fbpx
  • Latest
  • Trending
  • All
  • Opinions
  • Features
  • Letters
  • Videos
  • Editorials
  • Columns
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Indian Immigrant Repatriation Fund in Guyana was expropriated and enough to build National Cultural Center

December 19, 2024
Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

May 23, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Do Guyana Governments respond to Objective, fair, balanced editorials? The attack on Hindus and Hinduism in Guyana

May 21, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Guyana must Seek American Assistance to deter Venezuela’s Aggression & Halt May 25 Election

May 21, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Exxon, Liability, and Guyana’s Growth

May 21, 2025
Dool Hanomansingh

Why the Hindu community remains weak despite personal achievements?

May 17, 2025
English rendering of PM’s interaction with the brave air warriors and soldiers at the Adampur Air Base

English rendering of PM’s interaction with the brave air warriors and soldiers at the Adampur Air Base

May 17, 2025
Ashook-Ramsaran

THE INDIAN DIASPORA COUNCIL CONVENES CONFERENCE SESSION AT ST. JOHN’S UNIVERSITY

May 17, 2025
Leyland-Chitlall-Roopnaraine

A CHILD’S DEATH PLUNGES A COUNTRY INTO CRISIS

May 17, 2025
Vassan Ramracha

PPP/C GOVERNMENT MUST CONCEDE ITS INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY

May 17, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Prosecute Hate Speech and Racial Attacks against Indians in Guyana

May 17, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Indian Caribbean Diaspora Support Surgical Strikes against terrorists; backs PM Modi’s tough response

May 17, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Will Azruddin and Glenn Team up in Guyana?

May 17, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Condition
Monday, May 26, 2025
  • Login
Indo Caribbean Diaspora News
  • Home
  • Columns
    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Do Guyana Governments respond to Objective, fair, balanced editorials? The attack on Hindus and Hinduism in Guyana

    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Guyana must Seek American Assistance to deter Venezuela’s Aggression & Halt May 25 Election

    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Indian Caribbean Diaspora Support Surgical Strikes against terrorists; backs PM Modi’s tough response

    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Will Azruddin and Glenn Team up in Guyana?

    Dr. Jerry Jailall

    The Adrianna “scrapehead” riots must be a wake-up call to Indo-Guyanese as we race towards the 2025 elections

    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Racial Unity in Grief over death of Afro Child in Guyana; divided by racial attacks on Indians; call for an inquiry

    Indian Arrival Day celebrations were held at Better Hope Mandir compound Friday May 5 afternoon.

    The Struggle for Indian Arrival as a Holiday in Guyana

    Vassan Ramracha

    CIVILITY IN TRINIDAD ELECTIONS

    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Racial Attacks Divided Guyanese nation united in grief

    Kamla Persad Bissessar

    IDC CONGRATULATES HON. KAMLA PERSAD BISSESSAR ON TRINIDAD & TOBAGO ELECTIONS VICTORY

  • Letters
    Guyana Rohee’s mocking of Illegal Guyanese & Green Card Holders in America

    Guyana Rohee’s mocking of Illegal Guyanese & Green Card Holders in America

    Charles Sugrim

    Authenticating Dr Bisram’s Poll in Guyana

    Gary Griffith

    United We Stand, Divided We Fall

    Ravi Balgobin Maharaj

    Democrats More Dangerous to Dragon Gas than Republicans

    Ravi Balgobin Maharaj

    Who Really Lost in the Junior Sammy Matter in Trinidad?

    Jai Lall

    A challenge to become the rainbow in Leonora’s cloud

    Rabindra-Moonan

    The opposition UNC led by Kamla Persad Bissessar has gone into meltdown mode.

    Jai Lall

    Residents of Leonora, Guyana are ashamed and embarrassed

    Kamla Persad Bissessar

    Trinidad & Tobago REPUBLIC DAY MESSAGE 2024 OF LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION

    Ravi Balgobin Maharaj

    Crime has reached a high level in Trinidad and Tobago

  • Community News
    Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

    Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Exxon, Liability, and Guyana’s Growth

    English rendering of PM’s interaction with the brave air warriors and soldiers at the Adampur Air Base

    English rendering of PM’s interaction with the brave air warriors and soldiers at the Adampur Air Base

    Indian-Caribbeans Observe Hanuman Birth Anniversary

    Indian-Caribbeans Observe Hanuman Birth Anniversary

    Ram Navami 2023 Observed

    Indo Caribbean Americans Observed 2025 Ram Naumi or Navami

    Dool Hanomansingh

    Gowtam Maharaj: “Phagwa is much more than gulal and abeer; it is building family love and strong communities.”

