TIMES
I ndo- Caribb ean
Rita 416-743-1826
Wedding Cards/ Accessories/
Bangles and Jewellery Vol 2. No 6 June 2008
Canada celebrates Crime is driving out
100 years of Indo- Trinidad business
Caribbean arrival people permanently
This has been a year like no other in the
history of Indo-Caribbeans in Canada.
Many in our community woke up in sur-
prise on realizing that we have marked our
first hundred years, and gone past 200,000
members in this country.
That’s more people than any city in
Guyana, Trinidad or Suriname, and more
than most of the small nations in the
Caribbean like Grenada, St Lucia, and St
Vincent.
We have grown up in more than numbers
and time. First, second and even third gen-
erations of Canadian born Indo-Caribbeans
are coming up.Their elders now know for
certain that most of them will not be re-
turning to the Caribbean for more than short
visits. Our destiny is here, though we will
long keep our memories and ties with the
Caribbean.
The Indo-Caribbean Times is proud to be
associated with this historic celebration of
Indo-Caribbean Arrival in Canada. We
highlight some of the activities in this issue,
and pledge to continue to focus on our com-
Guyana Festival on this weekend
munity’s growth and progress in Canada.
G
uyanese and their friends from far and
wide will be gathering in Toronto for
the Guyana Festival on June 20-22, easily
one of the largest gatherings of the Guyana
diaspora in the word.
Guyana president Bharrat Jagdeo will be
dropping in to the L’Amoreaux Commu-
nity Centre at Kennedy and McNicoll,
along with numerous other Guyanese from
the Caribbean, the United States and
around the world. The two day extrava-
ganze also attracts a fair amount of other
Caribbean visitors and Canadians who
have come to know and appreciate the tens
of thousands of Guyanese in Canada.
There is no shortage of activities to keep
the attention of the 20,000 plus expected to
attend. The trade show and tourism display,
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The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of In-
dustry and Commerce says bluntly that
business owners are leaving the country be-
cause of the continuing escalation of crime,
even though there has been a significant re-
duction in kidnappings for ransom.
Chamber president Ian Collier has said
yesterday there is a broader concern about
young people, including potential business
owners, who leave Trinidad and Tobago
and are "thinking twice" about returning
home.
Collier said at a press conference that
some people are migrating and have been
doing so since 2002 when crime levels first
began to significantly increase.
He acknowledged that kidnappings for
ransom have gone down from its all-time
highsm but he was not impressed by cur-
rent efforts to control crime.
He said there can be no real diversifica-
tion of the economy if there is no signifi-
cant reduction in the crime levels. “If you
are going into a diversified economy, then
clearly one would have to have a very se-
cure environment. "
the arts and crafts fair, the display of books
by Guyanese writers, the cultural shows,
the food festival, and the famous duck curry
competition are just a taste.
Sports minded folks have to take in the
celebrity cricket match, the 20-20 cricket
competition, the softball, soccer and domi-
noes tournaments, after which there’s the
famous Independence lime.
This festival also provides a rare oppor-
tunity for Guyanese to come together and
renew acquaintances with others scattered
throughout Ontario and every other
province and territory in Canada. This
greats sprawling country and its millions of
people over thousands of miles is not as
friendly to association as the Caribbean.
May this festival be a memorable one.
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Guadeloupe Indians pay homage to Indian activists
Indians from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe gathered recently to pay homage to
two revered Indian heritage leaders Henri Sidambarom and Tamby Soupragen in song,
and by erecting monuments in their honour. hoto courtesy Jean Sahai.
Bomb at Cultural Centre, hijacking of Aroaima bus by armed gang
Violent incidents rack up tension in Guyana
Bomb found at
Cultural Centre
tA small fire at the National Cultural Cen-
tre (NCC) on Sunday night damaged the
stage and curtains and led to the shocking
discovery of an apparent explosive device
underneath the stage.
Just after 9 passers-by as well as persons
in the vicinity of the cultural centre saw
smoke coming from the top of the building
and the Guyana Fire Service was sum-
moned. The acrid fumes emanating from
burnt wires and the stage curtains were con-
tained about 20 minutes after firemen ar-
rived. But just as they were assessing the
damage in the presence of Minister of Cul-
ture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony,
ranks began to break open parts of the cul-
tural centre stage fearing that there might
be a fire underneath. It was then that they
discovered the device which sent everyone
scampering for safety. The device com-
prised four small blue cylinders enmeshed
in wires and part of it was covered in a
black plastic bag.
It appeared to have been deliberately set
there so that the burning curtains might ig-
nite it. The second and third blocks of the
curtains were severely burnt and the debris
was still smoking on the stage where it fell
and also caused the stage floor to start burn-
ing. Firemen opined that the fire started on
the curtains and as the burnt pieces fell,
flames spread to the floor.
The cultural centre is currently hosting
a number of stage shows and is one of the
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major venues for theatrical and other per-
formances for Carifesta 10 scheduled to
begin in August.
Bus hijack
Gunmen have hijacked and robbed a bus-
load of passengers travelling from Aroaima
to Linden on the Aroaima trail and forced
the driver to take them to a destination un-
known.
Police later arrested a teenager who they
believed was part of the gang, but up to
press time last night there had been no
sighting of the others who hijacked the
minibus. There are believed to be the men
could be those who escaped with Rondell
Rawlins from Christmas Falls after a sur-
prise police attack on June 6.
Police said they received a report that at
around 4:30 am last Tuesday a number of
armed men stopped a mini-bus which was
en route from Aroaima to Linden on the
Aroaima Trail. The armed men robbed the
passengers, the exact items are yet to be as-
certained, after which they took the passen-
gers out of the vehicle and ordered the
driver to take them to an unknown destina-
tion. The driver was later released, the po-
lice added.
A teenager who appeared to be not older
than 14 years old stopped the bus and pre-
tended to be joining it when a group of
other men approached the bus. The men
were decked out in army-type clothing and
wore bulletproof vests. Among g items
taken from the passengers were their cellu-
lar phones and identification cards.
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CANADA & COMMUNITY NEWS
South Asian Heritage Month in GTA
Mayor of Markham Frank Scarpatti, Amar Umadas president of Toronto Arya Samaj,
Adit Kumar Chairman of Vedic Cultural Centre South Asian Heritage Committee,
Anand Rupnarain past president TAS, Danny Doobay and Amar Erry president of
Arya Samaj Markham share in the presentation to the Toronto Arya Samaj by Guyana
Consul General Danny Doobay ( second from right).
Camille Ross is a first generation Canadian
of Guyanese heritage. A recent graduate
from the School of Journalism at Ryerson
University, she is the creator and host of
Guyana Beat, a weekly television pro-
gramme in Toronto, Canada.
“I studied journalism at Ryerson Univer-
sity and always had a particular interest in
community reporting. While volunteering
with a community television station, I
learned they were searching for ethnic pro-
gramming to reflect the various cultures in
Toronto. When I found out that they did not
have a Guyanese program- I pitched them
an idea for a show, and they loved it.
“I knew that with our active Guyanese Di-
aspora there would be more than enough
content for a fresh and informative show
twice a month.
Given the diversity of Guyanese people,
I decided to stay away from religion and
cover the culture and activities of our na-
tion’s six peoples as they live here in
Toronto.
Guyana Beat takes viewers inside the
lively culture of the Diaspora in the GTA.
Each week we go around the city to learn
about the cuisine, entertainment, history,
politics, social life, and more surrounding
the community.
The events that are put on by the
Guyanese community each month are end-
less, Guyana Beat takes its viewers behind
the scenes for a sneak peak.
The show also features success profiles of
members of the Guyanese community who
are making their mark in Toronto. I’ve pro-
filed some of the greatest; Auntie Comesee,
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Indo-Caribbean Times
Camille interviews Adit Kumar of the
Vedic Cultural Centre on the May 31
Indo-Caribbean Centenary celebration
Captain Gerald Gouveia, and Bing Serrao
and the Ramblers.
In hosting and producing this program I
have learned that there is no shortage of
successful good hearted Guyanese in
Toronto.
This production shows young Guyanese
what others have done, and what they can
do too.lease take some time to visit
www.guyanabeat.com and click on “previ-
ous shows” to see the videos.
Please take some time to sign our guest-
book afterward.
We are embarking on a new Generation
of Guyanese – hyphenated Guyanese. For
me, I’m a Guyanese-Canadian and couldn’t
be more proud.
Camille was intensely involved in the
Centenary Celebrations put on by the
Toronto Arya Samaj at the Vedic Cultural
Centre, and will be involved in the Guyana
Festival coming out this weekend.
She welcomes input from the community
and can be reached at the program’s web
site at www.guyanabeat.com or by e-mail
at camille@guyanabeat.com.
Montessori-Early Childhood ‘blended’ Training Program
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M
ayor of Markham congratulated
the Vedic Cultural Centre on its
10th Annual South Asian Her-
itage Month Celebrations held on May 31
The honorable Consulate General of
Guyana, Danny Doobay who along with the
Mayor of Markham declared open the cul-
tural extravaganza at the Vedic Cultural
Centre at its 10th Annual South Asian Her-
itage Month Celebrations on Saturday, May
31, 2008 recognized the Centre for its con-
tribution in maintaining the heritage and
culture of its ancestors in this Multi Cultural
country.
In his address he congratulated the or-
ganization and presented an award to the
Vedic cultural Centre for its celebration of
the 100th anniversary of Indo-Caribbean
presence in Canada, 170 th Anniversary of
Indian arrival in the western world and its
10th Annual South Asian Heritage Month
Program. He acknowledged the organiza-
tion for its role in forging greater linkages
between Hindus and other communities and
in building partnerships with other cultures
aimed at creating a greater understanding,
tolerance and a stronger Canadian Mosaic.
Mayor of Markham, Frank Scarpitti also
presented a plaque to the Vedic Cultural
Centre, on the occasion recognizing their
achievements. The plaque reads as follows:
“The Mayor and Council of the town of
Markham extend congratulations and best
wishes to the Vedic Cultural Centre as it
celebrates and presents its 10th Annual
South Asian Heritage Month Program rec-
ognizing your educational and cultural
achievements”.
He congratulated the organization for its
outstanding contribution in promoting cul-
tural diversity in the City of Markham and
reminded the audience that Canada does not
ask you to give up your heritage but rather
encourages you to use those values to en-
rich the Canadian Mosaic. He also com-
mended them for issuing a commemorative
Canada Postage stamp recognizing 100
years of Indo-Canadian presence in Canada
which was launched as part of the celebra-
tions.
Adit Kumar, Chairman of the Vedic Cul-
tural Centre South Asian Heritage Month
Committee accepted the award on behalf of
the organization and thanked the Consulate
General and Mayor of Markham for recog-
nizing and acknowledging the work of the
Centre in promoting cultural diversity in the
town of Markham.
Adit Kumar pointed out that the organi-
zation started this program 10 years ago to
raise awareness to the 5th of May, 1838, the
day that the first batch of Indian Indentured
immigrants arrived in the Western World.
They went to British Guiana now known as
Guyana, the country of birth of many of the
immigrants who have now migrated and
settled in Canada.
That inaugural program generated
tremendous interest and excitement and the
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JUNE 2008 Page 3
community encouraged them to make it an
annual event.
He added that MPP Raminder Gill who
attended the first program was so impressed
with what he saw that he went on to pilot
the bill in Parliament that designated the
month of May as South Asian Heritage
Month and the 5th of May as Indian Arrival
Day.
Since then the Vedic Cultural Centre ex-
panded its program to celebrate South
Asian Heritage as a whole rather than limit
it to Indo-Caribbean Heritage and the com-
mittee was renamed as Vedic Cultural Cen-
tre South Asian Heritage Month Committee
which was tasked with producing this show
every year, with this year marking the 10th
successive year of the celebrations.
Every year the committee chooses a dif-
ferent theme and this year the theme was
celebrating 100 years of Indo-Caribbean
presence in Canada, recognizing Dr Ken-
neth Mahabir and M N Santhoo who came
from Trinidad and Guyana respectively as
the first Indo-Caribbeans to settle in
Canada.
The exhibition which preceded the cul-
tural show focused on the 100th Anniver-
sary of Indo-Caribbean presence in Canada,
recognizing Dr Kenneth Grant Mahabir and
MN Santoo who came from Trinidad and
Guyana respectively as the first Indo-
Caribbean immigrants to settle in Canada.
Huge life size scrolls depicting several
Indo-Caribbean achievers with their contri-
butions and achievements were promi-
nently displayed and a commemorative
Canada Postage stamp recognizing 100
years of Indo-Canadian presence in Canada
was launched as part of the celebration.
The Indo Caribbean achievers who at-
tended the exposition were each presented
with a plaque with the keepsake commem-
orative stamp and they all paid tribute to the
Indo-Caribbeans as well as all peoples of
the Caribbean for their contributions and
achievements and exhorted them to give
back something to the community.
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Michael Chan who declared open the exhi-
bition read a message from the Premier of
Ontario in which he offered congratulations
to the organizers and the community on the
occasion and also paid tribute to the contri-
butions of the South Asians to the Canadian
Mosaic.
The exhibition also featured artifacts com-
memorating the 170th anniversary of the
Arrival of Indians in the western world, the
first batch of Indian immigrants having ar-
rived in Guyana (formerly British Guiana)
on May 5th 1838.
The interactive booths and artifacts cap-
tured the immigrant experience in the
colonies and a very popular booth was the
mini logie which highlighted the living
quarters of the immigrants.
COMMENTARY
Indo-Caribbean Times is
published monthly in Toronto
by Indo-Caribbean Times Ltd.
Editor/Publisher: Ram Jagessar
Editorial Committee:
Reynold Ramdial, Gulcharan
Mohabir, Lloyd Harradan, Sandy
Kissoonsingh, Roop Misir, Deoraj
Narine, Krishna Nankissoor,
Rudy Lochan
Offi
ficce: 17 Gaiety Drive,
Toronto ON Canada M1H 1B9
Tel: 416-289-3898
E-Mail: ictimes@rogers.com
Opinions given in this newspaper
are those of the authors and do
not necessarily reflect the views
of the Indo-Caribbean Times.
We welcome letters, e-mails and
comments on matters relevant to
Indo-Caribbeans in Canada and
abroad, and also those at home in
the Caribbean. All content must
comply with the requirements of
Canadian law.
A copy of this newspaper is
posted on the internet in as a pdf
file immediately after publication,
and the entire contents can be
read online by anyone with a
computer and an internet con-
nection.
Past and current issues of the IC-
Times can be found at
http://www.esnips.com/web/Indo
-CaribbeanTimes
Readers are also invited to look at
the website
www.indocaribbeanheritage.com
which contains abundant infor-
mation on Indo-Caribbeans in
Canada and our Caribbean her-
itage and history.
Crime crisis in Trinidad needs answers AIR INDIA OFFERS
By Gillian Lucky, former MP
With detection rates at an all-time low
and no significant strides being made in the
fight against crime, the question on the
mind of every law-abiding citizen is: what
next? We cannot give up hope or throw our
hands in the air signifying defeat or, worse
yet, surrender our entitlement to live in a se-
cured society. The complaint that this ad-
ministration has failed miserably in the
fight against crime is an indictment for
which it has already been foundguilty as
charged.
Citizens from all walks of life have
stepped forward including the business
community and asked this Government to
do something meaningful in ensuring that
we are protected from the hands of bandits
who know no mercy.
The papers are flooded with reports of
Indo-Caribbean Times
From the editor’s desk
Arrival in Canada stories need telling after second
I
n this Centenary of Indo- and Montreal.
enough arrival stories to know so few of them. Our history is mostly spouse’s murder
Caribbean Arrival in There are tens of thousands of stories of
Canada I’ve heard Indo-Caribbean arrival in Canada but we
convince me we have a hid-
den treasure of oral history
among us in the tales of the
Ram Jagessar Indos who came to Canada.
Some are just funny “stranger in a strange
land” episodes, like the Indo at Pearson
Airport changing his mind about returning
home immediately when a white porter
took his bags and called him “sir”. There
was the lady who for two years kept paying
new TTC fares every time she made a trans-
fer, without knowing she could get a trans-
fer slip for free. One man recollects
wandering around a giant mall parking lot
for hours trying to find the car he had bor-
rowed - he couldn’t remember where he
had parked it, what make and model it was,
or the license number, but only that it was
red.
There are the stories about finding a job
in a place where your past experience
means nothing, and sending in that first
Trini style application “ I humbly beg to
apply for the position of …” Who can for-
get those tales of trying to find a place to
live, while puzzling over ads like “2 bdrm
bsmt first & last, incl heat & hydro”.
Young people have memories of entering
schools where students were smoking in the
school yard, nobody wore uniforms, and
people assumed they could not speak Eng-
lish.
We have wonderful stories about learn-
ing to adapt to an often frigid climate, with
cooking curry acting like tear gas in apart-
ment buildings, doing lawa in the basement,
and the trouble of finding a decent mango
leaf for a puja.
There are tragic tales of Indos deciding
to have nothing to do with others from the
home country, only to realize ten years later
what a mistake that was. Some of us have
learned to remake a support group in
Canada and make a good life here, while
others have not, and live here hating every
minute and thinking of going back but
never managing to do so.
Almost unknown are the stories of brave
Indo-Caribbeans who have ventured into
places like Calgary, Vancouver, Regina,
Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, London, Waterloo,
Quebec City, Timmins and Whitehorse, far
away from the huge mass of their fellows
comfortably settled in Toronto, Mississauga
the commission of serious offences and the
statistics prove beyond all reasonable doubt
that crime is not going away.
The criminals do not fear the system and
the police and other members of the pro-
tective and armed forces are ill equipped to
match the resources of those they are meant
to unearth, detect and arrest.
My professional experience and the sev-
eral years that I worked in the Office of the
Director of Public Prosecutions tell me that
the problem of unabated criminal activity
is worsening and the time for implementa-
tion of viable solutions can no longer be
postponed.
If that be the case, then the immediate es-
tablishment of an implementation commit-
tee along the lines of the Criminal Justice
Board (UK) is all that is needed to address
the problem.
gilly@tstt.net.tt
Dentist migrates
robbery and
oral, so very few of those stories are written
down and available.
We have to do something about that, and
make the effort to record the lives and ex-
periences of the Indo-Caribbeans who came
to live in Canada. It may sound strange, but
we are the jahajis in this land, though most
of us came by plane rather than by boat.
The jahajis in the Caribbean mostly lived
and died without anybody asking them
about their lives and recording the answers.
We can’t let that happen to us in Canada, so
we have to do the job for ourselves.
Since last year the Indo-Caribbean Times
has been collecting arrival stories and pub-
lishing them in our paper and on the
www.indocaribbeanheritage.com web site.
But we have only a few on hand, nothing
representative of the 225,000 odd Indo-
Caribbeans in Canada. We want much
more, and we need them to be available for
anyone who is interested.
These histories and remembrances are
not just for our youths to use as research in
their school papers on their Caribbean her-
itage. The people who tell them often say
what they have learned from being in
Canada, what mistakes they have made and
what successes they have had. They invite
us to learn from their experiences and do
the things that have proven to work in
building up proud and confident Indo-
Caribbeans in a strong community.
Those who come later don’t have to re-
peat their mistakes. The stories can be en-
tertaining but teach us something useful
too.
That is why I’m inviting our community
to get moving with pen and paper, comput-
ers, tape and video recorders to record our
arrival stories, especially those of the Indos
who came several decades ago. It’s our
duty to tell the youth and the still arriving
newcomers how we got here and what we
did to make this our new homeland.
We can promise them a place in the in-
docaribbeanheritage.com web site and pos-
sibly in the Indo-Caribbean Times. Either
way, they will become available to the
world via the internet. E-mail the results to
ictimes@rogers.com, mail to Indo-
Caribbean Times, 17 Gaiety Drive, Toronto
ON M1H 1B9 and we guarantee a place in
our community history collection.
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JUNE 2008 Page 4
J
ust as dentist Dr Ella Mae Jurawan-John
was putting her past behind her and get-
ting over the robbery incident in which her
husband lost his life almost one year ago,
she again became the victim of a crime last
month.
This time, the consequences were not
fatal, but equally life-shattering, as the cul-
prits sexually assaulted a close friend.
May 17 marked exactly one year since Ju-
rawan-John’s husband Dr Russel John was
fatally shot at the couple’s Madras Street,
St James, dental centre.
John, son of former trade unionist Sel-
wyn John, fought for three days at hospital,
but died almost at the side of his killer
whom he managed to shoot in the exchange
of gunfire during the robbery.
And following the robbery at Jurawan-
John’s home in Santa Cruz, the widow is
now planning to migrate.
According to Selwyn John, his daughter-
in-law is now fed up.
In a phone interview, John lamented the
fact that he would be away from his grand-
children, but said that it has now become
necessary.
“It is regrettable that people would have
to leave,” said John.
According to John, he would much rather
travel abroad and visit his grandchildren
than have them live in Trinidad and risk
getting killed in a third robbery—which
seems likely, given their luck, he said.
He said he was saddened that his six-
year-old granddaughter had to face the gun
again after having witnessed her father get-
ting shot.
John admitted that he, too, still had not
come to terms with his son’s death.
“I still feel like he is around me,” he said.
John said he could not help but wonder
why he was robbed of his son.
A memorial service was held to com-
memorate the one-year anniversary of Rus-
sel John’s murder.
On May 17, Jurawan-John was at her
Saddle Vale home with her children and
two friends when an SUV pulled up outside
the house.
Three men alighted and announced a hold
up.
The men—one masked and two others
unmasked—made off with several thousand
dollars’ worth in cash, jewelry and elec-
tronics, but not before assaulting another
woman, who was in the house.
The vehicle was recovered at Aucono
Road in Maracas soon after. Two men are
awaiting trial for John’s murder.
IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE
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INDO-
CARIBBEAN
TIMES
416-289-3898
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO NEWS
Police and soldiers break
the law in record numbers
C rime is reaching record breaking num-
bers in Trinidad and Tobago, and not
just by criminals. Police and military offi-
cers are being charged with criminal of-
fences almost every day for offences
ranging from kidnapping to sexual assault
to simple robbery.
The Indo-Caribbean Times reviewed
crime reports for the last month and found
a worrying trend of law breaking by the
guardians of the law. Some examples are:
Woman police officer Choylin Salvary,
36, was charged with attempting to defraud
the Telecommunication Service of T&T
(TSTT) of $30,629.50 worth of mobile
phones.t is alleged that Salvary and the two
others pretended the T&T Police Service,
Finance Branch, requested and authorised
them to order and receive cell phones from
TSTT.
Cpl Nirmal Ramjattan and PC Kilson
Wynn appeared in court charged with rob-
bing a baker of more than $160,000 worth
of items. They were charged with robbery
with violence under the Larceny Act.
Corporal Nirmal Ramjattan, 35, along
with Constable Kipson Wynn, 32, are ac-
cused of beating and robbing businessman
Horace Seedansingh, during an incident at
Seedansingh's, Bowen Street home, in Tu-
napuna on April 6.
The duo were part of the Tunapuna Police
Station's elite anti-crime control unit. The
detectives are alleged to have stolen more
than $165,000 worth of items from
Seedansingh, including $90,000 in cash and
a $70,000 Nissan Almera.
Three police officers attached to the Tu-
napuna Police Station have been charged
with robbing a businessman who had just
won $80,000 at the Grand Casino in Val-
sayn.
They followed the man as he went home,
beat him to get his personal identification
number and bank card, and withdrew
money from the man's account. A security
camera at the ATM caught the crooked cops
in the act
Two soldiers from Teteron Barracks and
Camp Ogden were arrested on Saturday
night and charged with kidnapping a 19-
year-old man.
The victim, Jerome Raymond of St
Joseph was at his home on Saturday, when
two men stormed his home and forced him
into a waiting car. Raymond was robbed of
his cellular phone, cash and jewelry.
Raymond managed to jump out of the
car and made his way to the St Joseph Po-
lice Station where he lodged a report. An all
Points Bulletin (APB) was issued and the
car with the suspected kidnappers was in-
tercepted at Riverside Road in Curepe at
about 10 pm.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Women warned to
wear less jewelry in
Port of Spain
Women visiting Port of Spain have been
asked to temper down on the amount of
jewelry they wear, so they will not attract
the eye of bandits prowling the city.
ASP Glen Hackett, of the Criminal In-
vestigation Department, made the plea after
a woman was robbed of her jewelry on In-
dependence Square. The thief was caught
on Henry Street moments later.
"People should not make themselves too
conspicuous by wearing an exorbitant
amount of jewelry. This essentially makes
you a target for bandits," Hackett said.
Alocal newsaper asked various women
in downtown Port of Spain what they
thought of the ASP's advice. Most agreed,
stating that they had already reduced the
amount of jewelry they wear in public.
Killers took
vacation during
last elections
Cold statistics have confirmed the sus-
picion that criminal gangs deliberately took
a murder break during the last general elec-
tion and then went back to business once
the election was over.
Opposition politicians here have claimed
that criminals supporting the ruling PNM
party phased down activities during the
campaign to benefit the PNM.
Police statistics show there was a dip in
homicides in Trinidad and Tobago last No-
vember, when the last general election was
held, and in December, only to be followed
by a disturbing 81 per cent increase in
homicides from January 1 to June 11.
Figures showed a steady rise in the num-
ber of homicides from around February
2007 to September 2007, when the election
campaign started. Then came a dramatic
fall just before, during and immediately
after the November 5, 2007 general elec-
tion. The graph also shows an equally dra-
matic 81 percent increase in homicides
from January 1, 2008 to the middle of June.
From January 1 to June 11, 2008, there
were 226 homicides, as opposed to 125 dur-
ing the first months and 11 days of 2007.
More than half of those homicides, 59
per cent, for the first six months of 2008
were gang related, 11 per cent due to rob-
beries, nine per cent due to altercations, six
per cent due to domestic violence and five
per cent classified as drug related.
JUNE 2008 Page 5
Rice mill sold as Sprint Airlines
farmers gear up opens up route to
to plant rice Ft. Lauderdale
A new airline has entered the Trinidad
Rice farmers were in a quandary last week-
market, hoping to make it easier and
end after they learned the National Flour cheaper for Trinis to fly to the US. Spirit
Mills had put its rice milling operations at
Airlines, which already works in several
Carlsen Field, Chaguanas up for sale. destinations throughout the Caribbean,
Latin America and the United States, made
More than 150 farmers occupying 100 acres
its first flight to Trinidad last week. With a
of land running from Clarke Road in Penal
reputation of being a low cost carrier, Spirit
to Valley Line, Barrackpore had already in-
which will make a weekly trip from Piarco
vested in land preparation to resume rice
to Fort Lauderdale, Florida will be in direct
cultivation after 10 years.
competition with state-run carrier,
Caribbean Airlines, (CAL).CAL began fly-
Pankaj Ramlochan said that he had
ing to Fort Lauderdale last month, offering
ploughed five acres of land and awaited rice
four weekly flights to the city in South
seeds imported from Guyana.
Abortions
Florida.Spirit currently flies of over 40
cities within the Western Hemisphere.
"Farmers have been meeting and making
plans to get back to the lands again," he said
equal
adding that following the harvest of rice,
farmers planted bodi, tomatoes, water-
melon, cucumber and other short term
crops as their parents and grandparents had
births at
done before them.
"Our homes were always filled with food
and our gardens were our pride and joy," he
18,000
said adding that he missed the days when
farming was a way of life.
Nimchan Ramoutar said that farmers suf-
fered anxious moments as they searched for
rice seeds.
Girls are having sex from the age of nine,
and there are 18,000 abortions a year in
"Just as we managed to get the seeds, we
T&T. There also were 18,000 babies born,
hear about the sale of the milling opera-
with 7,000 of the mothers being teenagers.
tions," he said.
The claim came from gynaecologist, Dr
Tim Gopeesingh, during debate in the
He said that Penal farmers had ordered
Lower House of Parliament. He said Social
5,000 pounds of rice seeds that would be ar-
Development Minister Dr Amery Browne
riving from Guyana soon.
could confirm the statistic, a claim Browne
did not deny when he wound up debate on
Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture said
a Bill to Amend the Children’s Authority
that NFM received $400,000 a month from
Act, 2000.
government to keep the rice mill open.
The hospitals were flooded with women
seeking treatment for botched abortions;
NFM manufactures and sells flour, soybean
some died, and the internal organs of some
meal, rice and oils and is listed on the
were so”damaged” they were no longer
Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange with
able to become pregnant.
51 per cent of its shares held by National
At Port-of-Spain clinics, ten out of 15
Enterprises Limited. According to market
women seeking pre-natal treatment were
experts, the rice mill is valued at $14 mil-
teenagers; in other areas it was ten out of
lion. Sale of the rice milling operations
25.
were advertised recently in the daily news-
He said the fathers were men in their 40s
papers.
Water taxis
and 50s who were, in fact, guilty of statu-
tory rape, but who escaped punishment. In
ready by August
many cases, he said, they were not even
taking care of their offspring.
The State should set in place a plan to
identify these fathers and hold them re-
Passengers using the water taxi service sponsible, urged Gopeesingh, UNC-A MP
in Port of Spain will be temporarily housed for Caroni East.
at the Cruise Ship Complex until a proper He said the medical fraternity was
structure is built specifically for the hub, shocked to see women aged 20 suffering
says Works and Transport Minister Colm from cervical cancer, and that was because
Imbert. they started having sexual relations from
He added that prefabricated structures age ‘nine or ten.”
were to be erected near the Breakfast Shed He also lamented that infant mortality
to accommodate the passengers but until was not at first world standard,and children
they are ready, the Complex will be used. who grew up would either face the fate of
Three of the four vessels, should arrive by being kidnapped,or would die or be injured
the end of the month via a heavy lift ship, in road accidents because the breathalyser
Imbert said. was not in place.
Celebrate 2008
The fourth vessel, to be acquired by gov-
ernment for the service, is still undergoing
maintenance and should arrive by July, the
Express was told. Centenary of
"By August, all four vessels should be in
Arrival of Indo-
Caribbeans in
operation," said Imbert. The water taxi
service would allow members of the public
Canada
the option to travel from San Fernando to
Port of Spain via the Gulf of Paria.
TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
“It could be anybody” murders have Trinidad rattled
It’s not the gang murders or the family
squabbles that lead to homicides that have
Trinidadians uneasy. These things happen
everywhere. But a rash of “it could be any-
body” murders, some of them clearly inno-
cent, is another matter. Today we look at a
small sample of 21 such murders that have
taken place in the last month to understand
the problem.
PENSIONER LEFT TO DIE
Harry Gokool, an 84 year old pensioner
of Fyzabad, was killed on Father's Day by
a man who entered his home and stabbed
him, leaving him dying with a knife left
sticking out in his right eye. Gokool saw the
man on his property around 5 pm in the af-
ternoon and as he tried to chase him away
the man ordered him upstairs to his bed-
room.On the way to his room a scuffle
broke out and the man whipped out a knife
and stabbed him several times in his chest
and finally in his eye.
PAID THE PRICE FOR STAYING
A Suriname businessman who invested in
Trinidad and stayed despite an attempt by
arsonists who tried to burn him out, has
been murdered at the gates of his Chagua-
nas warehouse. Dalip Kalicka, 55, was shot
dead last week by unknown gunman as
soon as he stepped out of his car. They
stood over him firing repeatedly into his
body.
Kalicka came to Trinidad several years
ago and opened a PVC ceiling trading com-
pany. On April 19, his warehouse at Char-
lieville was set afire and most of his stock
destroyed, putting 50 people out of a job
and causing over $1 million in damages.
But Kallicka stayed on and rented another
building in Edinburgh to continue his busi-
ness. He was planning to return home to
Suriname the day before his death, and
complained that someone was robbing him.
PENSIONER SHOT IN BED
An 86 year old Rio Claro pensioner Al-
varez St Rose was shot dead in his bed at
2.00 am on Sunday June 10, when an un-
known gunman opened fire from outside a
window. Police believe the shooting
stemmed from an altercation involving a
relative of the murdered man and another
man at a pub in Rio Claro the previous Fri-
day. St Rose's grandsons Elon and Robert,
Elon’s common-law wife Gloria and the
victim’s niece Nicole escaped unhurt.
KILLED ON MOTHER’S DAY
Winston Budhram, 28, a
Petit Valley audio visual
technician with the Parlia-
ment Channelwas fatally
shot on Mother's Day
when two bandits stole
his life before they drove
off with his car.
Budhramwas seated in his car with a female
work colleague outside her home when the
bandits dragged Budhram out of the car and
made him lie face down on the roadway. He
was then shot once in his head.
SCHOOLBOY STABBED AT 8.30 AM
Schoolboy Alonzo Pierre,
15, a form four student of
the Barataria Senior Com-
prehensive School was fa-
tally stabbed near to the
Arima maxi-taxi stand,
while waiting for trans-
port to school on the
Indo-Caribbean Times
morning of May 15. A 16-year-old Servol
student has been charged with his murder.
DRIVER KILLED AS WARNING
Basdeo Chunin, a 66 year old bulldozer
driver of St Helena Village, Piarco was shot
and killed at his Beetham worksite at mid-
day on May 21.Chunin was shot in the left
thigh and right calf while operating the ve-
hicle on the southern side of the Beetham
Highway in the vicinity of the New
Beetham Waste Water Treatment Plant.
.Chunin reported before he died that "a
young man cross the highway, walked up to
the backhoe and shot him. Before running
off the shooter said 'This is a warning'."
SHOT FOR PAYROLL
Central contractor Surendra
Bridgemohan was was
killed near his home at Ca-
candee Road, Felicity, at
midday on May 23, after
leaving home with a bag of
money to pay his workers.
A car pulled across his path
and two men shot him through the wind-
screen. His vehicle crashed into a drain and
he died before reaching hospital.
CHOPPED ASLEEP IN BED
A Chaguanas couple janitor Anthony
Charles, 39, and pre-school teacher An-
toinette Nedd,40, were sleeping in bed at 4
am on May 24 when an unknown person
broke into their home and chopped them
both to death. Charles was said to have been
in an argument with a man in Chaguanas
earlier that night.
WATCHMAN FOUND TIED UP
Moonsie Shadrack, 61, a watchman of
Hope Road, Princes Town, was found dead
by a co-worker at his workplace, Union
Steel in San Fernando on May 24. His
hands were tied behind his back and duct
tape was placed around his mouth.
HANDYMAN’S THROAD CUT
The body of handyman Deonarine Lata,
31, was found in an empty lot behind the
Roti King businessplace on St Vincent
Street, Tunapuna on May 24. His throat had
been slit from "ear to ear".
PENSIONER KILLED WITH ROCK
Knolly "Papa" Nicholas, 75. a marac
player who played alongside the legendary
Daisy Voisin and famous parang group La
Divina Pastora, was murdered, after a rock
was bashed into a head repeatedly and he
was left to die at the side of the road in
Mendez Village, Siparia, on the night of
May 23. He had left a Siparia bar which
was being closed at 9 pm because of acts of
vandalism by a another patron. It is be-
lieved the drunk patron followed Nicholas
and assaulted him with the rock.
CHILD SLASHED WITH KNIFE
Eight year-old Hope Aris-
mandez of Chase Village,
Chaguanas, was killed May
27 by a man she loved as a
father. She had a knife slash
across her throat, a stab to the
back of the head, and a blunt
object was used to pound her
on the head-the injury that killed her.
Hope's mother, Sherma Rajoon, 48, said she
never believed the man was capable of such
evil.
Naail never
JUNE 2008 Page 6
KILLED MAKING HIS
thought he
would be
COMMUNITY SAFE
Coniel Providence, a
Laventille based a liaison
kidnapped
officer with the Ministry of
Community Development,
was shot dead near his home
on June 1 after collecting a
questionnaire about crime in
his area. He was trying to make Laventille
safer but was accused of being a police in-
former.
SHOT DEAD IN BED
San Juan clothing store businessman
Marlon Edwards never woke up from a
sound sleep in his bed at Santa Cruz at
12.45 am on the night of June 3. Masked
gunmen kicked down the door and without
asking a question, shot dead the 33-year-old
man, before robbing his wife who was
sleeping next to Edwards.They took Ed-
wards's life and $4,000 in cash and jewelry.
Rafie Mohammed shows a picture
Y
BABY AND DAD KILLED IN TAXI of kidnapped nephew Naail Ali
Five month old baby Zion oung Naail Ali was kidnapped in
front of his father's Gasparillo furni-
Jones, died from gunshot in-
ture business on bright and early around
juries on June 7, along with
8.30 am on June 10. Naail, 25, who was the
his father, Anthony Jones.
manager of the A&S Furniture Store was
Zion was shot three times
on hand to open the store for business when
about the body. Father and
three men pulled up in a white station
son were seated in a car
wagon, grabbed him, bundled him into the
around 7.45 p.m. at Pump
car and drove off.
Trace, Laventille, awaiting the driver of the
His uncle Rafie Mohammed said: "He
car who had gone into some nearby bushes
never thought he would be a kidnap victim.
to urinate, when two men approached the
He was a real hard worker and always felt
car and started shooting. The shooters then
such a thing could not happen to him." He
ran off.
was wrong. Kidnapping has declined but
MISTAKEN IDENTITY not died.
Schoolgirl Amrika
A 22-year-old maintenance worker
Patrick Dedier was shot at Raymond Street,
released after $70,000
Carenage, on the night of June 4 after leav-
ing a nearby parlour where he had bought
ransom paid
bread. Police believe this was a case of mis-
taken identity .
Kidnapped schoolgirl Amrika Ramdial
KILLED TO SEND A MESSAGE was released on May 27, six days after her
THE relatives of a Diego Martin resident kidnapping, and police said $70,000 was
Mark Edwards man were ordered to watch paid for her freedom. Ramdial was let out
as three masked gunmen fired four times of a car in St Helena, a village near the Pi-
into his body on June 6. A shoot-out be- arco International Airport.
tween local gang factions occurred on Fri- Amrika, a pupil of the Holy Faith Con-
day, and one group went into the other's vent in Couva, was walking near her home
territory. When they could not find who at Gaston Street, Chaguanas, when she was
they were looking for they pounced on Ed- snatched by four men.A $1 million ransom
wards, "to send a message" to their rivals. was demanded. Amrika is the daughter
restaurant owner Allison Squires-Ramdial
KILLED NEXT TO POLICE STATION and dry goods wholesaler Geewan Ram-
dial. Police said Amrika appeared to be in
In the back seat of his car good health.
parked outside the family's
home in Couva, business-
man Riaz Majeed, 28, was
shot multiple times on June
6 by people brave enough to
IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE
murder within sight of the
police station. At least 14 bullets were fired
at the car rental businessman.
IN THE
RAPED, KILLED AT WORK PLACE
INDO-
Nicoline Churaman, a 38
CARIBBEAN
year old Forestry Division
worker, never returned from
work on June 4 after being
TIMES
dropped off by her husband
Judson Reid. She was found with her face
bashed in with a boulder in the forested,
raped and murdered. Reid dropped heroff
416-289-3898
at the regular meeting point forworkers, eith
colleagues only a few minutes away. She
was found by the sound of her cellphone
ringing in her backpack.
INDIAN ARRIVAL IN TRINIDAD Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 7
Sat: Govt. killed Indians still face ASJA: Monitor
agriculture to discrimination in children’s music
destroy Indo-Trinis jobs and housing Parents were urged to protect their chil-

