OBSERVANCE OF OUR EAST INDIAN ANCESTORS' EXPERIENCES IN GUYANA

Hey there everyone!

Howdy and hope all is well with everyone.

It's the month of May - a very unique month in the calendar. It means many things to many people, especially if you're of East Indian descent. For the East Indians from Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and other West Indies countries, it means the celebration of the experiences of our Indentured Ancestors who were brought to sweat and toil in the sugar plantations in those colonial states over 171 years ago.

The first boat that brought our Indentured Ancestors to the shores of British Guiana at Highbury, East Berbice, was the Whitby, followed by Hesperus om May 5th 1838. After over three months of sailing in the sea and suffering tremendous hardships on the boat at the hands of the British, including the deaths of loved ones, they finally reached land. Thank God.

Then they were placed at different sugar factories throughout British Guiana to sweat and toil, for their mediocre living. Recounting their excrutiating painful experiences while working on the sugar plantations in B.G., is not an easy task. One can just image how they survive such extremely difficult living and working conditions. But, survive they did. They braved all challenges thrown at their footsteps and came out victorious. For this, I humbly bowed to my ancestors for keeping the memories alive. God bless their souls.

On another aspect of our history, someone pointed and asked me, why are celebrating May 5th as the East Indian Arrival Day? As a matter of fact, if truth be known, many of them were forced/lured into coming to work in the sugar plantations. It's not like they "arrive" as tourists or to enjoy a life of luxury and easy living.

Considering the unbearable circumstances they had to live through, which we all know, it sounds almost hypocritical that we, the direct descendants of our Indentured Labourers, are celebrating their arrival in the West Indies and on May 5th. Do we know what was going through the first batch of Indentured Labourers' mind? Can we describe their state of mind on that day when they landed at Highbury? Do we really understand the deep pain, anguish and suffering of the first batch of our Indentured Ancestors, starting on the boat?

What about those Indentured Labourers who came in subsequently after, in the following year, year after that, etc. How does the celebration of May 5th cover their 'arrivals' to toil on the sugar plantations? It's amost like a cheap lie, is it not?

Recall history, the Indentured process started in 1838 and went on until about 1920, when the system officially came to an end. That is what we should be celebrating - our FREEDOM from the draconian Indentured system, not our arrival to sweat and toil on the sugar planations at the mercy of the British landlords.

It's still not too tale to correct this mistake or injustice. We should open this dicussion for debate across all walks of life, not just let the political leaders of the day or East Indian leaders of the day speak and decide for all of us, without proper reseach in a matter of such importance.

Below are some images of the celebration in Highbury, East Berbice of last year's event. Photos courtesy Mr. Vince Ramsaroop.

The stage with the banner.

Lovely young ladies beautifully dressed in Indian garments.

Women at the forefront, marching ahead with replica of Whitby.

Section of the crowd, including the late Shri Prakash Gossai.

GOPIO SPEARHEADS THE BUILDING OF KOLKOTTA MEMORIAL & MUSEUM

GOPIO is leading the way in the building of the "Kolkotta Memorial & Museum" at the land site of the Bhowanipore Depot in Kolkotta, India, where thousands of East Indian laborers awaited their time to set sail to sugar plantations in the various British Colonies, including the West Indies.

The "Kolkotta Memorial & Museum" will be built in honor of our brave Indentured Ancestors who were lured by sugar planters to toil on sugar plantations across the British Colonies between 1834 and 1920 from the Calcutta Port.

Mr. Ashook Ramsaran, Executive Vice President of GOPIO International, Ms. Leela Sarup, popular historian and writer and Mr. Malay Misra, Hon Indian High Commissioner to Trinidad & Tobago, traveled to India in January 2010 to advocate the preservation of the land site.

Gopio is working towards acquiring the land, which is the first step to this project. The purpose of the "Kolkotta Memorial & Museum" is to honor our great ancestors and give their descendents a chance to pay proper homage to them for their pioneering spirits, indomitable courage and resilience, among other great qualities.

The team held meetings with appropriate Indian officials and took steps towards the establishment of the Global Indian Diaspora Heritage Society (GIDHS). Gopio has designated the newly formed GIDHS as a Kolkotta based organization with an internationally represented Kolkotta Memorial Project Committee that will be an international collaboration involving groups and persons where East Indians went as Indentured laborers to toil in the sugar colonies.

As this project progresses, it will be reported on this blog.

Sketches of the Bhowanipore Depot by Ms. Sarup


The team meeting in India in January 2010

OUR ANCESTORS HAD GREAT FAITH IN HANUMAN SWAMI

While a percentage of Hindus celebrated Hanuman Jayanthi on Monday, depending on their geographical locations and time zone, others within the USA observed this auspicious day on Tuesday, March 30th. Regardless of the difference in the day, Hindus globally love their Hanuman Swami. That is a fact. Hanuman Swami is the embodiment of Godliness and Ram Naam (chanting Shri Ram's name).

Throughout all the celebrations, which tallied over 171 years since our East Indian ancestors were brought to toil and sweat on the sugar plantations in British Guiana, two things were of paramount importance - and still are - their unconditional love and unflinching faith that they had in Hanuman Swami. These same values they passed onto their children and grand-children.

Today, we still love our Hanuman Swami and all that He represents: His unconditional love for Shri Ram, His selfless service to humanity, His humility, His strength, His power - in essence -Hanuman Swami's every words, thoughts and deeds - He lives, breaths and does everything for His Shri Ram. His devotion and love for Shri Ram cannot be described in words. That is why until this day, His glories and praises are sung. He is our everlasting hero.

In Guyana, all most all Hindu homes have a Jandha (red flag) proudly flying in their front yards, the red flag is a representation of Hanuman Swami. Most Hindus like to perform their annual Jandhi, where with the help of a pandit, they offer prayers and perform Puja for Hanuman Swami. This tradition was passed on to them by their ancestors. And, our folks brought this tradition to the USA. Take a drive through Richmond Hill and surrounding areas in Queens, you'll see many Hindu homes have their red flags flying highly.

When our ancestors came to British Guiana, their faith and believe in their religion kept them going throughout all the unspeakable hardships and struggles they endured on the sugar plantations. They secretly performed their Pujas, sang their chow-paees from the Ramayan and bhajans and kept their faith in their Lord Rama and Hanuman Swami. They took comfort and drew strength from Hanuman Swami.

He is so great that Saint Tulsidas penned the popular 40-verses Hanuman Chalisa, extolling His superlative qualities and praise this great servant of Shri Ram. For as long as Sanatan Dharma exists, Hanuman Swami's praises will be sung.


All of us needs to be more like Shri Hanuman Swami. May He bless us all.

(Online photos of Shri Hanuman Swami praying to Shri Ram)


Shri Ram told Hanuman Swami that He is as dear to Him as His brother Bharat..

2010 NAURATRI CULMINATES WITH RAMNAUMI

Hey there everyone!

Hindus globally just concluded the Vasant Nauratri celebrations (Vasant means Spring Season), which started on Tuesday March 16th and culminated on Wednesday March 24th with Ramnaumi. Tuesday March 16th also marked the Hindu New Year - 2067. I guess we're all in our ripe old age, according to the Hindu calender.

Nauratri is a 9 days and 9 nights of prayers, fasting and Puja all dedicated to the Universal Mother - Aadi Shakti Devi Durga Maa. Sanatan Dharma is the only religion in the world that equally worships God in the female aspect - as a Mother. And rightly so, because a mother is the primordial, quintessential and primary force in a home. It's a very difficult task to describe a mother. She is everything to a child. So too is the Universal Mother to Her children.

I hope Hindus observed the Nauratri season in the correct way it ought to be observed and not only that, but resolved to be better persons.

Here's a fervent prayer that Shakti Maa's blessings will allow us to "be good, do good and live good."

Durga Maa seated beautifully on Her lion (online)

The Spring Nauratri culminated with the observation of Ramnaumi, which is the day Shri Ram made His divine appearance in this world. Shri Ram is the Lord Saint Valmiki wrote about in the Ramayan. Ramayan means "the coming of Lord Rama" and was written ages before Lord Rama came on earth. Saint Valmiki wrote the Ramayan in Sanskrit.

Years later, it is believed that Saint Valmiki was re-incarnated as Saint Tulsidas who penned the "Ramcharitamanas." Ramcharitamanas literally means "The lake of the exploits or deeds of Lord Rama." Ramcharitamas is a powerful storehouse of knowledge and has the correct prescription for life for all.

Shri Ram's blessing to all.

Lord Rama blesses Shri Hanuman Swami

SHUBH HOLI 2010 - LET US BURN THE BAD QUALITIES WITHIN US

February 28th is fast approaching. It's a special day in the Hindu Calendar year. It's an important day in every Hindu's life. It's called Holika Dahan or the Burning of Holika. The burning of Holika heralds the celebrations of Holi or Phagwah which is on Monday, March 1st.

There's a reason why the Hindu Calendar is filled with parbs and festivities. All these beautiful celebrations have deep spiritual meanings and social significances meant to help us climb the spiritual ladder to greater heights. They are meant to make us better individuals worthy of God's grace. But, how many of us take the time to delve into the real meanings of our festivals?

Take Holi Dahan, for instance. The deeper spiritual meaning of this day is the burning of the negative qualities within each of us. Evil qualities like anger, lust, greed, ego, selfishness, dishonesty, ignorance, hunger for power, pride, jeaousy, fear, attachment and all other bad qualities should be burnt out from our systems.