    Queens Boro President hosts 2025 Holi (Phagwah) Celebration

    Queens Boro President hosts 2025 Holi (Phagwah) Celebration

    Indian-Caribbean Americans in 2025 Phagwah (Holi) Spirit

    Indian-Caribbean Americans in 2025 Phagwah (Holi) Spirit

    Indo-Caribbeans Spellbound by the Maha Kumbh in India

    Indo-Caribbeans Spellbound by the Maha Kumbh in India

    Indo-Caribbean New Yorkers Observe Shivratri

    Indo-Caribbean New Yorkers Observe Shivratri

  • Editorials
    cliff-rajkumar

    VANISHING FOOTPRINTS

    Kamla Persad Bissessar

    Trinidad and Tobago OPPOSITION LEADER addresses TOWN HALL MEETING ON EDUCATION IN SAN FERNANDO WEST

    Jai Lall

    Guyana Leonora’s villagers are inseparable

    Dr. Vishnu Bisram

    Indo-Caribbean to speak on India’s Soft Power in Delhi

    Jai Lall

    Empty vessels make the most noise – politics in Guyana

    Ashook-Ramsaran

    In Commemoration of the 23rd Anniversary

    Kamla Persad Bissessar

    Hope for UNC of Trinidad?

    Ravi Balgobin Maharaj

    Is there No Other Musical Instrument Indigenous to T&T?

    Guyana-map

    October 2024 Hindu Conference bring back memories of Humiliation of Indians in Guyana

    Jai Lall

    Is Kamala Harris the “Trump” card for the Democrats?

  • Opinions
    Dool Hanomansingh

    Why the Hindu community remains weak despite personal achievements?

    Leyland-Chitlall-Roopnaraine

    A CHILD’S DEATH PLUNGES A COUNTRY INTO CRISIS

    Dool Hanomansingh

    Pakistan has always been a puppet nation

    Dool Hanomansingh

    Never too late for Dinesh to redeem himself!

    Dool Hanomansingh

    Bhadase and Sat were successful in so many ways

    Dool Hanomansingh

    The UNC is a Bullet Train Today

    Dool Hanomansingh

    Why is the EU Grant for Ex-Cane Farmers Not Paid?

    Dool Hanomansingh

    PNM hates Poor Black People

    Dool Hanomansingh

    Why whites are fleeing South Africa?

    Dool Hanomansingh

    Crime and the Hindu Community

  • Videos
    Dool-Hanomansingh-003

    US Congress woman Tulsi Gabbard condemns the ongoing genocide of Hindus and other minorities

    Geeta-Vaahini

    Geeta Vaahini, President of the  Hindu Prachaar Kendra speaks on the social significance of Ganga Dhara Festival.

    Geeta-Vaahini

    Geeta Vaahini, President of the Hindu Prachaar Kendra speaks on the Hindu view of the environment.

    swami-brahmadeo

    Swami Brahmadeo – Hindus are top CEOs and Medics in North America and Europe

    Gowtam-Maharaj

    Gowtam Maharaj, a farmer of Barrackpore, South Trinidad, shares his challenges being a farmer.

    BAMBOO #1 Flooding – Frustrated Residents

    BAMBOO #1 Flooding – Frustrated Residents

    NATIONAL-LOTUS-THEATRE

    NATIONAL LOTUS THEATRE – Performance of Niyantran

    radica-jairam

    Story of RADICA JAIRAM from Orange Valley

    fisherman-trinidad

    Families of Orange Valley felt neglected by PNM Government

    Dr Subramanian Swamy

    Dr Subramanian Swamy – Dharma Rising London April 2015

  • Features
    ravi-ratiram

    Trinidad MP Ravi Ratiram Condemns Government’s Failures Amidst Rising Crime in Central Trinidad and Calls for Immediate Action to Protect Citizens

    Pandit Ramdular Singh

    Pandit Ramdular Singh on Guyana’s Dharmic Sabha

    Vassan Ramracha

    PNM bent on Africanizing Trinidad

    Baldeo_Chanderpaul-3

    West Indian cricketers must strive to emulate Shiv Chanderpaul of Guyana

    Jai Lall

    Who in Guyana will ever buy the PNC/AFC/APNU “honesty, integrity and decency” pitch again?

    cliff-rajkumar

    Non Indians Embracing Sanathan Dharma

    Mr. Rudranath Indarsingh

    INDARSINGH ON RELOCATION OF PRINCES TOWN FIRE OFFICERS

    Vassan Ramracha

    TRIBAL AFRICANS DO NOT CONDONE INTERRACIAL MARRIAGES

    Jai Lall

    Guyana President Ali and Cabinet Ministers Engaged West Coast Supporters

    Dr Jerry Jailall

    PPP Government responds quickly to changing “Negro” on Government forms, will they also add “Indian” to Arrival Day?