S
ecretary General of the Sanatan Dharma
Maha Sabha, Sat Maharaj, has charged
Government with killing agriculture to de-
Oppostion Leader Basdeo Panday, in an
Indian Arrival Day address at the Couva
Valmiki Maharaj and the BVS group
Recreation Ground, Couva, said that said
perform a poem in song at the Library
dren yesterday at the Anjuman Sunnat ul Ja-
maat Association’s (ASJA) fourth Indian
Arrival Day celebrations held at Char-
lieville.
“Parents hold on to your children,” was

Library celebrates
stroy the Indo-Trinidadian people.
that Afro-Trinidadians do not want to re- the message brought by Sheikh Majid Ali, a
"Government has destroyed the rice and
member the day they came to this country. member of ASJA’s Indian Arrival Day
sugar industry and has failed to give sup-

TT’s Indian poets

“Africans came here as slaves, they hate Committee and co-ordinator of a popular
port for food crop producers. That is why
the day they arrived here,” said Panday as Islamic radio programme called “Islam in
Trinidad and Tobago is on the verge of star-
he commented on the impact slavery had on Focus.”
vation," he sharged..
A day of Indian poetry, song and dance thousands of Africans who came to He advised parents to protect their chil-
He said that a month before Emancipa-
was held at the National Library in Port of Trinidad before Indo-Trinidadians. Indians dren and to carefully monitor the music that
tion Day, Government had announced a
Spain as NALIS focused on the celebration arrived here on the Fatel Razack on May they listened to on the radio, since music in-
grant of $3.3 million to the African-Trinida-
of Indian Arrival Day. 30, 1825 and since that day indentured fluenced behaviour.
dian community, but had failed to provide
Men, women and children came out to labourers and their descendants contributed Ali condemned chutney music as a
for Indian Arrival Day celebrations yester-
listen and learn about their ancestors, cul- positively to society in every aspect of pub- medium that promoted alcoholism and
day. He said not a penny was received by
ture and heritage. lic life, from governance to the home. other “haram” or forbidden behaviour.
over 300 groups celebrating Arrival Day.
They heard stories, poems and songs Panday said Indians are still being dis- He, however, commended radio stations
"A suppressed people becomes an inven-
about the journey the early Indians made on criminated against in public service jobs that still held to the musical traditions that
tive people," he said adding, "if they don't
the Fatel Razack; their struggles and tri- and housing. He criticised the ruling Peo- the ancestors of the Indian community had
give us, we will put our hands in our pock-
umphs for peace and equality. ple’s National Movement (PNM) for at- brought with them.
ets."
The Indians brought their food, dance, tempting to change the name of “Indian He highlighted the historical evolution of
Maharaj called on Government to give a
music and art to these islands. Roti, dou- Arrival Day” to “Arrival Day”. Panday said the Indian community in TT, as indentured
subvention to poor parents to feed their
bles, pholourie and several spices they it was mainly Indo-Trinidadian groups who immigrant labourers who once sustained
children instead of the provision made in
brought over from India have definitely fought for a long time for the recognition of the prosperous sugar industry in the coun-
the school feeding programme. He also
given us things that we have grown to love. East Indians before May 30 was granted as try, to a mobilised, educated group in soci-
called on single parents not to depend on
The library also recognised the achieve- a public holiday. ety. President general of ASJA Haji Yacoob
the State to support their children.
ments made by Indo Trinidadians and To- “Such is the hypocrisy of the PNM,” Pan- Ali said the celebrations were also an op-
"There are single parent mothers with six
bagonian poets. Contributing to the day said as he told the audience gathered portunity to “pay tribute to those who
and seven children working in the fields
diversity of our twin island, the Indian com- under tents that Trinidadians must re-com- came,”
and selling in the market to feed, shelter and
munity celebrated their arrival to Trinidad’s mit themselves to fight against discrimina- The Indian Arrival Day celebrations
educate their children," he said.
shores 163 years ago on May 30th. tion. started at 10 am and included a range of ac-
Maharaj also questioned why the Afro-
They are also celebrated 85 years since Ramnath also told the crowd he knew tivities. There were several booths selling
Trinidadian community was not celebrating
the first Indo Trinidadian poet Leslie two Indo-Trinidadian families who have traditional East Indian clothing, food, orna-
Indian Arrival.
Sankersingh got his first poem published said they plan to migrate to Miami because ments and other items. ASJA primary and
"The Indo-Trinidadian forms 42 per cent
1921. The audio/visual room at the li- of the high crime rate. Panday gave out sev- secondary schools were also given the op-
of the population and it is time for the rest
brary was transformed into a visual feast eral gifts, mainly to elderly women of East portunity to display art and craft items re-
of the nation to rise above race and religion
with tiny lights, a unique display of running Indian descent, who raised large families in lated to the arrival of the Indian community
to pay tribute to the people who came," he
water and brightly coloured cloths that Couva. in TT. Atiman Ramjohn, who is 104, re-
said.
made the stage come to life. ceived a special award.

