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The minister was at the time speaking at an Evening of Music hosted on Friday last by the Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) at the Indian Cultural Centre (ICC), Bel Air, Georgetown. Also attending the function were Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Mr Juan Edghill; Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) Executive Member, Mr Neaz Subhan; and Indian High Commisioner (ag), Mr Tirath Singh.
“We do hope that we will see a greater contribution from the Indian Government in terms of supporting Indian culture in a much more meaningful way, and supporting activities such as the 175th anniversary,” Minister Persaud said. This year will mark 175 years since the first batch of Indian nationals arrived here to work as indentured immigrants in Guyana.
Minister Persaud said that the time is now ripe for the Indian Government to learn from other countries such as China and Israel in terms of how they can mobilise their Diaspora.
“What we need is a very tangible, very substantive participation of the Indian Government; support for the Indian Diaspora,” he said.
The occasion was also used to formally launch the IAC’s 2013 calendar of events to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the coming of Indian nationals as indentured labourers to these shores. Significant among the proposed plans, IAC’s Neaz Subhan said, is the opening of an Indian Heritage Centre to showcase the various facets of Indian art, and the proposed unveiling of a monument befitting the celebration of Indian arrival to Guyana.
The IAC, he said, is seeking the support of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport on the latter project, and is considering Berbice as the location for the said monument.
Much effort will also be placed on having Huis’t Dieren, on the Essequibo Coast, Region Two declared a heritage site.
The endeavour to realise the Indian Heritage Centre is part of the IAC’s agenda of chronicling and preserving the history of Indian Indentureship and the contribution of Indo-Guyanese to the continuous development of Guyana, Subhan said.
The Heritage Centre is located in Cummings Lodge and the building is currently being outfitted with all the relevant materials including arts, photography and artifacts. The venue will also serve to foster the various aspects of the arts including music, dance and classes.
The IAC began its year of activities with the inter-faith service to commemorate the 5th anniversary of the Lusignan Massacre on January 25.
Other activities scheduled for the year include a series of public lecturers, an essay competition for children, and a fan-out exercise to engage communities and groups in dialogue on the Indian tradition and its development.
There will also be a village competition which has the intention of encouraging competition in an attempt to showcase aspects of the village traditions. This competition will be launched this month and is expected to include exhibitions in the various art forms showcasing the struggle and evolution of the villages. It is in this line that IAC will work with those involved to bring focus on the community of Huis’t Dieren and will also work on the possibility of having the village declared a heritage site, Subhan said.
There will also be the hosting of events that the organisation has been annually facilitating including the Phagwah Day and Indian Arrival melas and the Mega Concert, which is slated for April at the National Stadium, Providence. Subhan revealed that the organisation is at present finalising arrangements with two popular Indian soap stars and a leading Bollywood singer for this event.
The Cultural Awareness walk which was introduced last year in Essequibo is to be staged this year in Berbice and a tribute event for the three late great Indian singers; Mohamed Rafi, Mukesh Chand Mathur and Kishore Kumar is proposed, as well as the staging of an arrival play.
Other activities being considered include a food fair in October for the lawns of the ICC, an Eid Fest, following the end of Ramadan, and a fashion show for November to depict the transition of the Indian wear over the decades. (GINA)
