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Was there really a Banwaree?

Aug 14, 2008 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
First it was the “rumal”- the female East Indian headwear – which caused a lot of furor. Now, it is Banwaree/Banwarie/Banwahree.

What or who next, Mrs. Willis’ Goat or the eternally smart and witty Balgobin/Balgobind? I have known though of a Balgobin who was very docile, puerile and plain stupid.

The name Banwaree is surely East Indian so Mr. Banwaree was certain to have been an East Indian – if indeed he ever existed.

While it is all going on, I have seen some interesting yet hollow responses as to the origin of “Bear yuh chafe like Banwaree.”

Suffice to say, I do not believe any of the theories proffered. I have found some of the theories to be plain stupid and some to be the creations of one’s imagination.

The moral of the message to “bear yuh chafe” is indeed a good one, especially at a time when our world is fast becoming a difficult place to survive and live.

Why is Mr. Banwaree being portrayed only as a stingy hand truck porter or some other lowly East Indian character? Is this what a seemingly smart, selfless and dedicated East Indian ought to be?

Why is it that Mr. Banwaree could not have been a medical doctor who made great sacrifices to qualify himself?

Why is it that Mr. Banwaree could not have been a great soldier who “bear his chafe” for Mother India during colonial rule and in the fight for independence?

Couldn’t Banwaree have been a money-lender in ancient India? What if Banwaree was a top lawyer in India or South Africa during the days of the Mahatma (Great Soul)?

Mr. Banwaree could have been a politician vying for political office in India, Fiji, Mauritius or South Africa in the old days and to this end he made many sacrifices, though unsuccessful. Or he could have been an Indian migrant who stood up to Idi Amin in Kampala, Uganda only to be killed.

I expect many more so-called experts to come forward and claim intimate knowledge of Mr. Banwaree. Some may say that Banwaree was their “Aja” or “Nana”.

I can certainly add my two-bits here on the origin of Banwaree but, like all the other theorists, it will have no basis in history. It will only be an opinion.

Let’s continue to “bear” our “chafe like Banwaree” until someone with real knowledge in East Indian history can conclusively tell us who Mr. Banwaree really was.

Was there really a Banwaree?
Mahadeo Panchu

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