The 179th anniversary of Indian Arrival Day has kicked off with several social, cultural and sporting events to mark the arrival of the Fatal Razak on the shores of Trinidad.
Film Show- The Mystic Masseur- at Bamboo No 1 Mandir on May 19th.
The Bamboo No 1 Mandir invited its public to view The Mystic Masseur on Saturday 19 May. Filmed in Trinidad and London, the story of the film was taken from Trinidad-born Nobel laureate, Vidia Naipaul’s novel, The Mystic Masseur.
The movie provided the audience with a glimpse of the social and political settings of Trinidad in the 1940s. Though the main casts were foreign, there were a number of familiar faces performing short roles including Dinesh Maharaj and David Samy, both well-known actors on the local theater stage.
Wayne Lalchan said that the mandir wanted to present something cultural but outside the normal celebration and that the film captured the ‘hardships and prejudices’ the Indians had to endure in this country.
Well-known martial artist Leroy Bruce was in the audience and felt that it was beautiful to see how Indians have progressed from one stage to another and made an appeal for ‘Indian people to continue to progress.’
Also commenting on the movie was Ganesh Bideshi, a retired public servant, who said that showing the movie was a tribute to V. S. Naipaul and that the ‘movie chronicled a bit of the life at that time.’
7K Health and Wellness Walk and Run Race at Barrackpore
The Satya Drishti Shakha of Barrackpore sponsored a 7K Health and Wellness Walk and Run Race on May 19. The event which started at GP Road and continued along the Papourie Road to the recreation ground in Lower Barrackpore where trophies and medals were presented to all winners and participants.
To attract the widest participation, trophies were distributed to the 1st, 2nd and 3rd places in male and female at the senior, junior, open and mandir/shakha categories. All participants received a medal of participation.
This health walk was aimed at getting the people to adopt a more health-conscious routine. ‘A more sedentary lifestyle is causing many health issues. We need to get the community on the move…on the run,” said Ramcharan.
21-Night Gyan Yagya at Bamboo No 3
In Bamboo No 3, Valsayn the Sri Hanuman Darshan Ashram of Bamboo No 3 launched a 21 Night- Gyaan Yagya which commenced on May 12 and continuing till June 01. Officiating is Swami Prakaskananda Saraswati, Spiritual Head of the Chinmaya Mission of Trinidad and Tobago.
Swamiji in his discourse on Saturday 19 spoke about the British education system that is alien to Hindu thinking. He stressed that while we are Indians, we think like westerners c and went on to speak about the law of relativity and related it to Hindu philosophy. He concluded that duality would always exist so long as were don’t become conscious of our oneness.
Prior to Swamiji taking to the singhasan there was the rendition of bhajans by Devashish Ramdath who is renowned for his singing.
The Yagyashala was beautifully decorated. Several devotees were involved in the serving of meals. Pandit Buddharath Yankatesu, Spiritual Head of the Sri Hanuman Ashram, was positioned at the entrance to the Yagyshala to greet devotees when they were arriving and when leaving he enquired whether they have eaten or not.
Choka Fest at Endeavour on May 30- 9am.
On May 30, Hariji Satsangh of Endeavour will be hosting its annual Choka Fest between 9 am and 12 noon. Sada roti, chokas and corn soup will be on the menu.
This program is a special dedication to Hariji, the founder of the Hindu Seva Sangh that has played a major role to mobilize the community to celebrate May 30 as the birthday of the Indian community in Trinidad. Today the respective dates of arrival of Indians in the countries of the diaspora are celebrated, thus making the common struggle of indentureship a unifying force through the diaspora.
Indian Arrival Day is testimony of how the vision of a single individual in the person of Ramdath Jagessar can evolve into an international movement with the cooperation of many with a sincerity of purpose. Though several obstacles were thrown on the path, these visionaries did not lose spirit but persevered in their mission.
The struggle for Indian Arrival Day was akin to the struggle of the Maha Sabha in the 1950s to build schools to educate Hindu boys and girls. It was not just empty sloganeering but a mobilizing of a community with a specific vision in mind.
