The Indian Commemoration Trust Chairman Dr Yesu Persaud yesterday urged all Guyanese to be part of the commemoration of the 175th year of the arrival of East Indians in Guyana, while saying that the indentured labourers made many sacrifices to build the nation.
He was at the time speaking at a Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) conference, held at the Guyana International Conference Centre, at Liliendaal, on the four groups of immigrants that arrived in Guyana: Africans, Portuguese, East Indians and Chinese.
Persaud said the anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Guyana is significant but added that occasion is not only a day for East Indians as he urged all ethnic groups to joining in the observation.
Those in attendance at the conference were given a historical look at the contributions of the East Indians, Portuguese, Chinese and Africans to Guyana’s progress by a panel of speakers.
Among the panelists was Sister Mary Noel Menezes, who, in chronicling the experiences of the Portuguese under indentureship, urged all Guyanese to live in peace and work together to build a stronger Guyana. In paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin, she said, “If you don’t hang together, you will hang separately.”
Persaud, while presenting a history of the arrival of East Indians, said that on May 5, 1838, the sailing ships Whitby and Hesperus left Calcutta with 437 Indian indentured workers for then British Guiana.
He spoke of the many hardships the labourers endured aboard the ships and also on the plantations. But despite all the hardships, he said, those who remained braved their way through the many storms and made some great contributions to Guyana. He also made mention of the many hardships the African slaves experienced.
Minister of Culture Dr Frank Anthony, in a brief statement, said that Indians around the world can now be exemplified and that he thanked the organisation for enlightening the public on their contributions.
Also present at the event were the High Commissioner of India Puran Mal Meena, Ministers of Cabinet, Members of Parliament and final year Tourism students of the University of Guyana.
