The prayerful invocation of thanksgiving by Vidur Dindayal published in our last edition truly reflects the depth of gratitude felt as we celebrate the accomplishments by our ancestors who started a journey 180 years ago by crossing the black water to arrive in the Caribbean. It is a touching invocation of thanks, respect, and upliftment: “We say thanksgiving prayers to our forbears who suffered and toiled to make a good life for themselves and for us who followed them. We thank them for clearing the path and building a home for us to live and prosper in Guyana, in the new world, far away from Mother India.”
The following moments in history are worthy of repetition so the generations to come will remember: One hundred and eighty years ago, our ancestors first set foot in Guyana; that first batch saw 249 souls sailing from India on the SS Whitby. The vessel left on January 13, 1838, and arrived in Guyana on May 5, 1838 – a voyage of 112 days. On January 29, 1838, the SS Hesperus sailed from Calcutta with 165 on board, arriving in Guyana on the night of May 5, 1838.
It has been a long journey across the span of 180 years; and today, as Dindayal reminds us, “Indo Guyanese have contributed enormously to the make-up of the Guyanese society – socially, culturally, economically, professionally and politically. It is good to celebrate our Indian heritage and Indianness in our own country. It is a vital part of the rich tapestry of Guyanese heritage and culture. It is also exciting to see Guyanese celebrating the heritage and cultures of all its constituent ethnic groups which make up our country – British, Portuguese, African, Chinese, Amerindian and other groups. This makes Guyana special. Guyana is at the vanguard of epoch making social change the world over, where no one heritage and culture dominates, where inclusivity of each and every one is valued and celebrated.”
Celebrations and thanksgiving have been taking place abroad in the diaspora, with the 180th Anniversary of the Arrival of East Indians in Guyana observed last weekend at the Vedic Cultural Centre. The event showcased an exhibition of artefacts, the screening of a documentary movie, poetry reading by the community’s venerable poet, Peter Jailall; and a stage performance. In his keynote address, Dr Ganraj Kumar reflected on the history, experiences, and contributions of the descendants of the indentured labourers.
In Guyana, the Berbice Indian Arrival Day Committee also hosted its event last weekend, where the nation’s President David Granger recognised how Indo-Guyanese had transformed the country even while transforming their own lives and the lives of others through “skills in paddy and vegetable farming, coconut cultivation and cattle rearing; and their skills as boatmen, charcoal burners, goldsmiths, fishermen, hucksters, milk and sweetmeat vendors, shop keepers and tailors enriched the entire economy”. Additionally, he noted “Indian cultural values encourage strong bonds of personal, familial and social solidarity.” And in an iteration of Dindayal’s observation, Granger also noted a similar unifying genealogy of nationalism in Guyana’s multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-religious identity, saying: “Our diversity is an asset, not a liability. We are proud of the variegated tapestry of ethnicity. We are proud of our shared past as we plan our common future.”
However, to return to Dindayal’s prayerful invocation of thanksgiving is to journey across 180 years to arrive at an insightful and fulfilling modern-day spatiality: “Celebrating Indian Arrival day for me is one of thanksgiving prayers. In my prayers, I picture our ancestors as very special beings who quietly and with great dignity transformed their life and circumstances from abject servitude, to masters of their destiny; who bequeathed to us a better life of comfort, and freedom to enjoy all the bounties that life offers. In my heart I forever humbly bow to their hallowed presence as I receive their divine blessings.”