E-mail: kicker4321@msn.com
GUYANA NEWS
Remember Enmore martyrs Guns found at Goat Farm
J ust after sunrise on the morning of June
16, 1948 sixty years, five sugar workers
were brutally shot to death at Enmore Es-
tate in Guyana as they were demonstrating
for better working conditions, fair wages,
and for the recognition of a Union of their
choice.
The five workers who died became
known as the Enmore Martyrs. They were
Lallabaggie and Dookie from Enmore and
Rambarran, Harry and Pooran from Enter-
prise/Non Pariel. One worker was shot in
the back as he tried to flee from the scene.
There were also fourteen other workers
who were seriously injured.
It was not the first time in Guyana's his-
tory that sugar workers were killed whilst
demonstrating for better working condi-
tions. The first incident occurred in 1872 at
Devonshire Castle where five workers were
gunned down by Colonial Police. In 1896
the Police shot five workers and seriously
injured several others at Non Pariel. In 1903
eight workers were killed and seven injured
at Friends, and in 1913 at Rose Hall, fifteen
were killed and thirteen wounded. These
shootings all occurred on individual estates
where workers resorted to strikes and
demonstrations in order to force the Sugar
Estate owners to improve the working con-
ditions. These prior incidents were not part
of an industry wide action as was the case
of the 1939 shootings at Leonora and the
1948 shootings at Enmore.
In 1939 sugar workers at several estates
went on strike as a last resort in order to in-
fluence the sugar estates to improve their
working conditions; however, the strike and
demonstrations were suppressed when po-
lice brutally shot five workers and injuring
several others.
After the 1939 death of the sugar work-
ers, a collective bargaining agreement was
put into place recognizing the Manpower
Citizens Association (MPCA) as the repre-
sentat iv e union for the field workers and
the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) as the
repreÂsentative union of the factory work-
ers.
Workers were dissatisfied with the repre-
sentation they were receiving from the
MPCA. On many occasions the MPCA
sided with the Sugar Producers Association
(SPA) in industrial disputes instead of fight-
ing for the cause of the workers. Eventually,
a new union was formed to represent the
workers in their efforts to secure better
working conditions.
This new union, the Guyana Industrial
Workers Union, (GIWU) was more vigor-
ous and militant in representing the work-
ers' demands and campaigned to win the
support of the workers . The SPA instead
continued to recognize the MPCA and did
not want to meet with the GIWU.
In 1948 the SPA introduced a system of
"cut and load" as opposed to the original
system of "cut and drop". In the "cut and
drop" system one gang of work ers cut the
cane whilst another gang loaded the cane
into the punts for the factories. In the "cut
and load" system the same gang that cut the
cane had to also load the cane into punts for
the factories. This new system which was
introduced without consultation with the
workers involved greater physical effort
and was very strenuous, especially for older
workers. This system would also facilitate a
significant decrease of the work force
needed for harvesting.
The sugar workers represented by the
MPCA were encouraged to try the new sys-
tem if wages were fairly increased , how-
ever the SPA would not agree to a fair rate
of pay to compensate for the additional
Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 8
belonged to massacre gang
Police have said that one of the two rifles uary 23, 2008, where Corporal Ivor
found on two gunmen shot dead at Goat Williams was shot and killed.
Farm in the interior belongs to the army and The police said the weapons were also
were used in the Lusignan and Bartica mas- used at the robbery/murder at Triumph,
sacres. ECD, on December 16, 2007, where Fazal
The lawmen also disclosed that four men Hakim and Rajesh Singh were killed. Bal-
accused of harbouring the country’s most listics tests are still being done on exhibits
wanted man, Rondell Rawlins were ar- collected at other scenes, the release added.
rested in a house in Linden on Tuesday. Police had linked the two massacres to
Police also confirmed yesterday that the the Buxton/ Agricola criminal gang being
two dead men whose bodies were flown out headed by Rawlins and a diary left behind
from the interior to Georgetown on Tues- when police first confronted the gunmen at
day were positively identified by their rel- Christmas Falls two weeks ago reportedly
atives yesterday - one of them Robin Julius bore details of Rawlins planning and exe-
Chung called Chung Boy was only 15. His cuting the massacres for the alleged abduc-
Memorial to the Enmore Martyrs located partner in crime Cecil Ramcharran called tion of his teenager child mother.
in Guyana ‘Uncle Willie’ is said to be 54. Reports are that following the June 6
In a press statement the police disclosed shoot-out at Christmas Falls the gunmen
that following investigations, four men numbering over ten split up into two
work so the workers had no alternative but were on Tuesday arrested in a house at Re- groups. One of the groups was headed by
to go on strike. trieve, Linden, on suspicion of harbouring Ramcharran and was intercepted following
The MPCA advised the workers to return Rawlins. The police said the men are in the hijacking of a minibus on the Aroaima
to work whilst the GIWU encouraged them their custody assisting with the investiga- trail on Monday morning. Rawlins and an-
to continue the fight for the right to receive tions. other group of gunmen are said to have
fair wages. The workers saw the GIWU as Officials believe that Rawlins and his gang headed in another direction.
the only Union that was interested in fight- had spent time in the mining town after the On June 6 members of the joint services
ing for their welfare; so they started to January 26 slaughter at Lusignan and used responding to intelligence reports that
swing their support en mass towards the Linden as a launching pad for the February Rawlins and his men were hiding out at
GIWU. At this critical time the workers in- 17 Bartica massacre. They were in Linden Christmas Falls some 300 miles up the
tensified their efforts to secure the recogni- several weeks following the Bartica Berbice River, descended on the forested
tion of the GIWU as their representative killings, before moving deeper into the area. Once there they came under fire from
union. dense jungle at Christmas Falls, located around seven men, one of whom was Fifee
The strike spread to most of the estates some 300 miles in the Upper Berbice River, who was shot and killed. The other six men,
and climaxed at a huge demonstration at the source contended. including Rawlins however managed to es-
Enmore on the morning of June 16, 1948, Meanwhile, using ballistic tests, police cape leaving behind a cache of arms and
where colonial police opened fire, thus said they were able to link the two AK- 47 ammunition, some of which have been con-
killing five workers and injuring fourteen rifles recovered from Cecil Ramcharran and firmed by police as having been stolen from
others. The Enmore Martyrs became for- Robin Chung at Goat Farm, Berbice River, the Bartica Police station the night that
ever etched in Guyana's history. on Monday to the killings at Lusignan on community came under siege by gunmen.
Two years before the Enmore Martyrs in- January 26, 2008 and at Bartica on Febru- They had foodstuff to last several weeks in
ciÂdent, the political landscape of Guyana ary 17. One of the weapons they said is the a large kitchen, which also had a gas stove,
had started to change with the formation of property of the Guyana Defence Force. The generator and solar energy. In addition,
the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) rifle was stolen during an ambush of a team there were six portable tents, four ham-
headed by Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the son and of soldiers by armed men at Buxton on Jan- mocks, three mattresses and other supplies.
grandÂson of indentured sugar workers. Dr.
Jagan and his wife, Janet, had just returned
from the USA and had initiated a gigantic
effort to improve the social, economic and
p olitical conditions of the working people.
Dr. Jagan joined the MPCA but was dis-
gusted at the corrupÂtion and hypocrisy
that he saw within that union. He was in-
strumental with Dr.J.P.Latchmansingh and
others in forming the GIWU to secure bet-
ter working conditions for the sugar work-
ers and also with his wife and political
partner Janet, Joycelyn Hubbard and Ash-
ton Chase formed the PAC to fight for po-
litical reforms. At the time of the strike in
1948 Dr. Jagan was the elected representa-
tive for the East Demerara District #6, hav-
ing been elected to the Legislative
Assembly as an Independent in 1947. Dr.
Jagan and Mrs. Jagan were involved in the
strike. They knew the workers who were
slain. At the funeral a massive crowd was
present and the procession was prevented
from marching through Georgetown.
The martyrdom of the workers at Enmore
influenced Dr. Cheddi Jagan into making
that solemn pledge th at he would not rest
until his people were free from colonial
bondage.
The PAC was the forerunner of the Peo-
ple's Progressive Party (PPP) which be-
came the vanguard of Guyana's struggle for
indeÂpendence, and the GIWU became the
Guyana Agricultural Workers Union
(GAWU) which is today the recÂognized
union of the sugar workers in Guyana.
The martyrdom of the workers at Enmore
and other estates must never be forgotten.
Guyana starts driving Chinese JAC cars
GUYANA NEWS
Prime Minister Samuel Hinds (third from
right) and CEO of National Hardware
Eddie Boyer (second from right) and others
inspecting the new JAC vehicles.
G
uyana has started importing Chinese
made JAC motor cars, which are being
sold at affordable prices to Guyanese cus-
tomers, with single and double cab pick-
ups costing about $1.9M ($9, 826
Canadian) duty free. SUVs and freight
trucks cost about 2.6M duty free, equiva-
lent to $13,447 Canadian. The vehicles are
fitted with Isuzu and Toyota engines.
Minister of Industry and Commerce
Manniram Prashad was optimistic that the
vehicles will be sold “like hot cakes,” as
they are already popular in Colombia and
neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago.
Helping 30, 000
single parents
The Ministry of Human Services and So-
cial Security has already received over
30,000 single-parent registration forms
from across the country for use in its $100
million program to help vulnerable singe
parents.Minister Priya Manickchand said
the data collection should be completed in
another month, and then government will
be able to see what kinds of interventions
that are needed and who are the neediest. It
is hoped that the interventions made will
put single parents in a better position to pro-
vide for their children.
Essequibo Tri-lake villages
exploring agro-tourism
The Essequibo region in Guyana is mov-
ing ahead with an innovative agro-tourism
package aimed as bringing in a new kind of
tourist to the South American country.
Government and the Inter American In-
stitute for Cooperation (IICA) are working
on a pilot project involving the the Esse-
quibo Tri-lake communities of Capoey,
Mainstay/ Whyaka and Tapacuma/St
Denny.
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline
Sukhai said recently that agro-tourism ven-
tures in the hinterland have great potential
for rural villages and especially in empow-
ering women. The Tri-lake communities
for example have immense possibilities for
organic pineapple and cassava production,
craft making, culinary arts and the devel-
opment of a heritage trail.
Online passport forms
Guyanese applying for the new machine
readable passports can now access the ap-
plication form online at the Guyana Police
Force website. Immigration and Passport
Offices across the country will phase out
the sale of the forms at the offices over a
period of time, a press release from the
force said. The form can be accessed online
at www.guyanapoliceforce.org.
Indo-Caribbean Times
Port Georgetown Guyana Times
gets F in World launched June 5 finally meet
Bank report Guyana's latest daily newspaper is the
Guyana Times, a $30 million US heavy-
‘…it still takes 35 days to clear customs
and 11 documents were necessary to com-
plete a transaction in 2007’
Several Caribbean ports, including
Guyana’s, have received a failing grade in a
global survey on seaports and customs ef-
fectiveness called the Logistics Perform-
ance Index (LPI), said the BBC in a report.
The study was carried out by the World
Bank and is contained in a report called ti-
tled “Connecting to Compete: Trade Logis-
tics in the Global Economy.”
The article said that of the 150 participat-
ing countries, Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica
ranked at 141, 123 and 118 respectively.
When contacted the Shipping Association
of Guyana said that it is cognisant of the
shortcomings in Guyana’s shipping. An of-
ficial of the SAG, Ian D’Anjou, said that
the body is discussing the report’s findings
among its executive before a formal state-
ment is issued.
The BBC report said that the country with
the highest ranking in the Caribbean was
the Dominican Republic at 96.
“However, seaports in Trinidad and To-
bago, Barbados, Bahamas, the Eastern
Caribbean countries and the Dutch and
French Caribbean, were not included,” the
report said.
The report also ranked countries based
on other indicators such as efficiency of
customs operations, infrastructure, logistics
competence, tracking and tracing and time-
liness, among others and again Caribbean
countries in general were ranked very low.
The report highlights the fact that the region
is failing in its efforts to develop a compet-
itive supply chain framework, the article
said.
I n an analysis of the findings, Caribbean
Central American Action noted that: “one
of the most important reasons noted for the
low performance of the region is the lack of
efficient customs practices in the region.”
According to the BBC report, its Execu-
tive Director, Anton Edmunds told BBC
Caribbean that as it relates to logistics - the
actual movement of goods in and out of the
region - the Caribbean ranks relatively low.
He said one of the areas of under per-
formance was the (lack of) speed in which
“goods are loaded, off-loaded, customs
cleared and get into the market-place. “It’s
really where it shows the region is defi-
cient,” he pointed out, according to the ar-
ticle.
According to another World Bank report:
“Doing Business 2008” although Guyana
has one of the lowest costs to import a 20-
foot container, compared to other countries
within and outside of the region, it still
takes 35 days to clear customs and 11 doc-
uments were necessary to complete a trans-
action in 2007.
In the same report, Jamaica has one of the
highest costs to import a container of simi-
lar size despite the country’s recent upgrade
in customs technology and developing its
infrastructure.
The article said that although the number
of documents necessary for imports were
almost half that of Guyana, it still took at
least 22 days before the shipment can be re-
leased from Jamaica’s customs. The slow
customs clearing process – from the wharf
to the customs house processing – remains
a bugbear among businesses.
JUNE 2008 Page 9
Jagdeo, Corbin
A top appointment in the Police Force
and concerns about national participation in
weight that is sure to shake up the media
Carifesta were among matters President
world in the South American nation.
Bharrat Jagdeo and Leader of the Opposi-
The Times was launched June 5 at an
tion Robert Corbin discussed this week..
eleborate ceremony in Georgetown that was
The two leaders met at the invitation of
attended by President Bharrat Jagdeo and
President Jagdeo at the Office of the Presi-
many other powerful figures in the country.
dent. Corbin told the media after the meet-
Queens Atlantic Investment Inc is the
ing that, “We discussed some matters
parent body for the paper, which comes
related to the service commissions, one of
with a modern press capable of (QAII)
them was an appointment in the Police
launched the publication together with a
Force, details of which I would like to dis-
modern full colour press that can also han-
cuss when I have formal communication on
dle commercial printing jobs. Guyana
it.”
Times is selling at $50 for the daily edition,
Asked whether the appointment was that
and a Sunday edition is in the works.
of a Commissioner of Police, given the cur-
President Jagdeo welcomed the new
rent acting appointment of Acting Com-
paper, saying there was room for a “seri-
missioner of Police Henry Greene, Corbin
ous” newspaper, one that can be critical,
would not elaborate except to say that
truthful, fair and sees public officers as fair
“when one gets an indication of what one
game “but a paper that stays away from
is thinking the other gets the opportunity to
scurrilous attacks on people.” He said that
think on it. I am at that stage.” He added
for too long “we have feasted at that table.”
that consultation in the context of the Con-
“It is not enough to criticize the ills in so-
stitution requires certain procedure.”Greene
ciety…I hope the newspaper recognises the
was appointed Acting Commissioner of Po-
good in the country,” he said, adding that
lice in July 2006.
the efforts of people should not be sacri-
As PNCR leader, he said that he also took
ficed on the altar of sensationalism. “I think
the opportunity to discuss the subject mat-
people with a corporate interest will bene-
ter of the party’s recent marches and
fit from a country that is viewed in a posi-
demonstrations and the devastating effect
tive light,” Jagdeo said.
of the cost of living and the relief of meas-
Chairman of the Board of Directors at
ures needed to be put in place to stem the
QAII Ramroop Ramnarain said that the
high food prices. He recommended the re-
company recognised that there was need for
duction of the Value Added Tax, relief for
a different publication. “This is why we
pensioners, relief for vulnerable persons,
made a conscious business decision to pub-
and special intervention to cushion rising
lish a new newspaper,” he said.
fuel and transportation costs.
Repairs to all makes and models
4 cylinder
vehicles
Some conditions apply
Call Dex Mohan today
BUSINESS
Mortgage life insurance
not always a sure thing
I
f you have a mortgage on your home,
chances are good you also have mortgage
insurance.
The idea is that if you should become se-
riously ill or die before paying off the mort-
gage, the coverage will kick in and pay it
off for you. It’s meant to offer peace of
mind and to reassure you that your family
will be able to stay in your home if anything
should happen to you.
The reality falls a little short of that. The
CBC's Marketplace investigation, we meet
two families who bought the coverage and
thought they were protected, only to have
their claims denied when they became sick
or died.
In each case, the insurer said the appli-
cant person had lied on their initial applica-
tion form. It turns out a routine test at the
doctor could be reason to deny your claim,
if you don't mention it. Had a cuff inflated
on your bicep? That counts as being tested
for high blood pressure.
The bank staffers selling mortgage insur-
ance are unlicenced and rarely trained to
explain the details and legalities of those in-
surance products. The result is people who
pay premiums and think they are covered,
only to realize later that they are not.
How to buy insurance that really will
protect you is simple.
Be sure you qualify.
There are many terms and exclusions as-
sociated with credit insurance policies.
Learn what they mean and how they apply
to you.
Understand how lending
Call the insurance company directly
works in the marketplace
By Ijaz Hosein
If you structure your financial life so that
everything has to go right in order for you
to stay afloat, you are asking for trouble.
My goal is to empower families to take con-
trol of their financial lives when the going
is good and to prepare for worst case sce-
narios.
The formula used by the lending institu-
tions is fair and if we were to keep within
the guidelines life would be less stressful.
The two ratios that you would see a lot are
the Gross Debt Service Ratio ( GDSR) and
the Total Debt Service Ratio (TDSR).
These are the guidelines used to determine
how much of your gross income should be
allocated to service your debts. Most
lenders allow a GDSR of 32% and a TDSR
of 40%. This means that a maximum of
32% of your gross income is allowed for
mortgage (principal and interest), property
taxes and heat and a maximum of 40% is
allowed for this plus all other debt (credit
cards, loans etc.).
A family with gross income of $75,000.00
would be allowed $24,000.00 as the GDSR
Indo-Caribbean Times
IMMIGRATION FORUM
(NOT the bank that sold you the coverage)
for clarification about pre-existing medical
conditions.
Call your doctor to clarify details of any
pre-existing medical conditions you may be
concerned about.
Know that you can get out.
You usually have 10-30 days to review
your policy after the initial purchase (this is
known as a "cool-down" or "free look" pe-
riod).
If you have already purchased your credit
insurance you can cancel anytime. Keep in
mind, however, that you may lose premi-
ums already paid.
Shop around.
Consider buying from a licensed insur-
ance broker who will explore any medical
issues upfront.
Consider buying or topping up an indi-
vidual life insurance policy to cover your
mortgage.
Know your coverage.
You may already have adequate insur-
ance coverage through your work or other
policies. Insurance experts say it's better to
buy one traditional insurance policy than
purchase a number of small policies for a
variety of products.
Be sure you need it.
The purpose of credit life mortgage in-
surance is to protect your loved ones from
making mortgage payments if something
were to happen to you. This type of insur-
ance may not be applicable if you do not
have any dependents who would need to
keep your home if something happened.
and $30,000.00 as the TDSR. If property
taxes is $3000.00 and heat is $1000.00 then
$20,000.00 (1) will be allowed for the
mortgage, however if you were to have
$20,000.00 owing on your credit cards and
a car loan payment of $600.00 per month
then you would be allowed $11,600.00 (2)
for the mortgage to keep within the guide-
lines.
This means that in case 1 you can get a
mortgage for approximately $270,000.00
whereas in case 2 this would only be about
$160,000.00 (These numbers are approxi-
mate)
There are many lenders out there with a
multitude of programs to suit every need.
Some lenders allow a TDSR of 75% with
no GDSR requirement, others allow stated
income for self employed and there are eq-
uity programs where no income verification
is required.
There are also numerous ways to structure
your finances to maximize your borrowing
power. Here is where you would sit with
your broker or financial advisor and under-
stand the various requirements and select
the most appropriate product for your fi-
nancial situation.
Ijaz Hosein is a Financial Advisor with
BoosterLink Financial Inc and can be
reached at 647-401-1608
Applying for Refugee Status- Part 1
By Balwant Persaud
U
nder the Immigration and Refugee
Protection Act, refugee protection is
given to someone who is found to be a Con-
vention Refugee or a person in need of pro-
tection.
A Convention refugee is a person who, by
reason of a well founded fear of persecution
for reasons of race, religion, nationality,
membership in a particular social group or
political opinion,
(a)is outside each of their countries of na-
tionality and is unable or, by reason of that
fear, unwilling to avail themselves of the
protection of each of those countries; or
(b)not having a country of nationality, is
outside the country of their former habitual
residence and is unable or, by reason of that
fear, unwilling to return to that country.
A person in need of protection is a person
in Canada whose removal to their country
or countries of nationality or, if they do not
have a country of nationality, their country
of former habitual residence, would subject
them personally
(a)to a danger, believed on substantial
grounds to exist, of torture within the mean-
ing of Article 1 of the Convention Against
Torture; or
(b)to a risk to their life or to a risk of cruel
and unusual treatment or punishment if
(i)the person is unable or, because of that
risk, unwilling to avail themself of protec-
tion of that country.
(ii)the risk would be faced by the person
in every part of that country and is not faced
generally by other individuals in or from
that country.
A person needs to prove to the Immigra-
tion and Refugee Board that if they return
to their home country their life would be in
danger.
High gas prices will hit
Caribbeans’ travel plans
Canadians across the country are expected
to alter their travel plans this summer as
gasoline prices continue to reach historic
highs.
Caribbean Canadians may find prices
shooting up for flights to places like
Guyana and Trinidad and affecting plans to
visit relatives and friends in their home
countries.
A recent survey by CAA-Quebec found
that 84% of its members are being affected
by the high cost of gas at the pumps.
The Quebec survey found 47% of the
2,711 respondents plan to reduce their num-
ELECTRICIAN
ber of vehicle trips, while 29% say they will
choose a vacation spot closer to home. Only
30 years experience
All work according to code
Panel changes: fuses to breakers
Renovations and new jobs
CALL ROY 416-754-2382
JUNE 2008 Page 10
They must also prove that the authorities
or law enforcement agencies have failed in
their duty to provide security to its citizens.
Last November, I was successful in gain-
ing refugee status for a Guyanese family of
four because the State had failed to provide
adequate security to its citizens.
In that hearing, the panel member of the
IRB, had this to say:
“ Nations should be presumed capable of
protecting their citizens. Security of nations
is, after all, the essence of sovereignty.”
In that case the claimant was threatened
to be killed by rogue elements in the
Guyanese society and the police failed to
respond or arrest the accused elements.
The applicant fled Guyana when justice
was not given to him by the law protection
agencies, namely the Police force.
Another case where refugee status was
granted to a Guyanese family involves a
former ROAR Party member who was
beaten by activists of the ruling PPP gov-
ernment. The police failed to arrest and
charge the perpetrators of this crime. This
was a clear case of political persecution.
The positive decisions in many of these
refugee claims is by no means an indication
that Canada is now accepting Guyanese as
refugees as a norm.
Each case has to be proven on its own
merit.
Caribbean countries are not considered as
refugee producing countries according to
the UN Convention on Refugees but the
Refugee Board in Canada would consider
claims for refugee status if these claims
have merits.
The onus is on the applicants to prove
that the state has failed to offer protection to
them and that if they return to their country
their life will be in danger.
Balwant Persaud is a Certified Immigration
Consultant and a Member of The Canadian
Society of Immigration Consultants. For
answers to your problems on this forum,
send all enquiries to:
balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca or call at
416-431-8845 and in Guyana: 225-1540
www.canadaimmigrationbpa.com
8% of respondents say they plan to visit an-
other Canadian province and only 12% plan
to travel to the United States.
The Resorts of Ontario association is ex-
pecting fewer American visitors to the
province this summer due to the high Cana-
dian dollar and rising gas prices, but noted
that will be offset by more Ontarians plan-
ning to vacation within the province.
"Numerous Canadians will also be stick-
ing closer to home this summer, due to ris-
ing travel costs," said Grace Sammut,
managing director of resorts of Ontario.
Airlines have imposed hefty fuel sur-
charges and this combined with the addition
of an average of 10 to 15 per cent to the cost
of North American flights could have an
impact, experts say.. Food prices are rising,
and whatever must move by truck or plane,
which is just about everything.

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Indo-Caribbean Times
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2-Family, Goreway/Brandon Gate
Gorgeous detached SUPER-
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JUNE 2008 Page 11
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 Indo-Caribbean Times
Indian Arrival Parades liven TT
A participant dances along the Debe
Main Road, during the Sanatan Dharma
Maha Sabha (SDMS) Indian Arrival
Day parade
Eight churches were among the scores
of religious and cultural groups parad-
ing throughout a number of districts in
Trinidad in honour of the East Indian
immigrants who first arrived in
Trinidad 163 years ago.
Councillor Kenneth Ragbir (Hindus-
tan/Indian Walk/St Mary's) said vil-
lagers took time to pay their respects on
Indian Arrival Day, to honour their an-
cestors who laboured night and day to
build a better future for their children.
"We walk in the footsteps of our an-
cestors and renew our vows to hold the
dream," he said.
Residents of the Mandingo and Re-
alize Road Village Council took their
Arrival Day parade on the village roads
to the sound of tassa drumming. The
parade started at Strivers Sports Club,
Mandingo Road, and travelled to Real-
ize Junction Road, Lengua Settlement,
Sahadath Road and back to the resi-
dence of Cherry and Jello Hosein,
where a cultural programme was held
followed by a community lunch.
Prominent businessman of the area,
Nazaf Ali, delivered a feature address
in which he went back to India to find
out why the Indian came.
"The Indians were being driven out
of their country by the colonial rulers.
They did not come to find a better liv-
ing," he said.
He said that "jahaji" (the brotherhood
of the ship) bonded men and women in
strong ties that resulted in the "pump-
kin vine culture" that contributed to the
history of Trinidad and Tobago.
JUNE 2008 Page 12
"We must cherish the gifts given to us
by a people who practiced an extra-or-
dinary oral tradition and whose sacri-
fices gave us the inspiration to work
hard and build a better country," he
said.
The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha
banner was held high in one of the
largest parades from several villages
ending at Parvati Girls High School,
Debe, Penal.
Secretary General, Sat Maharaj, said
the Indo-Trinidadians were walking for
solidarity, unity, peace and prosperity.
"We renew the vow to walk on the
right path, never to forsake our broth-
ers and sisters and to ensure that there
was food as long as we stay on the
land," he said.
Councillor Nalini Roopnarine
(Lengua/St Julien) celebrated at the St
Croix Road Community Centre in
Princes Town. She said that in honour-
ing Indian ancestry, the people were
stronger.
"If you don't know or care who you
are and where you come from, it is un-
likely that you will know where you are
going in life," she said.
Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar
hosted an Arrival Day cultural pro-
gramme at her office ground in Siparia
with music, song and dance.
Indian Arrival was celebrated widely
throughout Trinidad and Tobago
throughout the month of May, with
most of the major events coming near
May 30, the anniversary of the arrival
of the first Indian indentured immi-
grants on the ship Fath- al Razack in
1845. Some 143,000 indentured Indians
came to Trinidad up to the year 1917.

