Dear Editor,
I recently read the article by Ramnarine Sahadeo that was published in the Guyana Times and in Kaieteur News on December 19th honoring helicopter pilot Michael Charles, a true patriot of Guyana. It struck me in two ways. Firstly, I was visiting Guyana when the aircraft went missing. We waited and hoped for the best. I had returned to the United States (where I had migrated to, forty-three years ago as a teenager) when the sad news was announced. With a heavy heart, I reminisced on “small days” at Covent Garden High School. Secondly, in the same article Ramnarine Sahadeo also mentioned the difficulty of being able to trace the roots of his ancestors and Mike’s ancestors from India, as they are related. Incidentally, the day before meeting Errol Charles, I visited the General Post Office (GPO). I went there to get information about the ship that brought my grandfather from India to Guyana.
My friend who brought me to the Registrar’s office pointed to the door of Raymond Cummings, the Registrar. Mr. Cummings was not in his office at that time. However, one of the employees sitting at her desk tried to assist me. I presented my mother’s birth certificate and my father’s birth certificate, but the registrar’s employee was unable to link either of my grandfathers to the ship they came on. After trying various searches, an hour went by and she gave up. She said that the computer just does not have enough information to trace back to the ship that my grandfather came on. She ended by saying that I have to bring the necessary information, such as my grandfather’s birth certificate or information about the ship that my grandfather travelled on. Of course, that is neither a reasonable expectation nor is it logical, since I went there to get that information from this office. This is important to me because I am entitled to the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Card, and I am trying to obtain it with the help of the Registrar’s office in Georgetown, Guyana.
Obtaining the OCI card is a huge step in the right direction of maintaining our culture and tradition just like our foremothers and forefathers. I would like to make it easier for other Guyanese who are interested in visiting India, to further their studies in our rich Indian heritage and experience our rich culture as I have. Easier processing of the OCI card is a sure step in the right direction. Like myself, there are many Guyanese who find themselves in the same “boat” and cannot find the ship that our grandparents travelled on from India. While it is obvious that our ancestors came from India as Indentured servants, we do not know which ship they came on. That is the missing link. At this time, I would like to make an appeal to the personnel in charge, to simplify this process, to make it easier and more accessible in obtaining their OCI card. In this current age of advanced computer development, databases and digitization, with diligent effort by the qualified personnel in Guyana, I am confident that this request can be accomplished. I look forward to the day when these records are digitized and available in Guyana as it is in other Caribbean countries.
Sincerely,
Sri Rajaji