented that “a new era soon dawned .....Planters, immigrants, and Governments worked hopefully together. Large numbers of East Indians were introduced and the Island began to flourish. Ten years later Governor Keateon wrote Sir Edward Bulwar Lytton ‘the Island is mainly indebted to Indian Immigration for its progress’. [John Morton in Trinidad 1916].

W.G. Sewell, in “The Ordeal of Free Labour in the British West Indies” [1861] wrote of Trinidad Indian immigrants after his visit in 1859 : “Not only has the island been saved from impending ruin, but a prospect of future prosperity opened to her such as British island in these seas ever before enjoyed under any system, slave or free.”

From the years 1838-1845 when the “Hesperus” sailed into British Guiana and the “Fatel Razack” to Trinidad receptively, under a free and disorganized scheme of immigration up to 1917, when the “SS Ganges” and “SS Mutlah” delivered the last batch, hundreds of voyages were made. For Trinidad between 1845-1917 ships made 319 voyages bringing 147,592 registered Indians to Trinidad’s sugar, cocoa, and coconut estates. While the first ship to Trinidad carried just 225 persons with the journey lasting just under five months, in later years the number of immigrants per ship would increase. Later voyages were shorter as EMS and Rhone in 1898 lasted only 113 and 93 days respectively. The number of people arriving was as small as 134 on the Emma of 29th May, 1847 to as large as 847 on the Mutlah of 29th August, 1909.

The route from India went around the Cape of Good Hope and then to the West Indies. The voyage was long and involved several climatic changes. The mortality rate during the
long and perilous journey was so high that the Government of India suspended immigration in 1848. Although the second phase began in 1848, it again had to be suspended until 1851. The system of immigration was eventually dismantled by the Indian Government under the Defense of India Act 1917.

G.K. Gokhale, Pundit Madhan M. Malaviya, and M.K. Gandhi were the leading statesmen who moved the resolution in the Indian Leglisative Assembly in 1916, demanding the abolition of the emigration system. Lord Hardinagi, Viceroy of India, accepted the resolution and got the support of the secretary of state. Emigration was viewed as derogatory to India’s self respect as a nation and undesirable in the estimate of enlightened public opinion.

The 147,592 Indians that came to Trinidad most chose to make this new land their home. As a result of this decision the descendants of the Indian immigrants now constitute over 42% of the population of Trinidad. The other major ethnic group in Trinidad are the descendants of African slaves who constitutes 41% of the total population. The mixed [Indian, Black, White, Chinese, etc. inter-marriages] population is 16% while other ethnic groups [whites, Chinese, Syrians, etc.] comprise 2% of the population. The Indian population comprises of Hindus 30%, Muslims 5%, and Christians 15%.

Hindus [the majority Sanatanists] are viewed as more Indian as they have proudly identified as Indian in the past. The Sanatan Dharama Maha Sabha of Trinidad and Tobago Inc. [1952] has defended the Hindu position and as such has been branded as racist by those uncomfortable with an assertive Indian presence in Trinidad. The roots of the Maha Sabha extend deep into the history of Trinidad and can be traced to as early as 1881 only a mere thirty-six years [36] after the Fatel Rozack arrived.

The Plight of Indians in Guyana
  By Roop Misir, PhD

Background
    This Article was written in  2002 to highlight the plight of Indians in Guyana. Although there have been changes, people may argue that improvements in the economic life of the country and its people have essentially been put on hold. To some extent this is a consequence of the high emigration rate and consequent loss of skilled workers. However, an underlying factor is the apparent breakdown of law and order as marauding gangs rob people and kill other. For its part, the government claims that these attacks affect all citizens, not necessarily Indian..
    On January 26, 2008 in the Indian dominated village of Lusignan East Coast Demerara, eleven more innocent people were massacred in cold blood in the wee hours of the morning while sleeping.  From all accounts, robbery was not the motive. To no one surprise, the victims were of Indian descent.

Below is a revised version of the 2002 Article:

Indians Replaced Slavery
in British Guiana

    Success usually depends on how well we can address and solve problems that confront us in our daily lives. Like other citizens in the South American country of Guyana, the Indian population is fully integrated into the mainstream milieu. Their ancestors were taken to the colony of British Guiana to work on the sugar plantations following the abolition of African slavery in 1838. In addition to saving the sugar industry from certain collapse, our ancestors single-handedly built the rice industry. By the time Indian immigration ended in 1917, nearly a quarter million Indians were taken from India to this colony.