With each passing year and each festival that we observed, we ought to get closer to God and ultimately become more spiritual. Our beings ought to be saturated with divine qualities like humility, simplicity, devotion, selfless service to others, kindness, austerity, sacrifice, pure thoughts, courage, peace, unity, harmony and brotherhood. The spiritual goal is to become more Godly. The purpose of life is to become a God.

Holi Dahan and the Festival of Phagwah gives us the opportunity to become more God-like and to serve God and His creation. Holi Dahan means we need to take stock of ourselves and our roles in society. It means that the people who manages our mandirs and the pandits within our community need to take stock of their behaviours and their roles in society.

The senseless power-struggles and individual egotistic battles for power and fame that go on in many of these mandirs in the community need to be stopped. Truly speaking, some of these people who holds leadership position in some mandirs are so utterly unqualified and unfit to lead, that it is an insult to one's intelligence to see some of their behaviour in public. I'll site one example and there are many other mandirs in community that have these "round holes in sqaure pegs"situations.

I was at the Shri Prakash Gossai Bhuwaneshwar Mandir one Sunday morning's satsangh. I thought, here was a spiritual leader who spent his life to uplift his fellow mankind and make them better human beings. He sacrificed his family's happiness to spread the Holy Name of Shri Ram from the Ramacharitamanas to Hindus all over the world.

He gave his all to make everyone he met into a more spiritual being. He elevated the status of the Bhuwaneshwar Mandir and it's management team. He put them some place reputable and good. He tried his level best to subdue the negative qualities within all and yet, the poor manner in which some of them behaved that morning was so distasteful and the rude way in which some of the men spoke with family members was a shame and disgrace to Dharma. Mind you, these people just concluded satsangh and some of them stood on the stage with the murtis and spoke in such rude manner. Some of the men and women should be asked to leave the mandir.

It was a sad day, indeed. I looked at the spectable and I thought, Guruji would be very disappointed with the distasteful conduct of some of these people. He would be very
ashamed and appalled to know that these are the people who hold leadership roles within the mandir and these same people are treating his family with such disrespect. He would want his family to be treated with respect and dignity. They deserved that much. That is the Dharmic way to behave, particularly with the womenfolks, not shouting at them. What nonsense! And certainly, not pretending to uphold Guruji's name on one hand, while treating his family in such a shameful manner. Where did they get that from? Did he ever preach that?

There are so many other mandirs in this community that have this power-struggle, egotistic battles, another being the Prem Bhakti Mandir. The people there need to recognize the honet, hard-work that Pandit Baya is putting into making that mandir runs successfully. And, the many programs he organized to help the youths grow and develop into more all-rounded, well-cultured and better practising Hindus. Good efforts and conduct play a major role in times of judgement.

As Hindus, we need to channell our time, energy and effort into becoming more Godly. If you need a role model to help you become a better Hindu, choose Shri Ram or Mother Sita or Arjuna from the Bhagavad Gita or there is the Mahatma Gandhi. He walked the face of this earth, just like you.

The people in this community need to realize and recognize the importance of people's power. They need to stop allowing themselves to be held as scapegoats. They need to hold these so-called leaders and some of these pandits accountable for their actions. Gone are the days when we have to silently listen to all the crap some of them say and do. Some of these pandits don't even know where their heads are or feet are. And amazily, some of them can't construct proper English sentences, much less, Hindi or Sanskrit sentences.

It's an insult to our intelligence to listen to some of them speak and the stories they make up at some of these religious ceremonies are pure hogwash. It's time we raise the bar and standards for those who want to become a pandit. Not all and sundry should practice "panditai" duties , only the people deserving of such an honor. It's not a money-making business. It's all about helping the people within our community becoming better human beings, better Hindus.

Mandirs belong to the people, because they are the ones who donate the money to build these places of worship. Mandirs do not belong to one person, and certainly not to the pandits.

Remember, we are all here to protect and preserve this mighty Dharma of ours. It's not only just one person's or the pandits' responsibility. It's all our responsibility. When the time calls for it, we're all leaders, and when the time calls for it, we are also followers.

In conclusion, therefore, parbs and festivals, like Holi Dahan, help us become more Dharmic and more outspoken and intolerant against Adharmic qualities, within ourselves and others, particularly our leaders; our pandits.

So, as we're celebrating another Holi season or Phagwah 2010, let us strive to become more Dharmic and not get too attach to Maya, because we're just passing through this world. Nothing and I mean, absolutely nothing, belongs to us. Everything belongs to God.

Shubh Holi to one and all. May goodness, goodwill and brotherhood rein supreme!

(Photos from online)