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 Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 13

Monument to Guadeloupe pioneer New executive for Canadian Indo-Caribbean Association ( CICA)
A prominent activist in the Indian cause, Henri Sidambarom,
is fondly remembered in the French territory..

Order of Canada to replace Satya Jyoti Cultural Sabha took part in Luminato, a huge multicultural festival at Harbourfront in Toronto on Sat-

TT’s disputed Trinity Cross

urday June 14th, 2008. Satya Jyoti represented the Hindu community and portrayed the return of Ram and Sita
from the forest. Ram, Sita and Latchman were dressed in their full authentic Indian costumes, they came in a
beautifully decorated chariot accompanied by the beautiful sounds of the Satya Jyoti kids singing Chowtaal and
This is the suggested design for the Order of Canada aimed the Diamond Cutz Tassa group. They were all part of a huge parade and the chariot and beautifully dressed par-
to replace the Trinity Cross as Trinidad’s highest award. ticipants were a big hit with the audience, especially the tourists who came by to take photos of Ram and Sita and
The design seeks to acknowledge the people, culture and the eye catching Chariot. The night was a huge success and this marks the second year that Satya Jyoti is a part
flora and fauna of the country. of this increasingly popular event. Photo by Judy Gayadeen.

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COMMUNITY NEWS
HE TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO 50
PLUS AND SENIORS ORGANIZA-
TION OF CANADA will be having their
annual picnic Sunday 13th July 2008 at Earl
Bales Park . The fun starts at 10.00am and
goes to 8.00pm with games and activities
for the entire family. For more information
please call Farouk Hydal at 905-608-0239
THE TARIC ISLAMIC CENTRE in its
continued effort of putting on various
events for the Muslim community, is seek-
ing volunteers who can assist with various
projects and events.
If you are interested in volunteering some
of your time in the path of Islam, please
reply to this email with the following info-
mation:
Name:
City where you live:
Telephone Number:
Cell Number:
and reply to rahamutree@rogers.com.
Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 15
D’EDWARD VILLAGE DAY IS on Sat-
urday, July 19, 2008 in Mississauga,
Canada. Lots of activities are planned. Be
a participant (not a spectator) & register for
one or more events.
* Come for the fun, Come for the lime
* Picnic
* Kite competition (bring a kite)
* Raker competition (bring a raker)
* Short-four cricket competition
* Throw-in-the-ling competition
Contact Fred Lall (Budhoo Lall)
lall4@rogers.com 905-794-5423 or
www.dedwardvillage
RAMAYANA FOR YOUTH Families and individuals will be making offerings to God for
SUMMER PROGRAM starts the health and safety of the nation of Canada, under the direc-
tion of Sri Gopeesingh. After the satsangh we will stay on for a
Monday July 7 - Friday July 11, 9 a.m. -
12 p.m. Cost is $ 150.00 includes art ma-
terials family day and picnic in the park (vegetarian and non-alco-
This program will be implemented by holic).
senior University of Toronto students. who
have have completed the third year Hindu
Epic course.. This Summer the focus will

CARIBBEAN CHILDRE’S FOUNDA-

TION holids its Sixth Annual Boat Ride
aboard the Enterpsie 200 on Sunday July 6
is the annual TCCF boat ride. This year we
will be boarding at the Cherry St. Dock.
Tickets are $35, that includes lunch buffet
and a gift for all TCCF supporters who
come out to support this fundraising effort.
All proceeds to towards helping sick
Caribbean children obtain medical services.
Contact Arvin Ross for tickets (416) 560-
9366
CARIBBEAN CHILDRE’S FOUNDA-
TION Charity Garage Sale takes place on
Saturday June 21 from 8.00 am to 3 pm at
160 Richvale Drive (at Bovaird), Bramp-
ton, For info contact Ramesh at 416-740-
7014
be the first chapter of the Ramayana,
namely the Balakanda.
Come and join with Hindus from the GTA in offering heartfelt
The divine teachings of the Ramayana prayers for the nation on Canada Day and start a tradition of
will be made accessible to the today's gen- praying for our country on our national day. There is no cost to
eration utilizing innovative, interactive and
hands-on teaching methods. More infor- attend this satsangh, though gifts of canned food for the needy
mation will be made available at the Parent would be welcomed.
information session on Saturday June 21,
2- 5 p.m. Scarborough Civic Center.
Interested persons can contact Professor
Sudarshan of the University of Toronto at s For information or to contribute towards organizing this sat-
416 - 554 7564. or by email at sudhar-
shan_durayappah@yahoo.com for info and sangh & hawan, contact Tenny Ramkissoon at 905-672-2138,
to enrol. or Ramnanan Gopeesingh at 416-261-6793, or Ram Jagessar
CANADIAN CARIBBEAN BUSINESS
at 416-289-3898. E-mail at ram@eol.ca. We would appreciate
NETWORK CLUB June meeting is at s a call if you plan to take part in the satsangh & hawan. On the
Elite Banquet Hall at 1850 Albion Road, day of the satsangh you can contact Gopeesingh by cell phone
Etobicoke, ON M9W 6J9 at 7:00 PM on
June 26th. This is a great opportunity to at 647-294-6793 or Ram at 414-554-3451, Tenny at 416-788-
grow your business by networking with fel- 5054.

Kamla’s Fashions Inc.

low entrepreneurs and business associates.
Contact Devi Ram at Cell:416 207 0039.

Wholesale Garment Manufacturer

1510 Birchmont Road Units 106 & 107 Scarborough, Ontario M1P 2G6
Phone: (416) 913-2379 Fax: (416) 752-1105 E-mail: KamlasFashion@gmail.com

We accept orders from schools, clubs and organizations

Massive clearance sale continues

in the factory outlet (same location)

Place your orders early for cricket

team uniforms now available
Youth T-Shirts and Tank Tops - $2.00 each
Adult Golf Shirts $5.00
Ladies Leggings and Capri Pants $3.00
Children’s Clothing from $2.00 each
Adult Tee-Shirts in a variety of sizes and colours - $2.00
Wide range of Summer Clothing on Sale
Scrap for cleaning - $5.00 a bag
Wide variety of transfers/screen prints – Babies, Children, Humour, Christmas,
topical, geographical/Souvenir from 50 cents.
Centenary celebration at the VCC
ENTERTAINMENT Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 16
Dialogue radio aims POET’S CORNER
Some highlights of the 100 Years of Indo Caribbeans celebration at the VCC are from
top to bottom, display of musical instruments, karate display booth with Sensei Harry at Trinidad diaspora Coolie Mother
By Professor David Dabydeen
Persaud, a folk dance, logie talk with the old timers, and dress fashions from the
provinces of India. Announcing a new weekly radio program
Jasmattie live in bruk-
planned with the Trinidad Diaspora in mind
Down hut big like Bata shoe-box,
“Dialogue” airs every Wednesday from
Beat clothes, weed yard, chop wood, feed
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Power 102 FM in
fowl
Trinidad, but is broadcast live on the inter-
For this body and that body and every
net at owww.power102fm.com.
blasted body
It plans to link callers from communities
Fetch water, all day water like if the
of our tt/Caribbean Diaspora with our na-
Whole slow-flowing Canje river God
tional audience in Trinidad. The program
create
started on June 4 and will run initially to
Just for she one bucket.
December 31, 2008.
Canadian Trinis can call into the program
Till she foot bottom crack and she hand
at 868-62POWER (627-6937) or check the
cut-up
internet site for a Canadian number to call.
And curse swarm from she mouth like red
Host/Producer: Dr. Eugenia Frankllin-
ants
Springer has invited Trinidad and
And she cough blood on the ground but
Caribbean diaspora people from all over the
mash it in:
world to support the program.
Because Jasmattie heart hard, she mind set
She says that “Many of our diverse
hard.
population have settled in various parts of
the global village, adapting to new home-
To hustle save she one-one penny,
lands. Whether in English speaking coun-
Because one-one dutty make dam cross
tries, or non-English speaking countries,
the Canje
our people of Trinidad and Tobago, in par-
And she son Harrilal got to go school in
ticular, and the Caribbean, in general, are
Georgetown
making significant contributions at varying
Must wear clean starch pants, or they go
levels in the societies they know as their
laugh at he,
home away from home.
Strap leather on he foot, and he must read
During “Dialogue”, to be aired on
book,
Wednesdays from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, lis-
Learn talk proper, take exam, go to
teners of 102 FM will hear:
England university,
1. from members of different ethnic
Not turn out like he rum-sucker chamar
communities here at home, about their his-
dadee.
tory, national experience, and their repre-
sentatives in the Diaspora*.

2. from community representatives in the

Diaspora about contributions being made

WANTED
by members of their group in their adopted
homeland and elsewhere;

FABRIC
3. discussion of issues of relevance to the
Caribbean region.

4.from authority figures from CUTTER

For clothing factory
T&T/Caribbean region.

5. weekly summary of news from the

in Scarborough area
Call:
Caribbean region and from the Diaspora.

416-913-2379
Listeners would be granted the opportu-
nity to call in to the program. This program
attempts to address issues of mutual interest
to the Diaspora and the homeland.