Indians suffered under various regimes

    As time progressed, their descendants actively participated in every facet of the country’s economic life. Today, they constitute the largest ethnic group in a politically independent country of Guyana. However, events in recent times have caused a lot of uneasiness. For one thing, all Guyanese had to endure nearly three decades of a black dictatorship from the mid-1960’s to the early 1990’s. Over the years, government corruption, political nepotism and overt racial discrimination led to declining opportunities—especially for Indians. A weak, corrupt and incompetent national government was unable to maintain law and order. Thus, highly skilled and educated Guyanese, were forced to immigrate to any country that were willing to take them, but mainly to affluent countries (EU, USA and Canada).

Social Problems facing Indians

    Although Indians are in the majority, their numbers are actually dwindling due to emigration. Strange as it may seem, President Bharrat Jagdeo and members of his government may be ethnically Indian, but their efforts are directed to retaining power at all cost. Out of necessity, therefore, they must cater to the needs of opposition and their mainly non-Indian supporters. In the meantime ALL Guyanese suffer, but the brunt of the hardships are borne by Indian people who have supported the ruling political party in every national election since 1953.
    Below are examples daily social problems that citizens have to endure under various governments.
    Alcoholism—There is no shortage of alcoholic beverages. Rum is one of the cheapest and most readily available beverages. It can be bought illegally at any time of the day in every corner store or  “cake shop”. Anyone regardless of age can enjoy a drink at any time and place.
    Prostitution—Poor and destitute girls are forced into the world’s oldest profession at a young age. As a visitor returning to home after many years, I recall being accosted by girls younger than my own daughters. Of course, I dismissed these advances. But I vividly recall one particular instance. Here a helpless soul proposed that for $5 (US), I could have her services for one full day. And for $50 (US), she will be at my call for one entire week!
    Crime—Criminals wishing to get “easy money” pose as police or army personnel, and prey on unsuspecting overseas visitors/ returnees. Also, bandits armed with hi-tech weaponry attack private homes of Indians. In many of these encounters, not only are money and jewelry taken, but also victim who resisted sometimes lose their lives!
    Suicide—it is true that the helpless usually flock to houses of God to get (at least temporary) solace. However, many Indians have lost hope completely. A friend of mind recently narrated a very tragic tale of a young Indian woman who committed suicide to escape the daily beatings of her unemployed and constantly drunk husband. After the funeral, friends of the husband accused him of being responsible for his wife’s death. And because this was too for the husband to take, he did what many young Indian Guyanese find expedient to do--he took his own life!

Euphoria then Exodus

    There was much euphoria following the restoration of democracy in 1992 with the election of Dr. Cheddi Bharat Jagan as the President. But all this soon evaporated for various reasons. Perhaps, there was no Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate wrong doings committed by the previous black dictatorship. Even though Dr. Jagan publicly declares that he heads a national government, the main thrust of his policies is geared to appeasing black supporters and the opposition. The question is: Like other Indian leaders, was Dr. Jagan afflicted with a uniquely Indian disease—appeasing others while taking his own supporters for granted?
    An incident (July 03 2002) may exemplify the present plight of Indian people. During an illegal procession to the presidential palace, the pro-Indian ROAR Party claims that hundreds of Indians were mercilessly beaten up, sexually molested, abused, robbed and several businesses torched. In one particularly gruesome incident, a gang of African men grabbed a young Indian girl off the street. Then  these beastly monsters took turns and forced her to perform oral sex —in broad daylight and in full view of the public. Did this incident show us who is in charge here?

Guyanese Speak Out

    This latest pogrom against Indians has provoked even conservative elements in the Guyanese society to speak out. Up to this time, people were silent. For the first time, they are now coming out openly and admitting the truth. In fact, they are saying that it was Indians who were targeted for the mindless racial violence in Guyana. This has always been the official position of the ROAR Party. Now, ROAR has renewed its call for a UN Peacekeeping Mission—a call that first went unheeded when it was first issued in 1998.
    Isn’t it about time that the world wake up to the plight of Indians in Guyana, and take decisive action before it’s too late?

Guyana Blessed but Blighted

Guyana is blessed with abundant fertile agricultural lands where almost any crops can grow year round. On its vast savannahs are some of the largest cattle ranches. Its thriving mining industries (gold, diamonds and bauxite) are generating much revenue. Recently discovered offshore reserves of oil and gas can some day transform this struggling country into an energy powerhouse. Yet, things are not all roses these days. Our country remains blighted.
    Of course, there are always beneficiaries following tragedies the recent massacre at Lusignan and other areas in Guyana. Years of confrontation, conflict and crime by marauding gangs accelerate the exodus of Guyanese to countries faced with declining populations and a shortage of skilled and talented people. Would this reality help explain why overseas countries like Canada, the USA and the EU choose to turn a blind eye as Guyana faces an uncertain future, bordering on the brink of collapse?

[Dr. Roop Misir is an Indo-Guyanese  Canadian Teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Readers may wish to contact him at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ]