Yes, Mek Indian Arrival Day ah Holiday!

Last weekend ah was comfortably “hooked in me gill” ( Ralph Gone-Soft style) watching ah TV broadcast of de East Indian Arrival Day Annual Celebrations, hosted by de SVG Indian Heritage Foundation (SVGIHF). De Foundation will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary on July 20th. Ah very vibrant Organ-I-Say-Shun (if yuh not prepared to wuk), headed by de Indefatigable Junior Bacchus, ah restless young man bordering re-tyre-mint age.

(Junior and yours truly are recipients of de Gone-Soft Awe-wards: “Idiot Boy and Dutty Dog” respectively).

Ah really learned ah lot watching dat programme. How between 1861 and 1880, eight boat-loads wid ah total of 2,474 East Indian Indentured labourers, arrived in SVG to support the local plantation economy, (dat was exploit-here-shun), following the abolition of slavery. De first batch of East Indians to arrive in SVG (after 3-months at sea) landed at Edinboro on June 1, 1861. Dey cleared Immi-grey-shun den taken to Indian Bay way they were greeted by Co-loan-u-all Officials. Dey did not come hey as Slaves eh, dey were more sophisticatedly called: “Indentured Labourers.” Ah male worker got ah shilling or 24 cents foh ah 9-hour day; and ah female got 18 cents. Dat’s ah fortune considering de African Slaves never got ah Red Cent! Dat was Rape! No wonder today every Tom, Dick’n’Harry want to captain de Rape-arrears-shun Boat.

Soon to be published, is ah comprehensive detail of de East Indian struggles and successes, written by Dr Arnold Thomas, de great-grand-son of Indentured Labourers. He’s also ah member of ah State selected four member committee of ”Born’n’Bread Vincy His-story-ants, updating our His-story. So permit me to fast forward my non-cent-story. Yes, in spite of dat pain-full Rape’n’Rob slavery era/error, our Vincy East Indians have demonstrated dat dey’s opportunity foh honest hard-working citizens. Dey would have opted to live among dey own race, in areas where dey’s fertile land, e.g Marriaqua SVG’S food basket; so too is Calder; De Argyle Estate- lots of work back den.

Interestingly, most if not all our Vincy East Indian population would have converted to Christianity and very seriously too. Unlike dey East Indian counterpart families in T’n’T and Gay-Anna who would have maintained lots of dey Indian Traditions, Customs, Practices and Language, we in SVG have lost it all.
As Lie-Za was lamenting, de local Indian Heritage Foundation got its work cut out. It is very important dat dey encouraging de re-introduction of East Indian Cultural practices among young people e.g. learn to play Indian musical instruments, Indian dance, Cuisine! How to mek ah good Indian Dhalpuri roti, and above all,learn at least one of de 120 East Indian Languages .

During his address President Junior Bacchus, made an appeal to Minister Cupid and de GG Sir Stanley, to lobby wid Cabinet on de “Nah-shun-all Heritage Found-day-shun’s” behalf, to make June 1st “Indian Arrival Day” ah Public Holiday. And why not may I ask? Lie-Za say PM Friday must move de Motion to mek Indian Arrival Day in SVG ah Public Holiday and den call on Ralph to second it.
And wid dat is gone ah gone again.

ONE LOVE BASSY

• Bassy Alexander is a land surveyor, folklorist and social commentator.