Dear Editor,
Colin Bascom in his letter captioned :Our relations with India should not be at the expense of our core values as a nation” (07.01.17), attacked me as “Cheerleader-in-Chief” of promoting closer relations with India. I don’t take that as an insult but as a compliment. At any and every opportunity I get meeting an official from India in NY and during frequent visits to India (going back next month), I promote Guyana, urging greater assistance for our poverty-stricken homeland. All Guyanese benefit from closer relations with India.
I recall asking former Prime Minister Vajpayee at a small closed door meeting for more educational scholarships from India. And indeed the number of scholarships Guyanese of all races receive today has increased substantially thanks to the work of myself, Ashok Ramsaran of GOPIO, and others.
I should also note that because of our hard work in NY and lobbying by others, Guyana has received more than a hundred million dollars of aid from India over the last five years and more aid is on its way. I see no harm being done in enhancing the relationship between India and Guyana for our country’s benefit. Critics and attacks on me will not deter my altruistic work. At the same time, I will commend, instead of attack, any African who has an interest in their ancestral linkage or who can procure financial assistance for Guyana from Africa.
Bascom is operating on a myth about scholarships being given only to Indians.
During my first trip to India in August 1985 while a doctoral student at a seminar I met several students (Blacks) from Africa studying on scholarships provided by the Indian government.
I recall one student from Kenya saying she could not quite understand why India, with so much poverty amongst its people, was offering so many scholarships to Africans.
She felt guilty coming to India to study for free while deserving Indians were neglected. That is the nature of India and her people – to help others regardless of the effects on the country and on themselves; India gives more aid to Africa as a percentage of her budget than the wealthy nations.
Bascom should make a visit to India and see the thousands of (Black) African students at Indian campuses. In India, I also met students from South America and Mexico on scholarships from the government of India. There are also thousands of students from Europe and North America on temporary exchange visits. A few years ago on a flight from Mexico City to Cabos San Lucas, a Mexican woman sitting next to me began a conversation asking me if I am from India. I replied “I am from Guyana but with Indian ancestry”. She said she was returning from India from a two months training course for civil servants sponsored by the government of India.
She told me she developed friendship with a Guyanese African female who the Guyana government chose to study for free in New Delhi; clearly scholarships are not targeted to Indians.
It is believed that at least half the scholarships offered by India to Guyana are given to non-Indians. It is a myth that the government of India gives scholarships only to Indians. During the Burnham era, it is a known fact that virtually no Indian was selected for the many scholarships offered by India to Guyana; Indians used to complain they were rejected when they applied for scholarships to go to India during the Burnham era. In fact, I believe the talented Prakash Gossai was denied a government of India scholarship during Burnham’s rule. I recall African Guyanese returning from India as excellent classical dancers and musicians and as trained civil servants. One African male used to dance with Gora Singh during the 1970s and early 1980s. I remember seeing Africans playing tabla and dholak at mandirs on the Corentyne and singing Hindi songs and bhajans better than the finest Indian singers.
I should note that apart from scholarships to governments of poor countries, India offers scholarships to individuals that are based on selected criteria and results in stiff competition. The government recently announced that it plans to open a university for people of Indian descent. This would benefit Indo-Guyanese but would not lead to the termination of the ongoing scholarships awarded to Guyana and from which Afro-Guyanese are beneficiaries.
A PIO university would inevitably lead to the opening up of more slots for Africans and other ethnic groups.
Instead of criticizing India for giving scholarships to Guyana, Bascom should appeal to Ghana and Nigeria to give scholarships to Africans from Guyana and or urge those two wealthy countries to start a university for people of African descent so that more opportunities can become available for Afro-Guyanese.
Let me reiterate that I am proud to advocate closer relations with India because of the enormous benefits Guyana has received from the Asian giant. India provides Guyana with low rate long term loans. It has a potential market for Guyana’s product. It provides scholarships for all Guyanese.
Several Guyanese live in or visit India; a large visiting group returned from India last October and another large group is heading to India in March. Indian nationals have an interest to invest in Guyana that will create jobs and raise growth.
India is the largest donor of aid to Guyana. And the list of reasons for closer relations with India is endless.
It is appalling that people will question the relationship Guyana has with India in light of all the assistance India has given to Guyana. India is a rapidly developing nation and is the leader of the so called Third World. Even Mr. Burnham recognized the importance of India and had an effective Embassy in Delhi.
Today, even the U.S has reversed course of isolating India to becoming the leading partner of India; hundreds of thousands of Indians were imported to work in America’s high tech industries.
It was unfortunate that Dr. Jagan did not reopen the embassy in Delhi. But President Jagdeo has recognized the importance (after receiving tens of millions of dollars in aid) of India and has reopened the High Comm-ission. India has provided Guyana with financial assistance, medical training, and loans at critical times in our history. Their newest aid package is to fix the traffic lights which was promised to us by a wealthy European country that has failed to deliver. India has also guaranteed soft loans to Guyana.
I should note that I also advocate closer relations with the U.S because one in four Guyanese live in the U.S and it is our largest trading partner as well as the largest source of foreign currency for Guyana. Bascom has not attacked me for advocating closer relations with the U.S.
I presume it is okay to have close relations with the U.S but not India, ancestral homeland for half of the Guyanese population.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
