Dear Editor,
This letter serves as my recommendation to the Government of India through the High Commissioner of India to Guyana for its consideration to bestow the 2025 Pravasi Bharat Samman Award (PBSA) to Indologist and avid promoter of India, Guyana’s illustrious son Dr. Vishnu Bisram. This name has been well known for decades throughout Guyana and the diaspora for his prolific writings and other activities pertaining to his native Guyana and India and their diasporas and Indo Caribbean people globally.
Having learned of the call for nominations for the 2025 PBSA, I am publicly announcing my recommendation of Dr. Bisram for the PBSA for his outstanding contributions to Guyana, the Guyanese diaspora, the Indian diaspora, the Caribbean and its diaspora in America, and to India. In multiple ways, Dr. Bisram has exceeded the stated criteria and qualifications for the prestigious Samman, India’s highest award given to an overseas based Indian (from the diaspora).
The honor is given to a nominee for roles in one or more of the following: better understanding of India abroad, support of India causes, building closer links between India and the diaspora and the home countries of the diaspora, humanitarian causes, philanthropy and charitable work, gaining prominence or eminence in a field, enhancing India’s image abroad, among other criteria. Dr. Bisram has excelled in each of the above criteria. It is also noted that Dr. Bisram penned a dozen articles relating to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s trip to Guyana including urging the Guyana government a few years back to invite the Indian PM to visit Guyana and countless more on India-Guyana relations. Guyanese and others are schooled in India’s global rise through his consistent writings and advocacy.
Dr. Bisram is well known for his many roles as an indefatigable champion for free and fair elections, combating Guyana’s authoritarian rule (1966 thru 1992), promoting Indian culture, pollster, writer par excellence on varied topics, academia, and for his courage to speak out on issues that the public is fearful to discuss. Dr Bisram is well known and respected for his intellect and diverse skills, remarkable capacity and capability, unique educational accomplishments of multiple degrees in various subjects, personal achievements, stellar community service and charitable work, championing of issues in America that have been beneficial to Guyana, the Caribbean and India, promoting the image of India, cementing ties between India and Guyana as well as between India and the diaspora, and his prolific writings – each of which individually is worthy of honor and combined is worthy of a country’s highest award. Dr. Bisram is also well known and admired for organizing cultural events, seminars, academic conferences in New York and globally on Guyana, Indo-Caribbeans, and the Indian diaspora, and for promoting closer ties between India and America and India and the Caribbean. No Guyanese has penned more writings on diaspora and on India than him and no overseas based Guyanese has written as much as him on Guyana related issues. The public has not forgotten that Dr. Bisram was among those, including myself, in the forefront in the media against the 2020 attempted electoral fraud. Because of his activism and international campaign and that of others that democracy was restored in Guyana in 1992 and again rescued in 2020 resulting in the peaceful transfer of political power in Guyana.
In looking at several past Guyanese recipients of PBSA, Dr. Bisram’s contributions to India and the Indian diaspora tower over them, making him highly deserving of the India award and of any honor given by the Government of Guyana for his advocacy of the interests of both countries.
Yours truly,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
