Year: 2017

By Indrawattie Natram Through “folk dance”, the Dharmic Swarswatti Dance Academy, located on the Essequibo Coast, has been preserving their Indian heritage. Founder of the dance group, Sursattie Singh, said that traditional folk dance is a feature of her Indian ancestry. It is a dance genre she has been teaching and practising to keep her “Indian culture alive”. Singh, a classical dancer for over 20 years, explained that she has been using folk dance to help build her students’ confidence and to encourage them to learn more about their Indian…

Many of the traditions we uphold today were passed down from our ancestors. One such tradition is the Hindu wedding. The religious aspects of the wedding are intriguing, and originated from those who came as indentured servants from India. Although the Hindu wedding ceremony became elaborated as time went by, the basic structure has remained the same. It was the parents of the parties concerned who first decided that their children should be married to each other. A pandit(or priest) was then consulted as to an auspicious day for the…

By Ashraf Dabie The cultural heritage of those who came as indentured labourers is still evident in present Guyanese society. As a matter of fact, some of those traditions brought to these shores by our Indian ancestors have laid the foundation upon which our society operates. However, though several aspects of the tangible and non-tangible inheritance from our Indian forefathers have managed to weather the years, some elements have either been completely erased or fused with other ethnicities to create a unique creole culture. Nonetheless, masses of traditional Indian societies…

In 1902, Mahesh Ahir sailed on the Arno ship from India to British Guiana to work on the sugar plantation as an indentured labourer. Mahesh, who was 27 years old when he arrived in British Guiana, adapted to the local culture and learned the new language in that foreign land. Sadly, he never got the chance to return to his homeland. Knowing this, his descendants were prompted to trace their ancestral roots. Rosie Rohini Prem, a Canadian born to Guyanese parents, was moved to search for her ancestors after her…

Sons shares memories of his father who came on the last ship to British Guiana to work as an indentured labourer By Ashraf Dabie While history books tell the tales of the arrival and presence of Indian indentureds to British Guiana (BG), the great majority of Indo-Guyanese are still unaware of their direct links to the motherland. However, there are some families who are fortunate to have in possession immigration documents of their ancestors, which have helped them to trace their roots to ancestral villages and connect with relatives in…