There is a new Vincentian Awareness, a sense of who we are

The official commemoration of June 1 as Indian Arrival Day in St Vincent and the Grenadines is a new development, relatively speaking. The passing of an Act of Parliament in 2007 to allow for official recognition of the arrival of East Indian indentured workers to our shores between 1861 and 1880 speaks to the evolution of our society and is a recognition of our disparate roots.

This recognition also underlines the manner in which our society has become integrated, in that in St Vincent and the Grenadines, East Indians do not have their own distinct pattern of socio-cultural integration, nor do the people of African, European, Callinago or Garifuna descent. Our Vincentian nationality comes from different chords which produce a single harmony – one Vincentian identity.

This public recognition of our Indian lineage is highly valued as it is part of who we are and who we have become. It is also in line with our celebration of our Garifuna heritage, also a relatively new development, which took on enhanced significance on March 14, 2002, when Paramount Chief, Joseph Chatoyer was formalized as St Vincent and the Grenadines’ first national hero. There is a new Vincentian Awareness which sees us pulling together the different ancestral strands of our identity; a new sense of who we are.

People of Indian descent have participated in every aspect of Vincentian life and have contributed immensely to the growth and development of our nation. They are well represented in every sphere of Vincentian life as teachers, medical doctors, farmers, business people, politicians, lawyers, entertainers, nurses, public servants, pharmacists, media practitioners, bankers, to name a few. In fact, some may say that their contribution is far in excess, relative to their absolute numbers, which according to the last census was just about 6,600 people.

Despite their small numbers, their impact on Vincentian society is large enough that the President of India, the second most populous country in the world (pop. 1.38 billion), saw it fit to make an official visit to our tiny nation two weeks ago. From all reports the visit went well and provided an excellent launch pad for this year’s Indian Arrival Day celebrations.

May we continue on this path of discovery of what makes us Vincentian. We commend the Indian Arrival Day celebrations to all Vincentians and wish the organizers every success in their execution.