The Shaping of Guyanese Literature A Village Odyssey

‘Guyanese Finding Roots in India’ by Parsram S. Thakur; Overview of the book by Vake Parsram.

By Petamber Persaud –

Dr Parsram S. Thakur, Psychology Emeritus Professor from the United States, and more recently Director of University of Guyana Berbice Campus, has recently revised his book “Guyanese finding roots in India”. The book has been revised with a few more families that were originally left out.
Dr Thakur has visited India several times, and among those times, with the help of the Immigration Pass (1912) of his grandfather, Ball Mukund, Thakur was able to locate the village of Bidhouli, in the district of Agra, land of the famous Taj Mahal.

In the company of his wife, Jean Marie, he had set out to find the small village, Bidhouli, near the town of Keragarh. So small is Bidhouli that the police station [Thana] did not know of the village; so small that the people had never seen a taxi, nor did they ever see a white person in the form of Jean Marie.
In December 1995, the Thakurs left the city of Boston en route to India via London and Singapore. This was not their first trip, but the 23 hours of travelling was no less tiresome. After a few days in New Delhi, they set out with a recognized taxi to Agra, where they spent the night. Keragarh was on the map but Bidhouli was not: was this a needle in a haystack?
When they arrived in the village, he was not aware that a village is made up of several hamlets, or cluster of homes, built mainly of mud walls and thatched roofs. The first hamlet knew nothing of a Ball Mukund, who left for “Demra” (Demerara) around the year 1912. The family name was Sharma, but this was omitted in the Immigration Pass. Brahmin immigrants were not preferred, as they were known trouble makers. This was heart-breaking.
Finally, an elegant looking elderly gentleman in white attire, approached. He wondered about the commotion. By now the entire hamlet had gathered to investigate the strange happenings. Slowly and curiously he entered the middle of the crowd. He vaguely recalled a man being taken away from the next hamlet. Fortunately, Thakur’s grandfather returned to India in 1922 after a ten-year indentureship at Plantation Albion on the Corentyne, British Guiana. Some older folks had sketchy memories of his returning.
The taxi proceeded along a dirt road to the next hamlet. Somehow the word got there before the taxi, and a crowd was anxiously waiting. Fortunately, they were equipped with still and video cameras, and Jean Marie followed her husband, capturing every detail, including the curious and noisy children. School broke up for the day. Communication was difficult as Dr Thakur spoke very little Hindi and the locals spoke very little English. At this point, a school teacher and a distant relative were very helpful.
Dataram Sharma, his grandfather’s nephew and oldest living relative, presented himself in his best attire. His white moustache beamed; a clean dark jacket and a new headwear made him look special. While still standing in the sandy yard, his sons came forward. Each wanted to be noticed as part of the larger family and the extended family. Anil Swaroop Sharma was especially assertive in presenting himself and family. He was a grand nephew of Ball Mukund. He lived across the pathway from Dataram, in a place where Ball Mukund was born, but the mud hut was replaced with a small concrete structure. Dataram provided tea on his porch where his ailing wife sat. Later they took a tour of the farm, which Ball Mukund helped to buy when he returned in 1922.
Dr Thakur’s aim was to follow his grandfather’s steps from Bidhouli to the train in Agra, where his grandfather would have spent a few days waiting for other intended migrants to Calcutta and British Guyana. With the help of his wife, this was recorded for posterity. The difference was, he made the trip in the cool days of January, while his grandfather made it in the hot steamy month of July, and probably not in an air-conditioned car. They spent the day in Agra visiting the railway station and a history professor, who could not offer much information about migrants to the sugar plantations in the West Indies. She was far more interested in the United States than in Guyana.
For the next couple days they travelled through Lucknow, visiting the war-torn buildings in the area and then on to Calcutta. The archives did not provide much information nor was he able to contact the people in the know. What was noticeable in Calcutta (Kolkotta) was the extremes of wealth in this sprawling city. They took time to visit with Mother Teresa at her abode and her sanctum. The City of Joy was of special interest. Much time was spent at 61 Garden Reach Road, where his grandfather and other intended migrants awaited the ship to take them to the West Indies. It was huge warehouse with high ceilings and open yard. One can appreciate the caste breakdown in the communal living. Pictures were not allowed inside because it is now a ship-building centre with high security.
In that July the ship Indus  took his grandfather and others to British Guiana. Pictures of the ship are available at the Maritime Museum in Groton, Connecticut, USA. He was able to recreate a picture of the logies at Plantation Albion, where his grandfather lived for more than 40 years, and where he and his father, Sri Thakur, were born. Dr Thakur spent his early years and schooling at Plantation Albion, with numerous cousins and the extended family.
The book contains pictures of relatives in India and Guyana, including a family tree going back more than two thousand years. Better records were kept of Brahmin families than of other castes, but one has to seek them out. Many of the educated and well-to-do relatives have moved on to other parts of the country, while only the poor ones remained in the village. Some heard of his visit and did contact him. Some showed keen interest in visiting the USA; very little in Guyana.
The significance of this trip was the bond that was developed with those families. He and his wife made several other trips to consolidate the relation. There are frequent letters between them. Other members of the extended family, including Dr Thakur’s mother, visited. Dr Thakur and his priestly family are steeped in Hinduism, but this trip had a resounding effect on his relationship with the families, with Hinduism and India itself.
Dr Thakur has written three books on Hinduism.
Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com  (Guyana Times Indian Arrival Magazine)