They came, they saw, and made their contribution

Today marks the 170th anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to the then British Guyana from the Indian sub-continent. After braving the torturous and turbulent oceans for months under sub-human conditions, the first batch of East Indians from India, called Indentured Labourers came to British Guiana aboard two steamships, “Hesperus” and “Whitby” on May 5, 1838.

Their toil, sweat and struggles over the years later brought recognition and today is being celebrated as “Indian Immigration Day”.

Indeed the journey was long and brutal. Many of the Indentured Labourers fell sick and those who could not defy death, were unceremoniously dumped overboard. This was what the East Indian Immigrants went through in their blind date for fortune in the West Indies.

We must however salute the heroism of these people, who for some three quarters of a century kept coming to the shores of the West Indies including Guyana to fill the void left as a result of the mass exodus of slaves following the abolition of slavery, and especially the premature termination of the apprenticeship scheme in 1838.

In the period 1838 to 1917, a substantial number of Indian Immigrants were imported to the English speaking Caribbean, and some 238,909 of them had arrived in British Guyana up to the time the system was terminated in 1917.

They continued to work on the sugar plantations, and paved the way for their off-springs today to make Guyana their home. Indeed they worked and lived under a harsh and cruel system which served only the Plantocracy and their masters in England to whose cause the Indentured Labourers were bound.

In his booklet: Rooting for Labour, Late President of Guyana, Dr. Cheddi Jagan wrote about the atrocious conditions on sugar estates and noted: “In those days workers lived in logies which were built in the slavery and indentureship periods. There were pit latrines, nothing like the ones we know now or septic tanks and other facilities. Pit latrines over the trench; and when the rains came the whole compound in several estates used to be totally flooded and people had to move around in boats.

“On one such occasion, I remember going to the compound at Lusignan to the manager: His compound was dry. I asked him why can’t he use the same pump that he was pumping to clear his compound to clear also the compound of the workers. His answer was: ‘Jagan, do you know you are trespassing?’”

These conditions on the plantations persisted for years unending and the genuine workers’ struggle began with Dr. Jagan in the forefront fighting for improved living conditions, justice and fair-play for sugar workers which were eventually won over time, and some off-springs of the Indentured Labourers have carved a name for themselves in mainstream society today.

The people note, for instance, that Dr. Jagan himself was the son of Indentured Labourers and once lived in the logies at Port Mourant in Berbice.

The East Indians who came to British Guiana, now called Guyana, have indeed come a long way. They came with their cultures, traditions, religions and values, which have over the years, through thick and thin, welded them together.

They have integrated themselves into what we call in Guyana a plural society, a society with diverse religions, cultures, traditions, races and political persuasions.

Today is a day of special significance to them and all Guyana join in celebrating with them under the theme: One People, One Nation with One Destiny.
Happy Indian Immigration Day to all!

Determination enabled East Indian immigrants to lay groundwork for future generation – Acting President

FOLLOWING his attendance on Saturday at the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s celebration at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, acting President Samuel Hinds next attended Pushpanjali 8, hosted by the Indian Commemoration Trust.

There he told the gathering that in spite of the harsh and dehumanizing conditions their fore-parents endured, their determination enabled their, and the future generation’s survival.

“No doubt, they would have been brave, courageous and adventurous souls who would have signed up to leave their customs, land of birth and venture in the cramped sailing ships of those days across the kala pani (black waters) to the other side of the world, to live among and to tie bundle with people unknown.”

At the event held at the Indian monument gardens, Camp and Church streets, the acting President said that the rich culture, dance, music, songs and religious observances which were brought by the East Indian immigrants from India 170 years ago have provided consolation and comfort to enable the group to come to terms with conditions, predicaments and to allow them to work to overcome situations.

The acting President noted that while it was the East Indian immigrants who arrived in Guyana on May 5, the government has consciously named that day ‘Arrival Day’ to symbolize the coming of the other ethnic groups to Guyana’s shore.

These include the Portuguese and Chinese.
Moving to the present day, Mr. Hinds noted that Guyana today continues to face the major task of building a young country, the standard of living and the prosperity of the people.

“It is the belief and hope of the government that as we work together to better the lives of all of us in Guyana, we will have the experiences of victories and achievements, common success, and common failures that will bind us together as one people.”

Indian High Commissioner to Guyana Mr. Kumar Mandal, in tracing the arduous journey of the East Indians from India to British Guiana, said that they had confidence in themselves and found traces of hope in a hopeless situation. It was their perseverance and the hope of a better future that propelled them onward, he asserted.

The evening’s activity saw performances based on many aspects of East Indian culture mainly in the form of songs and dances.

East Indians first arrived in British Guiana on May 5, 1838 aboard the ships the HMS Whitby and the HMS Hesperus.

Almost 240,000 East Indian indentured labourers were brought to British Guiana during the period 1838 to 1917. Many of them after their contracts expired chose not to return to their homeland.

The Portuguese arrived in May 1835 while the Chinese came in May 1853. (GINA)