Trinidad and Tobago was the first country in the diaspora to declare Indian Arrival Day a national holiday on May 30, 1995 to mark the 150th anniversary of Indian Arrival. Why this declaration of a public holiday by a PNM government under the leadership of Prime Minister Patrick Manning? The answer was in the increasing popularity of the commemoration across the country that no government or politician could have ignored.
The big question is: How did the celebration of this historic date rose to this crescendo to warrant a public holiday? It was a struggle by the population at large but there were few organizations and individuals that provided the leadership. Today as we mark this historic occasion, it is only dharmic that recognition and tribute be bestowed on those pioneers.
The nation must be aware of those opportunists who always rush to the forefront to present themselves as the drivers of all great events. In this haste for fame and glory opportunists exploit the naivety of the masses, thus distorting the facts. History is catharsis, that is, an avenue to purge the society of negatives so that the positive qualities can rise and inspire the people.
The Indian Centennial Celebration held at Skinners Park, San Fernando on May 30th 1945 was the first event to mark Indian Arrival in Trinidad. Several distinguished leaders such as Adrian Cola Rienzi, F.E.M Hosein and Murli J Kirpalani were among the leaders. The program included addresses by George Fitzpatrick and Timothy Roodal, both members of the Legislative Council. A book – The Indian Centennial Review- with the ‘who is who’ in the Indian community was published.
By the early 1970s Swami Satchidananda played a critical role in the remembrance of this historic day. An annual Indian Immigration Day March was held on May 30 from the DLS Mandir in Enterprise along the Southern Main Road to the Divine Life Society Headquarters at Carlsen Field, Chase Village. That event went on for several years and contributed significantly toward the awareness of this historic day.
Ramdath Jagessar, journalist and pamphleteer, began writing on the contribution on Indians in the various walks of life through a pamphlet titled IRRA- Indian Revival and Reform Association. It was in this pamphlet that Jagessar coined the term ‘Indian Arrival Day’ and declared May 30 as the ‘birthday’ of the Indian community of Trinidad and Tobago. A few critics held the view that celebrating Indian Arrival Day is likened to celebration of one’s enslavement. To this Jagessar retorted that that one’s birthday should be celebrated irrespective of the social condition at the time of birth.
Forming an Indian Arrival Day Committee, Jagessar was invited to the Maha Sabha by Haripersad Harikisson, then an executive member of the Maha Sabha. Both had known each other as undergraduates at the St Augustine Campus. After sharing his ideas, Sat Maharaj gave the green light to host a program under the banner of the Maha Sabha. That celebration was held at the Spring Village Hindu School on May 30th 1979. The feature speaker was Sham Mohammed, host of Mastana Bahaar, who urged the large audience to celebrate the event. The following year another annual celebration was held at the Lakshmi Girls’ College with Reverend Idris Hamid delivering the feature address and endorsing the marking of the historic date.
But it was in the villages like Endeavour and Bamboo No.1 that small celebrations were held. In addition to addresses, gifts were presented to the elders in the community and addresses were made by Jagessar and Harikissoon. The honoring of surviving immigrants was a major attraction. Interviewed on stage, these immigrants shared their early experiences as immigrants and the numerous challenges they faced.
In 1983 when the Hindu Seva Sangh was born Indian Arrival Day was a major event in its calendar. Combining re-enactment landing of immigrants, street processions and motorcades, and cultural programs, these celebrations attracted large audiences. Among the supporters of these early celebrations was Basdeo Panday.
The Seva Sangh working with local groups held celebration at Cedros, Moruga, Orange Valley, Claxton Bay, St Augustine, Williamsville, Cunupia, Bamboo No 1 etc. The Indian Review Committee led by Kamal Persad and Ashram Maharaj provided an ideological framework for Indian Arrival Day. Within Parliament the UNC initiated debates for Indian Arrival Day, May 30, to be declared a national holiday. Trevor Sudama and Raymond Pallackdharrysingh, UNC Members of Parliament, pioneered these debates in Parliament. Strong objections came from several academics who described the celebration of May 30 as ‘celebrating your enslavement.’ This argument was defeated not only by counter-arguments but also by the overwhelming of support of the historic event by the masses.
Kamal Persad, submitting a document supporting the call for Indian Arrival Day to be a public holiday, remarked that “no other national holiday went through such intense scrutiny as the granting of May 30th a public holiday.” The holiday was granted in May 1995 when the President of India was visiting the country. It was a commendable gesture on the part of the Patrick Manning led PNM government to declare May 30 -Arrival Day- a public holiday. With ‘Indian’ left out it, the incoming Basdeo Panday government changed the name of the holiday to Indian Arrival Day.
Declaring May 30 a national holiday raised Indian consciousness which manifested in the election of Basdeo Panday as Prime Minister. Moreso, countries across the diaspora began clamoring for a national day to mark the arrival of their Indian ancestors. Today Indian Arrival is a national day across the diaspora: Guyana, Grenada, Jamaica, Fiji, Mauritius, etc. Moreso, the marking of the historic event is observed in places like the US and Canada where large number of Indo-Caribbean people reside.
The celebration of Indian Arrival Day has awakened a new awareness in India of those Indians who had migrated in the 19th and early 20th century to labor in plantations. The recent visit of Subramanyam Jaisankar to Trinidad and Tobago last week, is a strong statement of the role of the diaspora in the foreign policy of the Indian nation.
Research on the Indian diaspora is very much part of academia. Not only conferences on the diaspora are held but also academic chairs are established in several universities in India and across the academic world. Moreso, there is a growing number of publications on the Indian presence in the diaspora including subjects like the Wismar Massacre of 1964 which resulted in the murder, rape, looting and exodus of an entire Indian community in Guyana.
The celebration of the arrival of Indians across the diaspora is a global recognition of not only their presence but also their contributions to the development of those territories. In this scenario, the pioneering roles of Swami Satchidananda and the Divine Life Society, Sat Maharaj and the Maha Sabha, Ramdath Jagessar and the Hindu Seva Sangh, Basdeo Panday and the UNC, Kamal Persad and the Indian Review Committee must be saluted. Their efforts have brought rich dividends!