How often does one discover an iconic figure who was hidden in our Guyanese history? When we do, we are called upon to learn about the depth and breadth of that person, the space they illuminated during their lifetime, and the huge contribution they made to society. Through the groundbreaking research and work of Dr. Baytoram Ramharack, we now learn about the life of Alice Bhagwandai Singh (1892-1970), a woman who made a significant impact in fostering an inclusive cultural appreciation within the multi-ethnic social spaces of Guyana.
Having published the biography of Alice Singh’s husband, Dr. Jung Bahadur Singh of Guyana (1886-1956), Dr. Ramharack then turned his attention to Alice Singh, a woman whose life and work represent a significant contribution to the promotion of Indian cultural awareness during the post-indenture, as well as post-independence periods. Moreover, having recognized the tremendous legacy she has left to the people of Guyana, and that this history has been buried in the Guyanese consciousness, he embarked on a long journey of uncovering the perseverance of Alice Singh. Her pursuit and influence on Indian cultural and social development within Guyana’s diverse society cannot be left unstated or unrecorded. This educational book is released just ahead of the celebration of the 185th Anniversary of the arrival of Indians to the West.
Starting with an introduction to Indian historiography in the Caribbean, the book is comprehensively structured in three parts, covering Indian cultural historiography, Alice Singh’s background, and the impact of her cultural work. It examines the broader landscape of the pioneering role that women of Indian origin have played in Guyana. More specifically, the study reveals a woman to the world who has been an enduring pioneer for advancing Indian culture, and more significantly, creating a cultural space for Indians in then British Guiana. In the author’s words, Alice Singh was “a feminist, a cultural activist, an agent of change and a writer – a combination of admirable qualities that were a rarity for an Indian woman.”
Alice Singh was born in Suriname and came to Guyana after her marriage to Dr. Jung Bahadur Singh in 1910. The author explores the social environment where she grew up and her family’s influence, especially her father, who was a prominent community leader and inspiration for young Alice. There is a great deal to learn about the Indian presence in Dutch Guiana and especially Alice’s early years. The author also relied, to some extent, on her autobiography, a rarity for indentured Indians or women in the Caribbean region as a whole.
Ramharack has unearthed tremendous historical facts that have been buried in the archives. He brings to light, the presence of Indians who struggled to introduce Indian culture in an environment where British Imperial rule, the English language, and British culture were the dominant forces of the day. It was an environment where the diversity of the inhabitants was most likely not seen as significant to the social development of a nation of diverse peoples. One can only imagine the challenges that people of Indian origin faced in advancing an environment of inclusion, where Indian culture was intrinsic to social cohesion and equity.
No doubt, the feeling of exclusion would have haunted leaders in the community and propelled them to commence the formalization of organizations.
Alice Singh, among others, formed the British Guiana Dramatic Society (BGDS) which was inaugurated at her home on March 10, 1937. Alice served as its first President, and during this pre-World War II era, she was seen as a leader in the struggle to advance the cultural rights of Indians in British Guiana. Undoubtedly, introducing readers to Alice Singh is vital to the understanding of the legacy she has left behind. As the author wrote, Alice Singh “was a feminist, perhaps the first Indian cultural feminist in Guyana and the broader English-speaking Caribbean.”
This study provides in-depth research on the BGDS as well as its role in staging musical performances, dances, and dramatic plays such as “Savitri” as depicted in the Mahabharata and plays from the works of Rabindranath Tagore, and others. The work acknowledges that while this level of awareness of Indian culture in the public domain was being fostered by a mostly middle-class group, it gave the leaders of the BGDS, themselves being descendants of indentured laborers and plantation life, an important position to advance Indian culture and make it more visible for social acceptance and inclusion. We are drawn to the awareness that the author has raised the significance of the work of Alice Singh to be viewed in its “historical and contemporary context” particularly in exploring the research done on the Caribbean Indian diaspora and how women have been perceived in the research. Readers learn that the BGDS was the first organization that Alice Singh spearheaded as its President. However, she was instrumental in many others, including the Sanatan Dharma Maha Lakshmi Sabha and the Balak Sahaita Mandalee.
While the book considers aspects of the transformation that was taking place in the post-indentureship period with political organizations emerging in the 1940s as well as political parties “emphasizing working-class unity,” the reader is drawn to the life and work of Alice Singh throughout this period and beyond and the impact she had on Guyanese society.
Her legacy can be seen in the work of her daughter, the late Rajkumari Singh, an activist, poet, writer, and dramatist. Following in the footsteps of her mother, Rajkumari Singh advocated for the recognition and preservation of “authentic” Indian culture.
When the work of the BGDS became dormant, and Alice Singh passed away in 1970, Rajkumari Singh continued in Alice Singh’s footsteps as a cultural activist on a mission to promote and preserve Indian culture. While she continued the production and delivery of dramatic plays, Rajkumari Singh established the Messenger Group in this post-independent era to further the promotion of Indian art forms. She encouraged and nurtured young writers and poets, such as Rooplall Monar, Mahadai Das, Henry Mootoo, Gushka Kissoon, Gora Singh, Janet Naidu, Elfreda Bissember, among others. Rajkumari Singh then issued the Heritage publication with their poems and stories in 1973. In addition, Rajkumari Singh encouraged young artists to participate in the dance ensemble of the group to act in dramatic plays and poetry reading. The legacy of Alice Singh is also seen through Rajkumari Singh’s activism at a national level when she worked within the Guyana National Service, heading the Cultural Division as its Cultural Coordinator.
Dr. Ramharack has brilliantly explored the shaping of Alice Singh’s consciousness of Indian culture and identity, bringing to life the unwritten history of this outstanding Guyanese woman. The book explores the impact of women who have produced written work, whether in the form of poems, novels, and other writings including those of Mahadai Das and later Ryhaan Shan, Lakshmi Kallicharan, and others outside of Guyana such as Jan Shinebourne, Oonya Kempadoo, and Beryl Gilroy. The uniqueness of Ramharack’s work is central to the role women have played in producing cultural awareness in their literary works.
This study is a testament to the struggles of the movement of a people from place to place, past to present, a journey of the continuity of a people in a new land, and of Indians having departed the shores of India to make a home for themselves in then British Guiana and post-independence Guyana. Furthermore, it is a recognition of those who have played an integral part in the struggle to create a foundation upon which Indian cultural values are appreciated and recognized in national life. In discovering the existence and work of Alice Singh, one cannot help but recall the voice of Sarojini Naidu, the late nationalist and poet of India, when she queried, “How shall the wealth and power and glory of a nation be founded save on the immutable honor of its womanhood?”
Janet Naidu, a Guyanese, resides in Canada. She is an Educator, Diversity and Inclusion Expert, Poet and Writer.
