By Priya Nauth
PRIME Minister Samuel Hinds has urged Guyanese to continue the task of developing the nation and adopting the resilience of indentured East Indian immigrants.

-He was speaking at the Indian Commemoration Trust evening of music, dance and stage-play xPushpanjali 9x Monday, in observance of the 171st anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana, on the lawns of the Monument Gardens in Georgetown.

Prime Minister Hinds extending Arrival Day greetings, said, xOne can imagine those first immigrants coming to this land – a strange land.x

xThey faced great hardships and those hardships were not attenuated as they could have been by the owners of the estates in those days – there were the prevailing ideas of class, race and all those things,x he stated.

However, he emphasised, xThey endured, they survived and they succeeded.x

Hinds noted that the succeeding generations of these immigrants have made great contributions and taken many leadership roles in society.

xAs I say this, I think indeed of our departed Dr Cheddi Jagan, the son himself of immigrants who took to this land of Guyana and took to all its people,x he said.

xHe dared to become a Guyanese and more than that, a man of the world, and in so doing, he has rightfully earned the name of xFather of our Nationx.x

He repeated, xThose immigrants who first came, they endured and succeeded – they dealt with the problems of their day. For us of this generation we have problems, we have challenges of a different nature. At this time we have the challenges in the world at large and at the same time still have the challenge of developing this nation materially.x

xWe have also the challenge of becoming one people,x the Prime Minister stated.

Insisting that all groups have contributed to the development of Guyana, he noted that over the years, the culture that was brought by the East Indian immigrants is becoming more and more the culture of all Guyanese.

xI want to join in some moments of reverence as I think of those first immigrants, of all they endured and their contribution which we now enjoy,x he expressed.

He urged, xWe shall commit ourselves to continuing in their task to develop the country and to make really xone peoplex, xone nationx with a common destiny for us all here in Guyana,x he noted.

Distinct
Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Subit Kumar Mandal, in brief remarks noted that the idea to celebrate the root, the origin and the ancestry of Indians was rather a new one.

-xIt was the idea of the movers of the Indian Commemoration Trust that led to the celebration of Indian arrival day and even the present day,x he observed.

He noted, xIt took 150 years of the descendants of the immigrants from India to openly rejoice in their origin, to take public pride of their inheritance and also to proclaim their confidence in their Guyanese identity, while underscoring their cultural and emotional ties to India.x

He said over the last 20 years, the idea has flourished and become an icon of the Guyanese identity.

Arrival day is now an established cultural phenomena that showcases Guyanese imagination and innovative flare, he stressed.

The High Commissioner stated, xThe expressions of Indian culture in Guyana have assumed a distinct Guyanese identity. It has become richerxx

xIndians have arrived in Guyana and they have enriched this land and are enriched by it – that journey that began 171 years back has not ended and continues to newer frontiers reflecting the indomitable spirit of the human soul ,x he said.

xI join you in saluting this spirit and sharing this joy, this fulfillment and this promise,x Mangal said.

Chairman of the organisation, Dr Yesu Persaud, in welcoming remarks, stated that the immigrants came to Guyana with great expectations. xThose who know the sugar estate well would tell you it was not easy – they managed and survived.x

xIt was a hard task, it was not easy but survive they did and this generation is fortunate to had such indomitable pioneers of such strength and character to be able to survive for us to carry on today,x he insisted.

He said that Indians have made tremendous contributions to the development of society, not only in Guyana, but globally, and can be found in every field of human endeavour.

Persaud went on, xThey have made good for themselves and this generation and future generations, , their job was a building job and it is for us to continue from here onwards.x

Observing the contributions of other groups too, he said, xThey all persevered and all the races in this country made a contribution to build this nation of ours and we owe it to all of them to say thank you very much for a job well done. You have done well for us, this generation, but let us keep working together.x

Taking note of the rich cultural heritage that was brought by our ancestors, he reiterated, xWe owe it to our foreparents who braved not only one sea to arrive here and to have survived the harsh and terrible conditions of the sugar plantations.x

Pushpanjali, which has been commemorated by the Indian Commemoration Trust since 1988, opened with a Vadana (paying homage to God) and featured prayers by all the major religions (Hindu, Muslim and Christian) ; special performances by Banaras Thumri, Diva Kumud Diwan, and talented Kathak dancer Mahua Shankar from India; singing of songs, qaseeda, folk and filmi dances; and tassa drumming.

Among those present were Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh; Minister of Human Services, Ms. Priya Manickchand; ; Pro-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr Prem Misir; Former Minister of Information, Mr. Moses Nagamootoo; and President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud.