So far, so good-books examined to date in this series included ‘Green Mansions,’ ‘The Discovery of Guiana,’ ‘The Twelve Views in the Interior of Guiana’ and ‘Guyana’. 

‘Green Mansions’ a novel written by W. H. Hudson and published in1904. The travelogue, ‘The Discovery of the Large, Rich and Beautiful Empyre of Guiana’ was written by Walter Raleigh and published in 1596. ‘The Twelve

Views in the Interior of Guiana’ was written by Robert Schomburgk and first published in 1940. The coffee table book, ‘Guyana’, was edited by Arif Ali.
In part 5, it is time to test our knowledge of Guyana with the help of another book – ‘Timelines of Guyanese History’.
Did you know that the first lighthouse erected in Georgetown was a wooden structure? Do you know when the Post Office Savings Bank was started? Did you know the first commercial bank was established in 1836? Do you know when the first cinema was opened or when silent movies gave way to talking pictures? Do you know when the Georgetown-Mahaica railway started or when the service was scrapped? What do you know of the Saffron Trust or the Negro Education Fund? What’s the name of the first Inspector of Schools? Who produced the first known printed map of Guiana? What ‘Ninety-two days’? What is GAIL and when was it established? Do you know when the electric tram ceased to operate? Do you know when the first lamplighter was appointed?
‘Timelines of Guyanese History’ is everything the blurb professed it to be – ‘[a] Chronological Guide to more than 2,000 key events in 23 categories since 1498’. 2,000 key events in the history of this country! That huge bloc of data is divided into twenty-three sub-divisions. The information in the twenty-three categories sometimes overlaps. This may be cumbersome to a reader who may want to put a certain event in the context of the whole history of the country constraining the reader to turn back and forth. However, having said that the constant flicking of pages back and forth could be rewarding for cross-referencing purposes.
Kudos to the compiler, Lal Balkaran. Balkaran has made a name in compiling reference books on Guyana. Balkaran’s other reference books include ‘The Rupununi Savannas: A Visual Journey,’ ‘Dictionary of the Guyanese Amerindians and other South American Native Terms,’ ‘A Photojournal of the Guyanese Amerindians: Over 200 photographs of their everyday life and cultural activities’ and ‘Bibliography of Guyana and Guyanese Writers’. Many of the above books have been updated and reprinted, a credit to Balkaran’s quest to get the information he publishes as near correct as possible.
Lal Balkaran’s thirst for knowledge in insatiable and he is magnanimous in his passion to share this acquired knowledge.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 226-0065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

(By Petamber Persaud)