You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. – Desmond Tutu
Indian Arrival Day is indeed a very important and special day for me. It represents great struggle, ambition, courage, determination and love. How could one day, viewed by so many as just a public holiday, hold such importance to me? Even though my forefathers have gone to the great beyond, their spirit, their teachings, their pains, their sorrows, their joys and their love remain with every one of us. Therefore, it is with great joy that we celebrate Indian Arrival Day and their success in creating a better life for us.Monday, 25th August, 1890, marks the decision my forefathers took in an attempt to make my life, and that of my relatives, a better one. My great-grandfather, Heera, and great-grandmother, Kullia, left the village of Sahjuthpur in the district of Ghazipur (a district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India) on the said day. Both, at the tender age of 16, made a firm decision to board the 'Ganges' (the ship on which they came) in Calcutta and come to Trinidad in search of a better life. My great-great grandfather, Fullu, bid farewell to his son and daughter-in-law and wished them success in their journey.
The couple arrived here in Trinidad on Tuesday, 25th November, 1890. On board the Ganges on September 29th 1890, their first child (a girl named 'Samoondari') was born. Heera and Kullia then went to work on the Phoenix Park/Esperanza plantations where they toiled for five long years. They bore no children during the five years of indentureship. The couple then moved to Tabaquite, to a place that was called 'Coolie Block' where they settled. There, they started their family, which is still making a significant contribution to the land our ancestors once dreamt of visiting.Heera and Kullia then had six more children � Sooknanan, Chattergoon, Sahadeo (my grandfather), Ramnarine, Dassiah and Bublee.My grandfather, also called 'Captain' (since he was the Captain of a cricket team), was truly the captain of his family. He was the only one of Heera and Kullia's children to be alive when the family started its annual reunion on Indian Arrival Day 13 years ago. Papa, as I called my grandfather, died at the age of 99.
In 1910, Heera died at the age of 36 and Kullia remarried to a man name Durgan. Out of this marriage came Mahadeo. Kullia then died in 1944 at the age of 70. Sometime during their stay in Tabaquite, the couple moved to Carry Road, Tabaquite where I have lived all my life. Thanks to Papa, my years have been full of great knowledge on my rich culture. My grandfather has contributed to my life in an enormous way. He has been everything to me, from the time I was born and until now, after his death. The stories he has given to me about his struggles and the many jobs he did, I will never forget. They are obviously too many to mention but my most cherished story would be of how he slaved in the cocoa and coffee estates to buy land (where we live now) at the cost of 50 cents. "Dem days" he used to say "50 cent was plenty."
My grandfather spoke Hindi better than he did English. His father Heera couldn't speak English so he and his siblings were brought up speaking both Hindi and a small amount of English.
The teachings Papa dealt me were aplenty. "Study you book and doh study boy" he would tell me every day "and make yuh parents proud, doh make dem shame." I crave to relive those days with my grandfather especially the ones where I would tag along with him to the garden where he planted cassava, corn, plantains, bananas and peas, cocoa and coffee. In addition to working on the coffee and cocoa estates, Papa used to plant sugar cane, harvest it and sell it to the Brechin Castle Factory. He would tell me "I used to burn coal peet (he meant pit) to make coals and ah used to plant 'ood (his version of the word 'wood'). He planted mahogany and cedar. Papa was also a shopkeeper and a farmer. Although he was not educated due to his circumstances, he was no stupid man. As he said "common sense make before book".
Papa also worked for "de white man" in the oilfield. He always gave me stories with a lesson at the end of it. He said "one day ah went in de room and see he chess (way he used to keep he money) open. So ah went and call him queek (quick) and wen he come he say "Sa'deo you're a good man, you saw so much money here and you didn't take a cent." As a result of his loyalty, he was promoted. Papa taught all of us to be honest in whatever we did and to work for whatever we want. He would take a shot of brandy everyday and he claimed that this contributed to his longevity.My grandfather worked tirelessly to grant us all a better life. While he struggled we went on enjoying life and quite possibly took his struggles for granted at that point. However, now that we're older and wiser, we appreciate every drop of his sweat. Even though he is gone now, his words and his teachings are forever etched in our minds and hearts.
Papa has been and always will be my Mahatma (a person regarded with reverence or loving respect; a holy person or sage). It is my promise to him to remember that I have come from humble beginnings and to work towards a better future. It is my promise to my ancestors to continue the struggle they started years ago and to create a better life for generations to come. We will never forget the sacrifice you have made by leaving a land you knew to come to a place unknown where only struggle and hardships awaited you. Thanks to my ancestors for this priceless sacrifice and for keeping our culture alive.