It pays to
advertise in the
Indo-Caribbean
Times
Balwant Persaud
Certified Immigration Consultant
Authorized by the Canadian Govt. to Represent
Clients in Accordance with IRPA Rules
Member of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants
Canadian Immigration Services
Skilled Workers Business Class
Work Permits Students Visas
Visitor’s Visas Family Sponsorships
Refugees USA Visitor’s Visas
Appeals US Green Card Lottery
Deportation Humanitarian Cases
Call: 416-431-8845 or 647-284-0375
Email: balwantpersaud@yahoo.ca
Guyana: 225-1540 or 622-8308
RELIGION
The British ‘caste system’ is Four year old Vrishni learns
NAVA-DURGA
more prevalent than the Indian Hanuman Chalisa in Sanskrit
I
By Edward Hamala
n response to the letter by Roger
Williams captioned “The Rig Veda does
refer to caste” I thought I might share a few
points with your readers.
The Indian “caste system” that has so out-
raged Mr. Roger Williams, makes me won-
der if he is equally outraged by the British
“caste system” that is even more prevalent,
although it is well hidden and “invisible” in
the British and some European societies,
where the nobility still exist, than it is in
India today, where all noble titles have been
abolished.
I would like to ask Mr. Williams when
ob jecting to birthrights why has he failed to
raise the same objection to the British No-
bility and the Landed Gentry’s birthright,
inheriting their title, social status while they
are also guaranteed perpetual political
power by inheriting a peer-ship and a seat in
the British House of Lords, the highest leg-
islative body of the land?
Few of us believe the existence of a truly
egalitarian society in the west today or any-
where for that matter!When was the last
time that Mr. Williams had a drink at the
local pub with Lord Spencer? Or had tea
with Prince Phillip?
Did you know that the English nobility
are distinctly noticeable by their education
and grooming in institutions such as
Wetherby, Ludgrove, and Eton or the Royal
Academy at Sandhurst? They even speak a
different language, the King’s English, free
from colloquialism and dialects distinctly
separating them, and distinguishing them
from ordinary commoners, as soon as they
open their mouths.
May I also remind you that the Indian So-
cial Structure as it was depicted in the
Vedas Millenniums ago, made it an edict to
leave Tribals and Adivasis alone and not to
impose Hindu religion, culture or values on
them.The word “caste” my friend is an
English word! The Sanskrit word for
“caste” is “Varna” and it means vocation or
occupation and does not mean “caste” as it
does in the English interpretation or trans-
lation of the term! Likewise, “untouchable”
meant not to go near them, don’t touch
them, don’t intermarry with them and don’t
corrupt their culture don’t try to conform
them. Leave them alone!
The Eastern Indian social structure was
designed that different castes served each
other, each with a distinct duty to perform
for the benefit of the whole of society.
It was a farmer’s duty to teach his son to
be a good farmer and the merchant’s to
teach his son his craft, while the warrior
was trained to be the protector and defender
of all…
It is also noteworthy that governance was
the duty of the Kshatryas not to rule by
whims and despotism as it was the rulers
privilege in the “civilized west” but to rule
in accordance with the Vedic principles.
Yet the highest caste, above them all was
not the Kings who were given the highest
social position. It was the Brahmans who
were the custodians of all the Vedic Sci-
ences and knowledge and their duty was to
teach and to preserve the knowledge of
Vedas.
The teachers, the priests, the doctors, the
scientists and philosophers the poets and
the writers were all Brahmans whose duty
also included giving moral guidance to the
Kings! It is simplistic to believe that a
farmer or a potter would be capable to teach
their children nuclear science or medicine
Indo-Caribbean Times
or the Vedas!
This educational system assured the
proper training and apprenticeship of all
with a life time of gainful employment for
all the participants.
This, Mr. Williams, has established an in-
teresting value system in India, alien to the
west! The most valuable asset was not
money or power as it is today in the western
value system! It was knowledge and wis-
dom that took decades to learn and a life
time to acquire! And it was the society’s
duty to support the Brahmans to afford their
study providing food, clothing and shelter
to them.
I am sure Mr. Williams is familiar with
the existence of the “unwashed” wretched
underclass in Dickens’s Britain or Victor
Hugo’s France as it did exist in most of Eu-
rope……… Well, such a thing did not exist
in India and these facts are well docu-
mented by historians all the way back to
Alexander the Great’s visit to India and was
minutely recorded by Greek Historians
such as Arrian, Diodorus, Plutarch and
Strabo, accompanying Alexander. One
thing these historians also commented on,
was the absence of slavery that was an in-
tegral part of Hellenic culture!
Today, most Indians are alienated and
mostly ignorant about their culture, the
Vedas and their history, and few understand
the Vedic philosophy or its teachings or the
highly advanced science it encompasses.
They know little else about Hinduism, be-
sides the ritualistic traditions. This Vedic
social structure was put in place at the time
when in the rest of the world slavery was
rampant and pivotal to every European Em-
pire!
Don’t forget slavery was widely prac-
ticed in the United States until the Civil War
to the 1860’s and desegregation only started
in the 1960’s and the prejudices still exist
until today.
So I think, Mr. Williams your indigna-
tion is somewhat ill placed and perhaps it
would serve a better purpose if you dealt
with more dire social issues that you may
be more knowledgeable about, and better
qualified to deal with.
Ramayan Yagya at
Divine Light Org.
The Canadian Hindu Divine Light Organi-
zation holds its 16th Annual Ramayan
Yagya from July 13 to July 20, at the Hall
of Peace, 80 Nashdene Road, Building B,
Umit 207 in Scarborough. Nashdene Road
is off Markham Road, north of the 401 and
past Finch Avenue.
Sessions start at 7.30 pm on Monday to
Saturday and on Sunday July 20 they start
at 9.30 am. Symbolic RamJanma Puja takes
place on Wednesday July 16, Rameshwar
Puja is on July 17 and Guru Purnima is July
18.
Officiating are Pundit Dharamraj Maharaj
and Pt. Vijay Maharaj, assisted by the
CHDLO Kirtan Group.
For further information contact Vidya
Dindial at 905-619-9836 or Gurumai at
905-686-9784 or Ruma Mahabir at 416-
674-8999 or visit the web site at
www.chdlo.org.
Four-year-old Vrishni Sanjanaa Maharaj
has accomplished a feat that many people
much older than her could not do-memorise
the 40-verse "Hanuman Chaalisa" and nu-
merous other Hindi and Sanskrit verses.
The little pre-school pupil was honoured
for her achievements during the Sanatan
Dharma Maha Sabha's (SDMS) Indian Ar-
rival celebrations at Crowne Plaza Hotel,
Port of Spain.
Although she did not understand what the
word "honoured" meant, she knew she was
going to be the "queen", at least for a night.
Daughter of Aneal and Indira, of Gulf
View, San Fernando, Maharaj attends the
Reading Rainbow pre-school. She dances
with the Susan Mohip Dance School at the
Krishna Mandir, Todd Street, San Fer-
nando. She also sings, listens to stories,
On worship with the murti
By Swami Suryadevananda
One can realise God through worship of
murti (or idol). The worship of the Lord in
saguna (concrete) form is a great aid for
vedantic realisation also, and for the reali-
sation of the Lord in His all pervading,
formless aspect. The worship of the murti
is very essential for the purpose of concen-
tration and meditation in the beginning
. Such worship is not in any way a hin-
drance to the attainment of God conscious-
ness. Those who vehemently attack murti
puja (worship) are groping in the darkness
of extreme ignorance. They have no real
knowledge. They enter into vain debates to
show that they are learned persons and have
not done any sadhana (spiritual practice).
Idle talking is their real profession. They
have unsettled the minds of countless per-
sons. The whole world worships symbols
and murtis in some form or other. As one
BHAGVAD GITA FOR EACH HOME
Bulk distribution centres.
The Gita can be available in bulk at the fol-
lowing contacts: Donations are expected to
fund further copies; any individual or or-
ganization wishing to assist in this project
can contact us.
CANADA
Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton
Ramnarine Sahadeo 905 671 9233 e-mail
ramjihindu@rogers.com, Omesh Sharma
Omesh@flexomark.com, Chandan
Persaud at 416-754-2382, Gulcharan at
416 481-5777 gmohabir@hotmail.com,
Ram Jagessar at 416 289 9088 or
ram@eol.ca
JUNE 2008 Page 17
swims, plays football and plays with her
dolls.
Nicknamed the "Jagriti Kid", Maharaj's
voice is heard daily on Radio 102.7 FM
reciting the Mantras (sacred verses) of the
day or chanting the "Hanuman Chaalisa".
She started reciting the mantras at the age
of three, and by the time she reached her
fourth birthday, she knew the 40-verse
Chaalisa "by heart".
Chatting with a Trinidad newspaper, Ma-
haraj said: "I learn prayers from my
mummy. And sometimes I teach my
daddy." She also sings religious hymns
(bhajans) and her favourite is "Jai
Ganesh..." dedicated to the remover of ob-
stacles.
She is looking forward to learning new
mantras, bhajans and going to "big school."
advances in meditation, the form melts into
the formless and the aspirant becomes one
with the formless essence.
Empty vessels only make sound. A prac-
tical man who does meditation and wor-
ship, who is full of knowledge and real
devotion, keeps always silence. He influ-
ences and teaches others through silence.
He only knows whether a murti is necessary
in the beginning or not.
Prasada is `that which gives peace'. Dur-
ing kirtan (chanting), worship (puja, havan
and arati), milk, sweets and fruit are offered
to the Lord. Puja is done with bael (wood
apple) leaves, flowers, tulsi (basil), sacred
ash, and these are later given as prasada
from the Lord. They are charged with mys-
terious powers, by the chanting of mantras
(sacred hymns) during puja and havan
(worship with the fire as the sacred sym-
bol).
RICHMOND HILL
Omo Persaud at omo@globalspectru-
minc.com 905-886-1724
Winnipeg:
Ajodhya Mahadeo 204-661-6643
British Columbia
Chameli Seegobin 604-945-9510, e-mail
address maylee34@hotmail.com, and
Naraine Mohabir at 604-274-8938
GUYANA: Saraswati Vidya Niketan ph.
2760013/14
Heritage Day celebrations in an East Toronto School
WORLD NEWS
By Roop Misir, PhD
Students of Indo-Caribbean origin join
with others to mark Heritage Day as our
new country Canada recognizes and cele-
brates cultural diversity.
During the month of May, Asian Canadi-
ans participated in events marking South
Asian Heritage Month as well as Asian Her-
itage Month. This afforded mainstream
Canadians with numerous opportunities to
attend cultural shows and partake in sump-
tuous delicacies. Others simply did what
their neighbors, friends or colleagues nor-
mally do —attire themselves in traditional
Asian garb and join in the fun. In the greater
Toronto Area (GTA), schools staged con-
certs featuring music, song and dance. Of
course, the usual favorites (food) and cos-
tume (fashion) were present. As well, other
aspects of culture such as art, craft and an-
cient technology were showcased.
Sir Robert Borden BTI
Students and staff at Sir Robert Borden
BTI are from culturally diverse back-
grounds. Many hail from the Caribbean (in-
cluding Jamaica, Guyana and Trinidad &
Tobago); however, growing numbers also
come from war-torn Afghanistan, and India,
Pakistan and other parts of Asia including
the Middle East. From Africa, students
come from the Horn (Somalia, Eritrea and
Ethiopia); from the East (Tanzania, Kenya),
West (Nigeria, Ghana), and South Africa.
It is said that the school serves as a mi-
crocosm for life in the community of East
Toronto. Here, residents make effort to re-
discover ‘culture’ and accept others for
what they believe. At school, students are
taught to show mutual respect, and to work
together in peace and harmony as they learn
to become contributing members of the
greater society.
Heritage Day Tradition at Borden
Usually, students and staff join with the
community to celebrate cultural diversity
every year. Like so many other schools in
South Asian Heritage Month
(From Page 2)
The heart health booth produced by Dr
Vivian Rambihar and Vanessa Rambihar
also attracted wide attention and interest.
Indo-Caribbean authors and their publica-
tions were also on display.
There were also live karate and yoga
demonstrations as part of the program with
karate instructor Dr Harry Persaud, a 3rd
Degree black belt in Matsubayashi Karate,
pointing out that karate had its origins in
India when Bodidharma took the art of self-
defense and Buddhist Philosophy to China
3000 years ago. He pointed out the word
“kata” which is a stylistic series of karate
exercises is related to the word “Kathak” an
the GTA and elsewhere, Sir Robert Borden
used to celebrate “Heritage Day” before
May was designated as South Asian Her-
itage Month and also Asian Heritage Month
in 2001 and 2002, respectively.
These celebrations provide opportunities
for young Canadians to reflect on and ap-
preciate things cultural—theirs and others,
as well as those of the founding the British
and the French pioneers (whose contribu-
tion are unquestionably exemplary and en-
during).
In recent times, the official celebrations
of Asian Heritage is meant to be acknowl-
edgement of the accomplishments and the
growing prosperity of “newer” Asian Cana-
dians (including Indo-Canadians) who may
finally be getting well-deserved respect and
recognition.
Heritage Day at Sir Robert Borden
The theme for this year’s Heritage was
“Culture through Art, Dance and Food.”
For Heritage Day events, a group of dedi-
cated Teachers and students spent long
hours rehearsing dance items and carefully
choosing costumes for the fashion show.
The concert and displays were held in the
school on May 29 2008. There were arti-
facts from many parts of Asia including Ar-
menia, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle
East, Philippines and the Caribbean. And of
course, samples of mouth-watering delica-
cies provided a taste of the flavorful cuisine
from these regions.
Displays in the main foyer
Prominently featured were highly attrac-
tive and hugely popular posters—the work
of ESL (English as a Second Language)
students. Prior to coming to Canada, many
of these students had been unable to attend
school on a regular basis. For others, this is
the first time they are attending school in a
formal setting. Now with a new start at Bor-
den, many of them are learning fast under
the capable tutelage of dedicated teachers—
Mesdames Mokabel, Anastasiades and
Adamson.
During Heritage Week, their carefully
colored posters depicted life and culture in
their former countries—far away from
Canada. For fellow students, this provided
a unique opportunity to gain information
first-hand from the new young Canadians
themselves.
Other displays included writings from the
Armenian language, posters of agricultural
practice in the Philippines (e.g., terraced
rice paddies), the Taj Mahal (one of the new
wonders of the world), modern India on the
move, and examples of ancient Indian con-
struction technology—the kind that is still
Indian dance form.
Yoga instructor Sanjeev Kumar also
pointed out the values of yoga for health
and well being. An authentic West Indian
and Indian food bar complimented the ex-
position.
One of the highlights of the cultural stage
presentation which followed the exhibition
was a keynote address by Nalini Mohabir,
who is doing her PhD studies at the Uni-
versity of Leeds in the United Kingdom.
She made an express visit to Toronto for
this occasion and spoke on connecting peo-
ples and places. She did her Masters at Ry-
erson University in Immigration and
Settlement studies.
A skit depicting the peer pressures that
kids of immigrant families experience was
also presented. It was written, directed and
Indo-Caribbean Times
being used in the construction of modern
Hindu temples and other buildings. A wall-
sized photo depicted the world’s famous
Swaminarayan Temple (New Delhi, India).
During the concert afterwards, the screen-
ing of a 15-minute DVD highlighted its
construction and universal appeal.
BAPS Toronto Temple Featured
The BAPS Swaminarayan Temple
Toronto opened its doors to the public on
July 27 2007. It is located near Highway 27
and Finch Avenue, West Toronto. It was
constructed using ancient Hindu technology
and rules that predated the use of steel and
nails. To
construct
this mas-
terpiece,
s o m e
2 0 0 0
crafts-
m e n
u s e d
Tu r k i s h
lime-
stone and
Italian
marble.
The tem-
ple was built at a cost of $40 million, raised
from members of the Hindu community
worldwide. It shares its home with the
Canadian Museum of Cultural Heritage of
Indo-Canadians.. Surely, as a living exam-
ple of cultural expression, this temple
demonstrates that “Unity in diversity” is
alive and thriving in Canada.
BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Toronto
(Opening Day)
World Learning from Asia
As a percentage of world’s total, the com-
bined population of peoples of Asian origin
is over 50 %. The impact of the peoples of
Asia are being felt world wide as Asians are
now settled in almost every country of the
world. Now Canadians may be recognizing
is that the cultures of Asia were thriving
long before the era of Lord Buddha (The
Light of Asia), Confucius (The Great
Teacher) and Mahatma Gandhi (World Fa-
mous Advocate of Non-violence).
In these times, growing globalization,
greater trade and more migration are col-
lectively making the world a flatter place
by the day. Is it accidental perhaps that this
radical shift to recognize the contributions
of Asian Canadians also happens to coin-
cide with the emergence of new Asian pow-
ers like China and India? Perhaps, Canada
is coming of age.
performed by students of the Vedic Cultural
Centre. Another highlight of the show was
fashions of different regions of India pro-
duced by Ajit Wadhwa.
A commemorative magazine was also
launched at the show. For further informa-
tion contact Norma Jainarine 905 472 3012,
Nola Singh 416 748 1661 or Adit Kumar
647 866 1926.
SAMEER MISHRA WINS
2008 SCRIPPS NATIONAL
SPELLING BEE CONTEST
Thirteen-year- old boy of Indian-
origin, Sameer Mishra, won the
2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee con-
test, beating 288 children in the 8 to 15 age
JUNE 2008 Page 18
Are Canadians becoming One Family?
There is an ancient Sanskrit dictum: "Va-
sudeva kutumbakam” which means, “The
entire world is one family.” Yes, the history
of India shows that it has always offered
sanctuary to peoples from everywhere, e.g.,
Jews, Zoroastrians from Persia, and Ti-
betans led by the Dalai Lama.
Yes, Canada may be living up to this
noble ideal. It is seen as a place where any-
one from everywhere can find a home. With
an annual immigration intake of approxi-
mately 300,000, Canada is fast becoming a
destination of choice as Indo-Caribbean and
other peoples
from far away
lands come to
this vast country
to seek a better
way of life.
One conse-
quence is a kalei-
doscope of colors
and cultures
within the Cana-
dian mosaic. Per-
haps the policy of
official multicul-
turalism is instru-
mental in allowing peoples of diverse
backgrounds to retain their cultural tradi-
tions as they adjust to their new life here?
Thus, as newcomers settle down to earning
a living here, the pace of cultural change
may be picking up. Before we know it, we
may be rapidly moving closer together and
become an integral part of the growing
Canadian family.
Thanks to celebrations of Heritage Days
in schools like Sir Robert Borden BTI and
elsewhere in the GTA, in community halls
and elsewhere, Canadians are appreciating
the cultures of Indo-Caribbean peoples and
other newcomers. Like some multicultural
countries of Asia (e.g., India) our new coun-
try Canada may be serving as a model of
cultural accommodation and diversity for
the rest of the world to follow.
(Dr. Roop Misir is an Indo-Caribbean
Canadian who hails from Guyana. He cur-
rently teaches at Sir Robert Borden BTI. He
wishes to thank Mr. Douglas Patterson
(Principal), Mr. Duncan Leblanc (Vice
Principal), members of Borden Heritage
Committee, administrators and other staff,
and students for their efforts to make this
year’s Heritage Day celebrations a big suc-
cess. Swami Nityavivek of the BAPS Tem-
ple Toronto kindly provided posters,
brochures and bookmarks. You may contact
Dr. Misir at roop.misir@gmail.com).
group. The 81st spelling bee competi-
tion was aired on the ABC television sta-
tion on Friday May 30th. The magic word
was "Guerdon", which means victory.
The eight grader asked the judge for the
definition of the word, and then confidently
spelled it out correctly to the thunderous ap-
plause from the audience. It was a shining
moment for Mishra, whose fourth time for
the championship was the charm. He carted
off not only the engraved trophy, but
also $30,00 in cash and $2,500 worth of US
savings bonds from Merriam-Webster with
a complete reference library. He was trained
by his elder sister Shruti, who herself is a
spelling enthusiast. Mishra, from West
Lafayette, Indiana, had his parents and sis-
ter stood proudly behind him as he was
awarded the coveted trophy
My arrival story in Canada
INDIAN ARRIVAL IN CANADA
Dr Deoraj Narine, Manshad Mohammed, Josie
Dr Deoraj Narine
I came to
Canada from
Guyana on
September
1st 1979 to
attend Acadia
University in
Nova Scotia
for an Msc in
C h e m i s t r y.
At that time
you could fly
from Georgetown to Trinidad, Bermuda
and Halifax. I landed there all dressed up in
this polyester suit and it was freezing cold
in Halifax at the end of August. Halifax as
you know is next to the ocean.
I settled in there and it was quite nice but
very, very cold. There was loneliness of
course. If you were there you wished the
plane would land and you could step out of
there and fly back to Guyana. But it didn't
happen. You know we have to live out our
dreams.
One of the funny things about conditions
under colonialism is that you never see
white people dig a drain. You never see
them doing manual work. You see them rid-
ing on horse with cork hat or driving in
jeep.
The next day I was going to register at the
university. There I was walking down Main
Street in Wolfville, Nova Scotia and there
was this white guy digging a drain. You
may not believe this but I stood up for about
three minutes staring at this guy. Believe it
or not. It was embarassing!
The guy came up to me and asked if
something was the matter. I say no no no. It
was so fascinating to see, here's a white guy
digging a drain. But as a colonial I was to-
tally brainwashed! I had never seen a white
person digging a drain!Then you realize
what was normal here wasn't normal in
Guyana. That was one of my seminal short
term experiences in Nova Scotia .
Later on my family came down, my wife
and two kids and we got a place to live. The
average Nova Scotian was very friendly.
One family gave us a plot of land to plant a
small garden. The garden was so spectacu-
larly successful we told the owners to pick
as much as they wanted!
During the fall myself, my wife and two
kids picked apples and raspberries. We
were paid per basket, but this was mostly
for fun. I had a scholarship and my wife
was doing typing theses for students. She
was doing OK.
One of the most amusing stories we had
was on a trip to PEI with my visiting
brother-in-law and his family. We rented a
Crown Victoria car and we loaded everyone
inside. They was eight of us , three kids and
five adults. We drove to Bathurst, New
Brunswick, took the boat to PEI and we got
off at the Ferry in Charlottetown. We drove
to Summerside and it was getting late. We
were looking for a place to sleep and after
some searching we located a bed and break-
fast place. I went to the owners- two middle
aged white ladies and asked if they had
space. When the eight of us went in there
these two people got scared. But they
wanted us to stay because it was $125 for
the night. They apparently wanted the
money. But this was the first time they had
Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 19
that going to get you? I couldn't give him
more answer than that at the time but now
I understand what I meant by a social
change. It's not a knock on my past or my
country or anything like this but those of
us who are
in a posi-
tion to help
seen so many brown persons for the first
time and they were a bit cautious.
Trini. Now when I go home I know there's make a dif-
ference by
a difference between Trini and Indian.
What was funny was that we had two lit- Today my sister is back in Trinidad in her recording
tle babies and every time the babies would our history
final year of medical school. My mom is
get up these two ladies would come out and encour-
here with me again proudly waiting for my
looking to see if you use the spoon or the aging our
graduation ceremony from university in a
cup or anything like that. They thought we people and
few weeks - Honours BA in political sci-
would walk away with the place. They by motivat-
ence and economics.
seemed to wake for the whole night. Next Manshad Mohammed ing and
Everyone back home still thinks once you
morning they were so drowsy. stimulating interest in what we do. We
get to Canada life is easy- they don't know
In the morning we were given bread and should look at the broad terms and do these
why Mom is so proud of my degree. They
butter and tea. We paid the $125 and things
didn't see her work two jobs, they didn't see
repacked the car and were about to leave We are so lucky that after 163 years we
me work two jobs and go to school full
and you visibly see the relief on the faces have kids here who are playing Indian
time, they didn't see how much work and
of those ladies. We had a good laugh at the music and understanding what they are
support to get just one degree.
experience and moved on. doing and it is as strong as ever and as
For now Canada to me is still a very hard
We had this other experience when my strong as it was when I was their age. That
place to live. People here are lucky now
son was a little baby and my neighbours, a was the time when I was singing Jim
there is family and a Trini community to
white family, fell in love with this guy and Reeves. Now I have a greater love for In-
reach out to. But for me still it's too cold
they wanted to adopt him. And we say no, dian music than I ever had before because I
for too long a part of the year. For me still
you can't adopt our child. They actually am understanding it more.
there's too much tying me to home for me
wanted to steal this boy and adopt him! So t is an interesting topic of discussion among
to stay here.
we had some problems there and had to Indo Canadians as to why they chose to mi-
Mom will stay though- I think- she prefers
make sure not to go to their place. It was re- grate to Canada as opposed to England or
to the cold to baking in the heat. She's edu-
ally hilarious. the USA.In the 70’s there was need to get
cated two daughters through so we can af-
These are some of the stories. Fortu- a visa to visit the USA but not to Canada or
ford to visit when we want to. She'll stay
nately, I found the Nova Scotians were very to the UK.Many young Indo Caribbeans
and work as she always has- soon enough
friendly people, so we hadn't any of the went to the UK and were absorbed readily
she'll have her house.
racial problems you had in Toronto. When in schools for nursing,as a career.. They
Josie
we were there we heard of problems with were provided with places to stay and with
Paki-bashing and all these things we had to meals,for a nominal cost and were sur-
undergo. rounded by friends and neighbours.My sis-
On arrival in Canada there was this steel
We have borne it with stoicism and we ter,Roma was one of those students who
stairway that kept going up up up all the
have overcome. Now we are a successful learnt her skills well enough to be called by
time. And would not stop. I said to myself
group of people over here and as people the most prestigious name,”Sister,” which
”what the hell” but stood there looking. Fi-
have said, you could put us anywhere and also was in line of being a Matron.She was
nally I got on and to my surprise was
we will thrive. Because we are producers, married to an Englishman and has shown
pushed off this end and I bump into this guy
we are creators and we will do things to no interest whatsoever to return to Trinidad
in front of me who fell. Like a true Trini in-
make ourselves better. and Tobago to practice Nursing as she is
stead of saying I'm sorry, I laughed my head
I finished the Masters and moved on to a now happily retired.
off. The gentleman got up, look at me,
PhD program at Dalhousie University. I've My younger brother Harold was an
smile and said , “Your first time - right? I
been in Canada since then. Apprentice at Texaco in Point –a – Pierre .
was still laughing and he kept on walking.
He became specialized as an Instrument
Anonymous Manshad Mohammed
Technician and was grabbed by Kodak as a
full time Employee,upon his arrival in
Canada.He remained there until his retire-
The first time I came to Canada I was
What talk a lot about the migration from ment.He was a Scout Master in T&T and
four years old. I came with my parents and
India to the Caribbean but what we should continued to show leadership in Missis-
my sister. I don't remember much about the
be thinking of is the second migration from sauga.He knew his prospective wife in T&T
beginning of these years except that it was
Trinidad or Guyana to Canada. and that romance blossomed into marriage
cold.
I remember when I was a little boy going in Toronto .
We lived at first on a house shared with
to Piarco Airport on a school outing. That My plan in arriving in Canada was to
more families than my mother can remem-
was the first time I saw the Canadian flag, get a University degree and head back to
ber now.n We slept together as a family on
the Maple Leaf, on a jet propeller plane T&T and resume my career in Teaching
the floor in a corner of the living room with
called TCA . Trans Canada Airlines, even- which began with the Presbyterian School
my parents taking turns sleeping against the
tually became Air Canada. But that dream I Board in 1959.I was employed at Her-
wall to keep the cold from getting to my sis-
had as a little boy to come to a country mitage Canadian Mission(CM) School,Pic-
ter or me- I remember the cold coming from
where the Maple Leaf flag was waving ton CM School and later at Grant
the wall, I remember water drops on it and
never left me. Memorial School in San Fernando.I also at-
black stains.
I am a product of the Canadian Mission tended the Presbyterian Institutions of Na-
I remember living in a few basement
in Trinidad. The school was called the parima College and Naparima Teacher’s
apartments after that. I remember my
Canadian Mission primary school and then College.The years of contact with Canadian
mother always wanting a house, not an
I went to a secondary school called Na- teachers and visiting Missionaries had a
apartment. I remember the smell of the cold
parima College and then I became a teacher huge impact in my life and helped to choose
on her when she walked in the door after
and went to Naparima Teachers College. Canada as my new home.The humility and
work. We didn't stay in Canada, but went
So all this time I was with people who caring of the Canadian Missionaries had a
back to Trinidad four years later.
