On the occasion of Indian Arrival Day 2011, we invited a young student, Hindu born and educated in T&T, to investigate the history of his presence 12,000 miles away from the "Janam Bhoom" of his ancestors. How his religious and cultural legacies are being preserved, both here in T & T and in India. These are his thoughts: Approximately 145,000 indentured labourers came to Trinidad between 1845 and 1917, and today, we celebrate the 166th anniversary of that arrival. As a sixth generation Hindu, Trinidad is my birthplace and motherland and, therefore, Indian Arrival Day has a different meaning for me than it had for my grandparents and great grandparents.
In reflecting on, and in celebrating, this occasion, I choose not only to remember, recognise and pay tribute to the contribution of those ancestors who arrived by boat, but to all our fore- fathers-those who came by boat and those who were born in the earlier part of the 20th century (that is up to 1950). To truly understand and appreciate what it is our ancestors have really done for us-we must briefly go back in history. Life on the sugar estate was oppressive-nine hours of work in the cane fields for 25 cents a day, six days a week. There was little room for any social interaction on the estate and movement was restricted by the "passlaw" made infamous by the film Gandhi. There was no English education available and when the opportunity did arise, it came at the price of conversion.
The Hindu marriage was not recognised and, as such, most of our grandparents and great grandparents were considered illegitimate at birth and therefore could not inherit land and property that was rightfully theirs. Thus in Trinidad, the Hindu was considered to be an uncivilised primitive who was to be treated as an outcast. Our ancestors had very little material possessions; they did not own much in the way of clothes and money but they were wealthy in terms of their traditions, their customs and their dharma-their way of life. Our ancestors had their spiritual and cultural heritage, which they ensured was transferred to their grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Today, the opportunities which we have to succeed, the life that we have with all its modern comforts and conveniences and the place that we occupy in society are through their sacrifice, their suffering, their hard work and, most of all, to the vision and dreams that they had for us as their grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is for this reason that as young Hindus we can sit in our homes and our mandirs and perform puja. We can even sit in our own schools and receive a good education, or acquire a job without having to abandon our heritage; we can also listen to our own radio station. But, most of all, it is because of our ancestors we can walk this land and proudly call ourselves Hindus.
Due to the sacrifice and foresight of our grandparents and great grandparents, the Hindu child is firmly grounded in the religious, philosophical and cultural tenets of Hinduism while simultaneously soaring to the pinnacles of academic achievement. This scenario has created a young Hindu with a warrior spirit who is not only defensive but creative and expansive as well. Gone are the days when the Hindu was considered a passive and silent non-participant on the national playing field. In 1985, Dr Ravi R Maharaj wrote the following lines in an Indian Arrival Day publication of that year: "I open with an observation that epitomises the Indian dilem-ma in Trinidad. I refer to the claim published in local periodicals that Trinidadians will not accept an 'Indian Prime Minister.'
"Today in 2011, through the vision and hard work of our grandparents and great grandparents, a Hindu woman occupies that office and she is accepted by a coalition of partners. "Our ancestors, though limited in western-type academic knowledge, possessed the wisdom and belief in their traditions, customs and practices and this, coupled with their vision and determination, have resulted in us as Hindus being a driving force in Trinidad and Tobago. Our ancestors have done an excellent job and we worship them for their sacrifice and perseverance. "The legacy of our great grandparents, therefore, is that they propelled the Hindu community and by extension the national community out of poverty and obscurity. Our grandparents have left us self-sufficient, to travel out and become masters of our own destiny in the global village that is this world."
With the advance of modern communication technology, historical and current information is instantly available to any Trinidad and Tobago student. The history of the presence of Indians in T&T is now being challenged. Some have taught that we are the products of an Aryan invasion of India many years ago. The promoters of this theory, both in India and T&T, have been totally disproved and exposed as agents of European attempts to credit the "white" conquerors with everything worthy in the conquered lands.
Some Indians even acted as willing agents of these conquerors' theories.
Satnarayan Maharaj is the
secretary general of the
Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha