Dear Editor,
Kali Bharat Yatra is in its 33rd annual Diwali celebration in India and with it are some five dozen Guyanese and Trinis. They are celebrating Diwali in the land of their ancestors who began migrating to the Caribbean in 1838 as indentured labourers. The last ship carrying indentured labourers was in March 1917 while indentureship itself ended in Jan 1920. The indentured labourers have left their cultural imprint in Guyana. Their descendants are displaying it in India during a two-week tour. They are celebrating Diwali on Sunday which is a national holiday.
Kali Bharat Yatra is a feature of Kali Travel and Tours owned and operated by prominent Guyanese American Ramesh Kalicharran. He is the Indo-Caribbean pioneer of tours to India. His agency is accredited by the Ministry of Tourism of India and has been honoured with several awards for promoting tourism to Bharatdesh.
The tour began last Saturday. It has been a memorable experience travelling with the group as it visits historic sites. The group was given a very warm welcome at Indira Gandhi airport after a long 14 hour journey on Air India. It was a magnificent flight. They were immediately hosted for a cultural variety concert by popular singer Veena Ahuja in Delhi. Then they were taken to Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, where most Indo-Caribbeans trace their roots. The tour so far visited Delhi, Ghaziabad, Hrishikesh, Hardwar and Agra.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