No Result
View All Result
Indo Caribbean Diaspora News
No Result
View All Result

Indian Immigrant Repatriation Fund in Guyana was expropriated and enough to build National Cultural Center

by Dr. Vishnu Bisram
December 19, 2024
in Columns
0
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Dr. Vishnu Bisram

367
SHARES
4.7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

A query was posed on the amount in the Indian Immigrant Repatriation Fund (IIRF) when it was expropriated in 1971 to build the National Cultural Center (NCC). This fund was created for the repatriation of Indians and their Guyana born children back to India as per a contracted agreement made between the indentured Indians and the plantation owners. Only a small number of Indians accessed the fund to return to India. The rest of the money remained in the fund and grew over the period from indentureship till it was seized by the government in 1971.

Dwarka Nath, historian and Civil servant for the colonial government and thru the 1960s, in his book History of Indians in Guyana, wrote that the fund had $280,000 in 1966. Pandit Rampersaud Tiwari, who was Cabinet Secretary for the PPP and early PNC governments (1950s thru the 1970s), wrote in a paper published in a book (Indian Guyanese Words and Phrases) in Toronto (authored by Harry Hergash) that in 1968, the fund stood at $300,000. So the fund increased by $20,000 in less than two years. Rampersaud Tiwari wrote that in 1969, after the rigging of the 1968 elections, Burnham decided to seize the fund to build a “National Cultural Center” (NCC). Various machinations were used, including manipulating the Maha Sabha, to acquire the fund. There was strong opposition, including initially by Maha Sabha and other Indian organizations (Hindu and Islamic), Dr. Cheddi Jagan and the PPP, for use of the fund for a NCC. The views of leaders of Indian organizations, Dr. Jagan and the PPP were ignored, and some of their leaders (Balwant Singh, Yacoob Ali, etc.) were victimized; they lost their government jobs.
Construction of the NCC did not begin until 1971. So the fund would have grown by at least another $40,000. At the time, as penned by someone, the fund was not mere “seed money” or could merely cover only “5% to 10%” of the construction cost of the NCC that was built by the original Nabi and Sons. The fund was sufficient for construction of the NCC.

For the record, in 1966, the Guyana dollar was trading at approximately $1.60 for US$1 and slightly higher in later 1960s. The sum of G$300,000 would in American dollars be around US$183,000. The sum of $340,000 (in 1971) and higher in 1972 (over $350K) when the building was put into use, would have been in excess of US$200,000, enough for a massive structure at that time.

What is not certain is whether the fund amount quoted by Nath and Pt. Tiwari was in Guyana dollars. The fund was created in British Sterling Pounds, the currency used at the time. The British Guiana currency was created much later. It is not clear if the currency quoted by Dwarka Nath and Pandit Rampersaud Tiwari was in Sterling or Guyana dollars. Regardless of the currency, assuming it was Guyana dollars, it was a massive sum. Engineers and construction companies consulted said it could have built the NCC with left over funds.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram

Facebook Comments Box
Tags: carribeanDr. Vishnu BisramGuyanaGuyaneseindian cultureIndian diasporaIndian GuyaneseIndiansIndo Caribbean diasporaindo-caribbeanIndo-Caribbean communityIndo-GuyaneseTrinidadTrinidad and Tobago
Share170Tweet106Share43
ADVERTISEMENT
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Dr. Vishnu Bisram is Guyanese born who received his primary and secondary education in Guyana and tertiary education in the US and India. He is a holder of multiple degrees in the natural sciences, social sciences, and education. He taught for over forty years in the US. He is a specialist on the Indian diaspora traveling globally to research and write about Indian communities. He was among a small group of freedom fighters in America that combated the dictatorship in Guyana. Dr. Bisram organized many conferences on the Indian diaspora and lectured at several universities. He has published extensively on the diaspora and on various other topics.

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Dr. Jerry Jailall

The Adrianna “scrapehead” riots must be a wake-up call to Indo-Guyanese as we race towards the 2025 elections

May 10, 2025
Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

May 23, 2025
Guyana-map

Tracing the Rambalak’s Family in Indentureship in Guyana

October 13, 2021
Mark M. Persaud

Speech of Mark M. Persaud, LL.B., LL.M., LL.D to Graduates at Convocation of Law Society of Ontario

June 20, 2024
Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

Remembering Aunty Betty of Port Mourant, Guyana

May 23, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Do Guyana Governments respond to Objective, fair, balanced editorials? The attack on Hindus and Hinduism in Guyana

May 21, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Guyana must Seek American Assistance to deter Venezuela’s Aggression & Halt May 25 Election

May 21, 2025
Dr. Vishnu Bisram

Exxon, Liability, and Guyana’s Growth

May 21, 2025

The most important world news and events of the day.

Get ICDN daily newsletter on your inbox.

ADVERTISEMENT
Indo Caribbean Diaspora News

© 2024 Indo-Caribbean Diaspora News. All rights Reserved

Navigate Site

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Terms and Condition

Follow Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Columns
  • Letters
  • Community News
  • Opinions
  • Videos
  • Features
  • Editorials

© 2024 Indo-Caribbean Diaspora News. All rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In