Dear Editor,
The Indian Diaspora Council (IDC) has announced the following developments in its planning of the Commemoration of the Centennial of the Abolition of Indian Indentureship.
March 20, 2017 will mark the centennial (100 years) of the abolition of Indian indentureship by the British Parliament on March 21, 1917. This date does not necessarily mean that the Indian indentureship process ended then. For example, the last batch of Indian immigrants landed in Guyana via the SS Ganges on April 18, 1917 with 427 immigrants. Indentureship ended around 1920-21 depending on the colonial territory (1920 for Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname).
According to organizers, the planned March commemoration is not about celebration, but rather about how Indian immigrants and their descendants went beyond broken dreams, hardships and challenges to arrive at fortitude and resilience that paved the way for the exploration of new frontiers. The organizers note that in times of hardships and distress, it is generally believed that people need at least two pillars to lean upon, namely, religion and history. “We cannot separate ourselves from our history no more than can we separate ourselves from our shadow and our faith”.
Hence this commemorative event will focus on all aspects of the indentured and their descendants. The theme of next year’s convention is ‘Post Indian Indentureship: Exploring New Frontiers.’ The organizers will engage all groups in Guyana as well as in Trinidad and Suriname and beyond.
Although many Indian immigrants had the right to return to India, only about 1 in every 3 decided to return to their homeland. The rest remained in the respective countries and many were allocated plots of land in lieu of the payment of return passages.
That measure allowed for the sustenance of the sugar industry, as well as made possible the development of the rice industry and other agricultural crops.
By reflecting on their resilience and fortitude, values that would be manifested in the planned commemorative events, organizers hope that this and future generations of descendants of Indian immigrants would be inspired to widen and deepen the scope of the new frontiers. The basics that had allowed Indian immigrants to survive and become resilient are still critically important as universal values that would carry them forward and into new frontiers. Such basics including “hard work,” “individual responsibility,” “planning and budgeting,” and “deferred gratification” will be highlighted at the various events. How these could be sustained and even strengthened will be discussed at the seminars/conferences.
Two of IDC’s executive members recently travelled to India to seek the participation of the Indian institutions, as well as the central government and Indian state governments in the upcoming commemorative events. The response has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive of the commemoration that will attract high-level visitors from India.
Events will be held in Guyana from October onwards, with a seminar and banquet in March. The Global Convention on the Centennial will take place in Trinidad & Tobago, from March 18 to March 20, 2017. An IDC delegation will be travelling to Trinidad in late September and to Guyana in late October for meetings with government officials, NGOs, businesses, and community leaders on the planned commemoration.
The planned activities include:
(i) Official Launch of Centennial Commemoration in New York at Queen’s College, CUNY, Queens, New York (October 2, 2016); Cultural Event in New York in February 2017. Banquet in New York, in early March
(ii) Launch of Book, Centennial Commemoration of the Abolition of Indian Indentureship: Challenges, Progress and Great Expectations (January, 2017 at various locations)
(iii) Conference sessions at Lucknow, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Kolkata, Delhi and other venues in India (December 2016, January, February, March 2017)
(iii) Diaspora countries’ commemorative events and conferences in Suva, Port Louis, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Naypidaw, Sydney, Auckland, Orlando, Georgetown, Paramaribo, Port of Spain, Kingston (Jamaica), Kingstown (St Vincent), Corozal (Belize), St Georges (Grenada), Castries (St Lucia), Basseterre (Guadeloupe), and Fort-de-France (Martinique)
(v) Centennial conference at Indian Consulate in New York (March 2017)
(vi) Monthly events in Guyana running up to March 2017. There will be a special gala event in Georgetown in March 2017
(vii) ‘Global Convention on the Centennial of the Abolition of Indentureship’ to be held in Port of Spain (Trinidad & Tobago) from March 18-March 20, 2017. This event will be a combination of a conference, cultural programme and a gala event with (current and former) heads of states and governments from around the globe.
The Indian Diaspora Council secretariat is in NYC with sub-branches in various countries organizing activities there. The IDC and its affiliates are inviting all NGOs and individuals to participate in the events.
The centennial commemoration is not a political or religious event, but organizers seek support from all organizations and political leaders, as well as business, religious and community leaders. IDC is a charitable, not-for-profit organization with federal tax-exempt status in the US.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
