Dear Editor,
I write to pay tribute to Arjune Karshan, longtime political activist who led the Association of Concerned Guyanese (ACG), NY branch, that is affiliated with the PPP, for many years. He passed away a few days ago in the US.
Karshan served as Guyana’s Ambassador to Suriname, appointed by Dr. Jagan after the restoration of democracy, serving in the position for a decade. He was a true Guyanese patriot residing abroad. He was a champion of human rights and one of the most outspoken Guyanese activists in America prior to the 1992 election.
Karshan organized grassroots social and media movements and chaired countless functions relating to Guyana. He was also passionate about tackling social injustice in America and was unwavering in his belief in humanity. And at no time did he compromise his socialist leaning even when communism had collapsed in 1990. After Jagan embraced glasnost and perestroika, Karshan, like several others in the ACG, fell in line.
I came to admire Karshan, Mel Carpen, and other ACG stalwarts for their zeal, enthusiasm, and commitment to the struggle for the restoration of democracy in the homeland. They were true Jaganites and patriots; few were like them. Karshan championed the Guyanese cause the way few of us did, demonstrating grit and determined to succeed in the struggle to liberate Guyana from dictatorship. He was the man behind several rallies and protests. There was hardly a public event (including immigration rallies and Ramayanas or India Day parades or Holi or Indian Arrival Day celebrations, etc.) in New York thru 1992 that I did not see Karshan distributing pamphlets.
Karshan’s contribution to the Guyana struggle has made him an icon of resistance against dictatorship and of the struggle for social justice in America and beyond. I salute him and thank his family for allowing him to commit so many years to the struggle that freed Guyana from the yoke of an oppressive dictatorship.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