were Canadian missionaries who knew a lot huge impact on me as I saw their genuine
I came back four years ago to to to uni-
about service and giving, I said to myself interest in educating people without any
versity. Being for the most part raised in
this country must have a lot of nice people form of coersion or pressure,"To be one of
Trinidad, coming back was a culture shock
that they would leave their beautiful coun- them' this did not happen to a young man
no one would have warned me enough
try like Canada to come to a sugar cane who liked to sing Jim Reeves songs to-
about.
plantation like where I lived. gether with Mohammad Rafi,Mukesh and
In Trinidad I was and am- Indian.
So when I was growing up and it was others.I never had to become a knife and
In Canada I am Trini- I look Indian but I
time to decide what I want to do for the fu- fork Indian.
don't speak Hindi or Urdu or Bengali- lan-
ture, my parents ask me why do you want to
guages people come up to me speaking in
go away? I say for two reasons, I want to
the subway asking for directions.
go to a university to get a degree and I ad- ( Cont’d on Page 19)
In Canada I'm Trini- I know chutney and
mire those people over there.
dhalpourie. I don't know pakoras or eat yo-
Next I wanted a social change. My father
ghurt with most of my dishes. Here I'm
say social change? What is that? What is
Curry leaf is a
natural cure-all
Curry leaf is a a natural remedy in every
way!!!!
When you enter a South Indian home or
restaurant, the lovely aroma that assails you
is usually the lemony smell of fried curry
leaves. The curry leaf is not only popular
but an essential part of most dishes cooked
in South India, and now, in many parts of
Asia as well. These leaves are deep green
in color and belong to the citrus family.
They grow easily in a tropical climate.
The leaves when fried have a unique
aroma. Fresh green leaves are best; when
unavailable the dried variety is used. The
leaves are dried in the shade and stored in
airtight containers when they dry to retain
their flavor. Sometimes they are powdered
and used in chutneys.
Curative value
When a person suffers from digestive prob-
lems, the leaves are pounded together with
cumin seeds and added to buttermilk. It
works wonders. The buttermilk after a
heavy meal helps digestion. When you feel
sick because of a heavy meal the previous
night, the buttermilk helps on an empty
stomach.
For severe nausea during pregnancy, one
teaspoon of juice extract, mixed with one
teaspoon of honey, or half a teaspoon of
limejuice can work miracles. This can be
used two to three times a day - depending
on the severity of the nausea.
A paste of these leaves can be applied as
a poultice on burns and bruises. The leaves
are also useful as a hair tonic.
Add twenty leaves to a cup of coconut oil
and heat the oil till the leaves turn black.
Apply this oil to the scalp 2-3 times a week.
This helps hair grow and also stops gray-
ing.
When we come across a curry leaf float-
ing in a South Indian dish, we nudge it aside
- the next time it would be better if we
chewed the leaf as it is said to control the
cholesterol level in the body.
Indo-Caribbean Times
We waste tons of
food every day
Try to imagine 35,000 hulking African
elephants barrelling down Yonge St., and
you'll come close to picturing the quantity
of food we throw out each year in Toronto
alone.
That's more than 210 million kilograms
of food. Most of it edible. Much of it still
in its original packaging.
And that's just residences, the largest sin-
gle group contributor to food waste. Try to
conceptualize that others – food manufac-
turers, restaurants, grocery stores and com-
mercial enterprises such as schools or
hospitals – together discard even more.
Food waste is taking on growing signifi-
cance as food prices skyrocket. The sad sto-
ries of food shortages sparking crises and
riots around the globe stand in sharp con-
trast to what might be considered a tragi-
comedy of the Western world: the
incredible volume of edible food that is
simply thrown away.
A British study released this month pro-
vided perhaps the most comprehensive look
ever at the problem of food waste.
After analyzing the trash of more than
2,000 households, the study determined that
more than 6.7 million tonnes of food, or
about one-third of the food bought, is
thrown out in the United Kingdom every
year.
A 1997 study by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture found a similar result: 27 per
cent, or 44 billion kilograms, of edible food
is never eaten – about a half-kilogram of
waste per person per day. (The data is cur-
rently being updated.)
I n Toronto, the picture is not all that dif-
ferent. Single-family households each pro-
duce about 275 kilograms of food waste
each year. Toronto's expanding organics
composting program is capturing about 75
per cent of that volume. The rest, about
32,000 tonnes, heads to Michigan, in those
dripping garbage trucks, to be dumped.
LCBO bans plastic
bags in Ontario
"" Paper or plastic?" will no longer be a
question at Ontario's liquor stores.
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario has
anounced that it won't hand out plastic
shopping bags once it exhausts existing
supplies.. Some stores have already run out.
Customers are being encouraged to bring
their own bags or buy a reusable bag. Stores
will still provide paper bags or cardboard
boxes.
The LCBO's bags, thicker than grocery-
store style plastic, have both been praised
for being reusable many times over and
criticized for using too much plastic.
The LCBO hands out 80 million bags a
year – a fraction of the some 3.5 billion the
industry estimates are used in the province
every year – but the government hopes the
move will have a domino effect.
"We try as a government to demonstrate
the kind of behaviours that we want others
to emulate," Public Infrastructure Minister
David Caplan, who is responsible for the
LCBO, said in an interview.
"Here, with a government agency taking
this bold step, we're certainly laying down
a challenge for other retailers to take simi-
lar kinds of steps."
Ontario liquor stores are the first to im-
plement a bag ban, but the inspiration
comes from Nova Scotia – Canada's leader
on recycling.
Last month, Nova Scotia announced its
liquor stores would stop handing out plastic
bags this fall and Premier Dalton McGuinty
said it was something Ontario should think
about.
The LCBO, which had planned to cut in
half the number of plastic shopping bags by
2012, decided to dramatically accelerate
those plans, Caplan said.
"The premier indicated that Ontario
should be open to this and the LCBO took
that very much to heart," Caplan said, re-
ferring to McGuinty's praise of Nova Sco-
tia.
Caplan, who uses a cloth bag for his oc-
casional LCBO purchases, said he wasn't
concerned there'd be a backlash from con-
sumers over the lack of warning.
"Consumers are ready for this and have
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Barbados...........$55.00 per barrel
Grenada, St Vincent, Dominica
St Lucia, Antigua..$60.00 per barrel
We deliver empty plastic,
cardboard or steel barrels
Delivery Service to any U.S. or Canadian city
Ask about our weekly a ir service
to Guy ana and the Cari bbean
Call 905.290.1946 or
toll free 1 866 GO QTREX (881-5433)
JUNE 2008 Page 20
been asking for and looking for alternative
packaging," he said.
Liquor stores in Quebec are phasing out
both paper and plastic bags and will only be
using reusable biodegradable bags by the
end of the year.
With a staggeringly high number of plas-
tic bags used every day, organizations and
jurisdictions around the world are grappling
with what to do about it.
Plastic shopping bags, on average, are
used for only 20 minutes and take nearly
400 years to break down, according to En-
vironment Canada.
Last year, Ontario introduced a voluntary,
industry-led program to cut in half the num-
ber of plastic shopping bags used in Ontario
by 2012.
At the time, the government said if the
voluntary program wasn't successful, the
province could force the issue with manda-
tory per-bag charges or outright bans.
When asked yesterday whether all retail-
ers in Ontario should stop using plastic
bags, McGuinty responded:
"I would encourage all retailers to find
ways to move away from plastic bags or
reuse plastic bags or better inform shoppers
about the alternatives that are available."
Last year, the tiny town of Leaf Rapids,
Man. – with a population of just 539 –
made history when it became the first North
American municipality to ban single-use
plastic bags.
This year, China announced a national
ban on shops giving out free plastic begin-
ning in June and an outright ban on ultra-
thin plastic bags.
The LBCO has taken steps recently to
improve its environmental image, such as
switching to a new bag with 20 per cent less
plastic and encouraging customers to forgo
plastic by offering cloth bags for purchase.
They've also pushed Tetra Paks, which
the government says are green because
they're lightweight and easier to transport,
but others say are an environmental disaster
because they're very difficult to recycle.
INDIAN ARRIVAL IN CANADA
How I arrived five years after landing
By Indra Ramkissoon
A
t what point in
my life can I
say that I arrived in
Canada?. Depends
on whether we are
talking about the
physical action of landing at Pearson or the
psychological moment when I ‘arrived ’ in
mind as well as in body, at the place I
wanted to get to and stay.
Did my arrival happen on my first three-
week visit to Toronto as a tourist in
July/August of 1981? While I was im-
pressed somewhat by all the usual touristy
things I experienced (you know – stuff like
the CN Tower, the Ex, Ontario Place, Sci-
ence centre, the Toronto Islands, Niagara
falls by day and night, shopping malls, all
this and more), the lasting impression that
remained with me was something less
grand – something that did not seem to exist
in Trinidad – i.e. the clean streets of the city
and the (seeming) mandatory patch of flow-
ers (usually red geraniums) in front of every
residence, condominium or apartment edi-
fice, business place or government build-
ing.
For a few weeks after returning to
Trinidad, walking down dusty, dirty city
streets, driving along main roads bordered
by grass encroaching upon the asphalt on
the road, or passing a deserted stretch of a
minor road, made into a garbage dump by
residents from near and far who had no
garbage pickup services, I could not stop
thinking I wanted to live in some place
which were as clean and beautiful as
Toronto was (at the time).
Or did my arrival occur eight years after
that first visit, when I, with two teenage
children in tow, left Trinidad for good, set-
tling initially in Scarborough because that’s
where our closest relatives lived.
Three months after arriving, I began work
for a well-known immigration consultant,
himself formerly from Trinidad. A fairly
large part of his clientele were Indo-
Trinidadian or Indo-Guyanese, either seek-
ing to assist relatives back home to come to
Canada, or themselves applying for perma-
nent residence from within the country. As
part of my responsibilities, I listened to sto-
ries about their reasons for wanting to live
in Canada – stories that varied from the
mundane, to the exciting or even the horri-
fying.
Emotionally, I identified or empathized
or even rejected belief in some of their sto-
ries, but at all times I understood that they
were confident their lives would be im-
proved if they could live in Canada. Did
this daily dealing with people of my back-
ground, people with the same dream of a
better life in Canada reassure me that I had
made the right move leaving my native
country for a new one? Yes, I think, but
maybe I wondered just a little ...
I was very proud on the day my family
(two children and myself) received our
Canadian citizenship. Proud of the incon-
sequential things, such as the fact that the
three of us finished our written test ahead
of everyone in the room and got all the an-
swers right. And proud of more significant
things such as we could now actually refer
to ourselves as Canadians, not just Cana-
dian residents; we could carry a Canadian
passport and we could be part of electing
those who would govern of our city, our
province and our country. Was that day our
real arrival day?
In 1993, I had my first job in a non-profit
organization – one that provided services to
the Toronto South Asian community. For
the first time I had dealings with with so
many East Indians from so many different
countries. To my dismay as well as amuse-
ment, I discovered that many South Asians
from India and Pakistan and Bangladesh
and Sri Lanka and even some from dias-
poric countries in East Africa, regarded us
Indocaribbeans as culturally tainted.
The flip side of this were Indocaribbeans
I met, who declined to accept the label
South Asian, on the grounds that that their
experiences of life made them a different
people from those who came to Canada di-
rectly from South Asia. Some Indo-
caribbeans believed themselves superior
because they had been exposed to and in-
fluenced by the best of both the Western
and the Eastern world.
Partly because my job required me to be
sensitive to people of diverse cultural back-
grounds, for the first time in my life, I
began to really reflect upon my own cul-
tural identity – I was Indian, Caribbean and
Canadian, but was I equal parts of each of
these three, or was I more of one than the
other?
Then, several years after first coming to
live in Canada, I returned for my first visit
to Trinidad. I ran into someone I used to
know – a person I had admired as a self-
made individual, who had overcome the
disadvantages of an extremely deprived
childhood and through hard work, had
achieved considerable economic success
and respect in the community. Part of our
conversation went something like this:
He – (poking fun at me)So how are you,
Canadian?
Me - (feeling somewhat foolish) I am still
Trinidadian, you know.
He – (a trifle disdainfully) Whatever
made you decide to leave Trinidad? I, for
one, will never want to live in Canada
Me – (in irritation) Why?
He – I will never live where I would be a
second-class citizen.
Me – (suddenly very, very outraged) –
Well good for you buddy, that you live here
where you believe you are a first class citi-
zen! And good for you that you know I am
a second class citizen in Canada though you
don’t know anything about my life there
now, or what my life was like here before
I went there!. Have you evern even been
there for a week to know what it is like to
live there?
Regretfully, for a minute or two, I
launched into a rant about all the things that
work well for me in Canada and all the
things that didn’t when I lived in Trinidad.
And then stopped, reminding myself that all
the time, people, me included, form opin-
ions based on the information they do not
have. There are wonderful as well as nega-
tive aspects about the country where I was
born and lived for the first part of my life,
and there are wonderful as well as negative
aspects about the country I have chosen to
live the rest of my life.
But that conversation was the defining
psychological moment of my arrival in
Canada.
I had arrived bodily in Canada several
few years before but it was at that point that
I arrived mentally and emotionally as well.
And funnily enough, it happened while I
was on Trinidad soil. It just came to me
very naturally to be disturbed at criticism of
the country I had chosen to live, by some-
one who had never lived there.
At the end of that visit, while my niece
was seeing me off at the airport, she asked,
:”So when are you coming back home for
good?” Without even thinking about it, I
replied “I am going home now”.
Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 21
Arrival story Arrival in Canada
A view from 1990
(continued from Page 19)
Excerpts from”Indo-Caribbean Life in
With lots of hard work and support from
Guyana and Toronto” by Bruce Ally
my wife Ramdaye,who was a stay at home
Mom,I was able to get Bachelor of Arts de-
The (political) situation in Guyana coin-
grees(York) and a Master of Education
cided with the removal of discriminatory
from U of Toronto and several In service
immigration regulations in Canada, and in
diplomas from the Ministry of Educa-
1967 a flow of Indo-Guyanese immigrants
tion..This helped to increase my salary as a
began to arrive, most of them settling in
Teacher with the Toronto Board of Educa-
Ontario. They were mostly educated or
tion,now called the Toronto District School
skilled, but their initial encounter with
Board.
Canadian racial discrimination and their
I passed the qualifications to become a
frustration with the lack of recognition of
School Principal in the early 1980's. I was
their trades and professional credentials
short listed for the next few years but never
tempored their sense of arrival at a safe
received that promotion,in spite of my
haven. In addition, they had to adapt to a
glowing qualifications and recommenda-
new social situation and to re-establish fam-
tions.You see equql opportunity for promo-
ily and community life in this new and ex-
tion of a Non White Administrator was at
otic country....
least 10 years ahead of its time..You had to
The Guyanese of Indian descent who up-
demonstrate that you had sterling leader-
rooted their lives and transplanted them-
ship skills.
selves in the West Indies as migrant
Meanwhile,I became a member of On-
labourers, losing their roots but certainly
tario Studies for Services to Indo Car-
not their culture or their courage, became in
ribbean Culture (OSSICC) and served a a
a mere hundred years a political and eco-
Cultural Advisor and Writer for the annual
nomic force to be reckoned with and devel-
Heritage Day and Indian arrival cere-
oped a social system that maintained
monies. and celebrations. even at public
individuals as part of the collective whole.
places ,Mandirs etc.We arranged to cele-
The second migration to Canada has repro-
brate Indo Caribbean Heritage occasions
duced the old challenges, the old struggles,
and invited noted novelists and Caribbean
and the necessity to re-establish themselves
lecturers to keep us on focus.Some of these
in a new and alien society.....
speakers were Dr. Cheddi Jagan,Hon.Bas-
The cosmopolitan diaspora in Ontario has
deo Panday,Hon. Ramesh Lawrence Ma-
provided a unique reunion of Indians whose
haraj,Rev. Roy G Nehall,Sonny
ancestors migrated from the subcontinent in
Ramadhin,Joe Soloman,Dr.Hedy Fry,Neil
the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,
Bissoondath, and various musicians includ-
with those who have immigrated directly
ing Karamchand Maharaj,Harold
from India during the last thirty years.
Boodoo,David Singh,Ricky Ramnarace,Ra-
While they all share a common source
jmanee Maharaj,Tony Ramesar and Seetal
culture, distance and generations of living
Persad and yours truly ,among others.Most
in another society have produced inevitable
of these Heritage Days celebrations were
differences. Language-the most vulnerable
held at Winters College,York University as
legacy-is often lost. In Toronto, prayers and
one of the founders of OSSICC was Dr.
sermons are often in Indian languages not
Frank Birbalsingh,a Professor on
understood by Indo-Caribbeans. This also
Staff.Other strong leaders of this group was
serves to alienate them from their organized
the late school Teacher, Deo Kernahan. And
religious practices, as well as leading to the
Dr. Unus Omarali.I served as Cultural Ad-
formation of cliques of people who speak
visor for many of these functions.In
the same language....
1988,the Indo Caribbean World newspa-
In the last twenty-five years there has
per,published by Harry Ramkhalewan
been a rapid increase in the Indian popula-
began highlighting the efforts that OSSICC
tion of Caribbean extraction in Toronto. Ini-
were making in the community and this
tially, when they arrived, they were fairly
continued for many years until the eventual
well treated because they occupied the me-
demise of this special group of people who
nial jobs that no one else wanted. However,
now belong to a variety of other organiza-
as they were given the opportunity to per-
tions.Television programmes were pro-
form tasks at higher levels, in competition
duced by Fareed Ali ,Buddy Singh and the
with their Canadian counterparts, they have
late Ken Singh. and Sylvan Amichand. and
faced new challenges.
Jai Ojah Maharaj who is still live on Sat-
Despite the incredible odds, the Indo-
urday nights on Chin Radio.100.7FM.The
Caribbean family has thrived, and there are
l;ate Mervyn Hassanali and Reaz Baksh
members of the community who have
broadcasted from CIUT Radio on week-
sought office in federal elections. There are
ends.Imran Hosein was a most competent
members who are professors, doctors are
radio and television hosts ,over many years.
becoming recertified, and many lawyers are
Life in Canada has been very good.
now available.
As our community has continued to grow,
we have once again stretched our bound-
IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE
aries to surpass our psychological mindsets
and have once again realized that we are
our own most valuable resource, and that
IN THE we exist not only to support our community,
but also to regenerate our support systems
INDO-
to provide whatever is required to achieve
our potential as a unified group.
This recognition should grant us the free-
CARIBBEAN
dom we desire; the freedom to realize that
any and all issues affecting our community
TIMES
are ones which we have the opportunity to
choose and solve. As soon as we recognize
what it is, we will no longer empower oth-
ers to control our destiny.
The challenge before us is to integrate
416-289-3898 our renewed Indian identity into the main-
stream of Canadian multicultural life.
Tribute to immigrant
#1 Kenneth Mahabir
Over the last
hundred years the
number of Indo-
Caribbeans in
Canada has grown
to around 225,000
from just one.
That one is Ken-
neth Grant Ma-
habir, and he is our immigrant number 1,
our jahaji number 1 who travelled by boat
from Trinidad to Canada in the year 1908.
He opened up the door for all of us and we
must remember him and honour his mem-
ory.
Immigrant number 2 was the mysterious
M.N.Santoo, a 25 year old clerk from De-
merara who arrived on the SS Dahome in
Halifax, Nova Scotia on his way to Mon-
treal as an immigrant, also in the year 1908.
We know very little about him.
The one we know, Kenneth Mahabir, was
a remarkable young man from a remarkable
family who came to Halifax, Nova Scotia
as an 18 year old student headed for Dal-
housie Medical School to become a doctor.
When he stepped on the boat to come to
Canada indentured Indians were still walk-
ing off the boats to work on the sugar es-
tates in Trinidad and 11 other colonies in
the Caribbean. They couldn't speak English
and knew nothing about the place they were
going to. They would be going to live in
barracks or logies as they were called in
Guyana, or mud houses with grass roofs
that we called ajoupas. Indians were the
lowest of the low in the Caribbean at the
time. They were despised and abused by
everybody in the society.
Young Kenneth and his family were dif-
ferent, and they owed that to their Canadian
connection. Kenneth was named after the
Canadian missionary Rev. Kenneth Grant
who came to Trinidad in 1870 to form the
Canadian Mission. Kenneth's grandfather
Lakha Sawh was a jahaji, an indentured In-
dian worker, who was one of those early In-
dians whom Kenneth Grant converted to
Presbyterianism. Kenneth's father James
Mahabir was the organist in the
Susamachar Presbyterian Church in San
Fernando that Rev. Grant set up, he married
Kenneth's mother Kate, a professional pho-
tographer, at that church in 1885.
Kenneth went to the elementary school
that Grant set up on the same spot, later
called Grant School, and also to Naparima
College, a secondary school that Rev. Grant
started in San Fernando. Rev. Kenneth
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Indo-Caribbean Times
Grant taught Kenneth Grant Mahabir in Na-
parima College and recognized that the boy
was a brilliant student who could be any-
thing he wanted. The grandfather was an il-
literate estate labourer, but the grandson
was good enough to get admission in Dal-
housie to study medicine. This was our im-
migrant number 1, one of the brightest and
the best in Trinidad.
When Kenneth entered medical school in
Dalhousie they soon realized he was also
one of the brightest and best in Canada. He
was a brilliant student here too, and he
graduated as a medical doctor in 1912. He
also got a Bachelor of Arts degree and a
Bachelor of Science degree. Later on he
earned a Masters of Science degree and was
put in charge of the bacteriological labora-
tories for entire Eastern provinces of New
Brunswick, PEI and Nova Scotia.
In 1914 World War 1 broke out and Dr
Kenneth Mahabir volunteered to join the
army Medical Corps, where he served in
Europe saving the lives of Canadian sol-
diers. As a foreigner he didn't have to join
the army but he did it anyway, and came
back loaded with honours as an army cap-
tain and war veteran. He started his medical
practice and became one of the most re-
spected physicians in Halifax, married a
Canadian woman and settled down to a life-
time of community service. When Rev.
Kenneth Grant retired from his work in
Trinidad and returned to Nova Scotia, you
can guess who took care of him until he
died. It was of course Dr Kenneth Mahabir,
who regarded Rev. Grant like a father.
We have no doubt that Kenneth Mahabir
created such a positive image of the
Caribbean immigrant in Eastern Canada
that all Caribbean immigrants benefitted
from it for a long time. And it is a fact that
many of the immigrants from Trinidad and
other Caribbean countries who followed
him had similar connections with the Pres-
byterian Mission in the Caribbean.
Young Kenneth took the brave step of
leaving the country of his birth to make a
new life in Canada, and he showed that it
was possible to do that without much pain
and hardship. He opened up the Canadian
door for us, and that is a debt we cannot
repay. The least we can do this year and
every year hence is to remember his name
and tell his successful Indian arrival story
in Canada to generations to come.
Ram Jagessar
JUNE 2008 Page 22
Indian Arrival Committee blasts
cartoon on old Indian woman
IAC blasts ‘highly offensive’ with the matter expeditiously. The IAC also
called on all social, religious and political
Stabroek News cartoon, reg- organizations to condemn what it described
isters complaint with ERC as “this racially inciting cartoon”.
The IAC concluded its statement by indi-
cating that it continues to be a champion of
The Indian Arrival Committee (IAC) has
cultural and ethnic harmony whilst at the
registered its “strongest condemnation” of a
same time celebrating the rich heritage and
cartoon published on page 6 in the Sunday
contributions of Indians to the development
Stabroek edition of June 15, 2008. The
of Guyana.
body has registered its concern with the
Caribbeans domi-
Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).
T he offending cartoon, the body notes,
nate GOPIO Upper
shows what appears to be an elderly woman
of Indo-Guyanese origin being interviewed
New York Chapter
by a bespectacled member of the media.
“The old East Indian woman is drawn
barefooted, sitting on a stool and wearing
an undecorated rumal (Indian Headwear),
The newly established GOPIO of Upper
an earring, a pair of bangles and a foot ring
New York Chapter was formally inaugu-
and an “I Love Guyana” badge while peel-
rated at a prominent and well attended din-
ing what appears to be an agricultural prod-
ner event held on the evening of Saturday,
uct taken from a large wicker basket. At her
May 10th, 2008 at the Elegant Rose Hall in
feet is a bag with what appears to be the
the Bronx, New York.
peeled product.
In the cartoon the interviewer first asks
The inauguration occasion was also used by
the old woman: “How do you feel about a
GOPIO of Upper New York Chapter as a
BLACK MAN being PRESIDENT?” After
commemoration of 170th Anniversary of
an extended pause while appearing to wait
Indian Arrival Day in Guyana.
for the old woman to answer, he adds: “of
the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA of
GOPIO of Upper New York chapter offi-
course!”
cers were introduced: Satruhan Sukdeo,
When the old woman finally answers she
President; Netram Rambudhan, Vice Presi-
exclaims: “OH! The UNITED STATES!
dent; Rodney Gocool, Secretary; Prem-
WELL…”
nauth Singh, Treasurer; Lloyd Lochan,
The IAC opined that the interviewer is
Director; and Ramesh Budhram, Director.
drawn as being anxious to extract an answer
GOPIO of Upper New York chapter presi-
from the old woman.
dent Satruhan Sukdeo chaired the proceed-
“The IAC feels strongly that the inter-
ings.
viewer is portrayed in such a manner as try-
ing to extract a negative answer from her
"Remembering Our Forefathers" was an ex-
during his extended pause.
pression of honored tribute and gratitude to
The IAC, which deals with issues and con-
those who made the first journey as inden-
cerns of persons of Indo-Guyanese origin,
tured laborers from India to British Guiana
views this cartoon as highly offensive in the
(now Guyana) in 1838 aboard the Hesperus
following ways:
and Whitby.
1. The old East Indian woman is portrayed
as belonging to a past era historically: The
Ashook Ramsaran, Secretary General of
IAC interprets this portrayal to mean that
GOPIO International, congratulated the
Indo-Guyanese are a backward ethnic
chapter executives and membership on the
group.
inauguration of the chapter, conveyed
2. Since historically Hindu women have
greetings from GOPIO International Secre-
worn the rumal its depiction in the cartoon
tariat and "warmly welcomed the GOPIO
is interpreted by the IAC to mean that Hin-
of Upper New York chapter into the GOPIO
dus are a backward group.
family", pledged the support and guidance
3. The old East Indian woman is drawn
of GOPIO International and extended
wearing an “I Love Guyana” sticker badge:
wishes for much success to the chapter's ef-
The IAC interprets this portrayal to mean
fort at outreach and community activities.
that Indo-Guyanese are not inherently pa-
triotic.
Prominent Guyanese born historian Dr.
4. The old East Indian woman is drawn in
Basdeo Mangru, author of several books on
the act of peeling something with her
indentureship and its role in Guyana's his-
hands: The IAC interprets this portrayal to
tory, was the keynote speaker.
mean that Indo-Guyanese are technologi-
cally backward.
He spoke about Rev. C. F. Andrews who
5. The interviewer is shown in an anxious
generated "the indentureship report" which
manner to extract a negative answer to his
described the harsh conditions endured by
question: “How do you feel about a
the indentured laborers and the situation of
BLACK MAN being PRESIDENT?”: The
IAC interprets this portrayal to mean that
Indian workers on the sugar plantations of
Guyana.
Indo-Guyanese are alarmed at the notion of
having an Afro-Guyanese as President of
In his presentation, Dr. Mangru discussed
Guyana.
housing, education, Indian marriages and
The IAC emphasized that it “not only finds
other social problems faced by the Indian
the cartoon racially offensive but denigrat-
ing to persons of Indo-Guyanese origin as it
Community at that time.
can stir up feelings of social hostility
Dr. Mangru plans to publish a book based
against Indo-Guyanese by promoting and
on the "the indentureship report" by Rev.
perpetrating negative stereotypes of Indo-
Andrews.
Guyanese”.
The Committee noted that it had regis-
tered an official complaint with and urged
the Ethnic Relations Commission to deal
 Indo-Caribbean Times JUNE 2008 Page 23

