President Christine Kangaloo says T&T has benefitted from the sacrifices of indentured East Indian labourers who decided to make this country their home.
In her Indian Arrival Day message, Kangaloo called on citizens to use the occasion to reflect on the experiences of their East Indian forebearers and adopt their ability to endure and overcome even the harshest of circumstances.
Like the indentured labourers, she said citizens must press on through times of difficulty with resolve and courage. She said they should also honour the memories of those who gave their lives for future generations by embracing the cultural diversity and heritage to which they richly contributed and resisting all forms of division and discord.
“Trinidad and Tobago has benefitted enormously and been enriched in many ways, the tangible and intangible, by the sacrifices and contributions of the people who came, persevered, and prospered, and in so doing, helped forge a stronger, more diverse society. Among the most enduring lessons that their arrival and way of life have taught us is the power of commitment and the importance of resilience,” Kangaloo said.
She said the arrival of the Fatel Razack at the Port-of-Spain harbour on May 30, 1845, signalled the beginning of a significant chapter in T&T’s history. When 225 passengers disembarked to survey their adopted homeland, they did so after an exhausting journey over the treacherous Kali Pani. However, they did it with hope and expectation for the future.
Kangaloo said these were the first of more than 143,000 East Indian indentured labourers who came to T&T over 72 years to work on sugar and other agricultural estates, forever transforming the social and cultural landscape.
Indian Arrival Day is a celebration of the legacy of those dauntless immigrants who brought their cultures, traditions, values and morals, as well as the drive and determination to forge a better and brighter future for themselves and their offspring, she said.
Although they faced harsh working and living conditions, meagre wages and rampant discrimination—even after the end of the indentureship system— they persevered, remaining fiercely committed to their customs and beliefs and sacrificed tremendously to achieve their goals. They triumphed over adversity, and they made this country their home.
“Together, and in their memory and honour, let us rise to this moment in our country’s history, strong and resilient in the face of our modern-day challenges: poverty, crime, misogynism and intolerance. Let us, like those 225 passengers who walked off of the Fatel Razack and into a future which we now call the present, step forward, united in our commitment to stare down any and all challenges, to teach our children the meaning of resilience, and to show the world why Trinidad and Tobago, despite all of its adversities, is still the most amazing nation on the face of planet Earth.”