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Letter to the Editor: Weeping for Wakenaam
L
ast month’s rural rape-murders
have again highlighted how low
the level of human security is, par-
ticularly for women and girl children, in
certain areas of this country. These seri-
ous crimes have exposed the seeming in-
ability of the administration and its
educational, law enforcement, social wel-
fare and youth services to comprehend
the causes of the crisis. As a result, no
policies are likely to be put in place to en-
sure the safety of the country’s most vul-
nerable citizens, the very old and the very
young.
The nation awoke on Independence Day
to the news of the rape-murder of 79-
year-old blind, shut-in Dhanwantie,
known as ‘Auntie,’ at Sans Souci on
Wakenaam Island in the Essequibo. That
tragedy rekindled memories of the grue-
some rape-murder of 12-year-old Julie
Sooklall on the same island of Wakenaam
in November 2004. The girl’s body was
found, still dressed in her school uniform,
not far from her home. Three adolescents
were found culpable of the crime.
There was also another vicious rape-mur-
der of 75-year-old Millicent Subechen,
known as ‘Aunty Milly,’ at her home in
Wakenaam in September 2001. Another
adolescent was found guilty and impris-
oned.
How is it that such a small island of 45
km² with a farming population of a mere
3,000 families, most of whom are famil-
iar with one another, could be the arena
for such atrocities? In fact, Wakenaam is
not alone. On the smaller island of
Leguan a short distance away, Bibi Farida
Khan, known as ‘Monica,’ had also been
savagely raped, murdered and dumped in
a canal at Blenheim in July 2006.
Across the Essequibo River channels, the
rape-murders of 17-year-old student
Sharon Sooklall at Naamryck near to
Parika on the East Bank Essequibo in
February 2001, and of 46-year-old Fazila
Mohamed of Johanna Cecilia on the Es-
sequibo Coast in June 2005 are still rue-
fully remembered.
Earlier last month, residents of the Coren-
tyne Coast were revolted at the rape-mur-
der of Deokali Peter, an 18-year-old
waitress. She had been gang-raped and
left to die after her assailants tried to
drown her in a canal at Port Mourant.
There have been similar crimes of vio-
lence in other villages on the Corentyne.
At Maida, three brothers broke into the
home of 32-year-old Achama
Madramootoo, dragged her to the back-
dam raping her repeatedly on the way,
and drowned her in a canal in September
2003. At Warren, 16-year-old schoolgirl
Roshini Pertabsingh was raped and killed
in a home in June 2006.
Elsewhere, 18-year-old Anita Persaud of
Good Faith, Mahaicony, in August 2001;
Rohana Wilson, a 24-year-old mother of
two of Mahdia, in October 2006; and 9-
year-old Sade Stoby whose violated body
was found a mere 500 metres from her
home in the village of Mocha-Arcadia on
the East Bank Demerara in November
last year, have also been victims of rape-
murders. Many of the assailants have
been adolescents.
The list is long and bloody but, with all
of this evidence, exactly what has the ad-
ministration done? The Ministers of Edu-
cation, Home Affairs, Legal Affairs,
Human Services and Social Security and
Culture, Youth and Sports must surely re-
alise that something has gone wrong
among the young.
These ministers have the responsibility to
remedy the problem. It should be clear,
also, that some sort of study or inquiry
should be initiated to determine the
causes of this particular type of cruel
criminal conduct.
The administration’s primary responsi-
bility should be to ensure human security
by protecting citizens and communities
from criminal violence and by preserving
vital freedoms to ensure people’s ability
to live in dignity. Its cherished policies
for community policing, neighbourhood
policing and citizens’ security now seem
to have been misdirected against some
imaginary non-community threat when
the real problems reside among the idle
louts next door. Many women and girl
children have become victims of vio-
lence in their own homes and commu-
nities.
Over the past 15 years, the administra-
tion has promulgated a National Youth
Policy and sponsored an array of nice-
sounding youth schemes – the Guyana
Youth Development Association; Na-
tional Youth Council; National Youth
Parliament; President’s Youth Choice
Initiative; President’s Youth Award Re-
public of Guyana; and the Youth Em-
ployment Scheme – for example. But it
is clear that they have not been able to
significantly improve employment op-
portunities or curb criminal activity
among the young.
If the lives of the young are to be
changed, and if women and children are
to be saved from savagery of rape-mur-
ders such as those which have afflicted
Wakenaam and elsewhere, the adminis-
tration needs to refashion its patchwork
youth policy. The problem will not go
away of its own accord.

Caribbean Superstore Opens in Toronto

CARIBBEAN FOOD BASKET

Roti Shop Supermarket Bakery
All Caribbean & Canadian foods
Roti & all varieties of Full variety of fresh West Indian fruit, Bread Cakes Buns
Caribbean curries vegetables. provisions, spices and Pastry Currant rolls
sauces Pinwheels Tennis rolls
Tropical fish - tilapia, hassa etc Macaroni Pizza
Doubles Chicken & chips Guyanese chowmein $0.89 a pack Potato pie Potato balls
Fish and chips Burgers Caribbean rice Chinese Cakes
Veggie burgers Fry rice
Fry fish Stews Distributor of Caribbee Rice And a whole variety more!

Sole agents for Tropical Calling distributors

of Caribbean
Flavours Back to Eden products to come
seasonings, spices & in and see our
flavours supplies

6629 Finch West at Highway 27

Tel: 416-745-7979 647-312-0248