Guyanese calls on India to recognise Caribbean Indians

Jan 10, 2009 News

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By Fareeza Haniff in Chennai, India
Pro-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr. Prem Misir, in his address at the Parvasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) in Chennai, India, has called for the recognition of Caribbean Indians.
During the session on the Caribbean at the Chennai Trade Centre, Dr. Misir said that an agenda needs to be created for the Caribbean, where there should be the creation of an environment that indicates that Indian culture equally coexists with other cultures at all levels in institution building.
He stressed that Indians must demand this equal coexistence in shaping the Caribbean society.
Dr Misir noted that People of Indian Origin (PIO) must be enabled to develop a strong sustainable cultural grounding, with the capacity to effectively interface with other Caribbean identities. Caribbean Indians are mainly from Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, and number a little over one million.
In this regard, Dr Misir said, a Diaspora agenda for the Caribbean would largely include PIOs and citizens within the Caribbean territories.
“Indeed, there is a growing need to have a working relationship of Overseas Indians with India, amid a fiercely brutal economic globalization process, working to the disadvantage of poor developing economies. A sustained relationship requires an application of the principle of reciprocity, making both parties stakeholders,” Dr. Misir said.
He said that, in today’s society, there continues to be limited political and economic networking among Overseas Indians, despite their many accomplishments.
This, he noted, guarantees a reduced prevalence of their culture in the major institutions of the developing multiracial societies.
“This diminished cultural prevalence would drive a wedge between India and Overseas Indians, and we therefore would require an agenda that would forestall such happening.”
In order to prevent this, Dr. Misir said, the Indian Citizenry in India needs to be enlightened about the strength, diversity and accomplishments of the Caribbean Indian Diaspora.
He also called for India’s educational connection to be maintained with the Caribbean, and that India’s educational contribution toward bettering race relations in the Caribbean be acknowledged.
Another factor in preventing a wedge between India and Overseas Indians, he said, is to invite competitive technology and skills from PIOs, Non Resident Indians, Non Resident Guyanese (NRGs), Non Resident Caribbeans’ (NRC) and Indians from India.
He added that there should also be a scope for increasing bilateral trade and investment, reciprocal granting of Most Favoured Nation (MVN) status to each other, and the reciprocal brand promotions of ‘Made in India’ and ‘Made in the Caribbean’ through trade fairs and exhibitions.
“However, the bonding between India and the Caribbean is a case of sustaining personal and cultural identity, a significant contributory factor to enhancing the quality of life for India and the Indian Diaspora. Together, this bonding may create a new vision for the Indian Diaspora in the 21st century,” Dr. Misir said.
Also delivering remarks at the conference was Barrister-at-Law for Trinidad and Tobago, Anand Ramlogan, who noted that youths in the Caribbean are facing an identity crisis that will shake the very foundation of values that were passed down by generations.
He said that modern technological developments, such as the Internet, cell phones and iPods, have changed the way people live.
Much of it, he noted, facilitates teenage independence in a way that ‘loosens the grip and influence of parents.’ According to Ramlogan, the Indian identity is being reshaped and influenced by new role models from the American and European music industry, along with the sporting arena and top actors and actresses.
“For the children of the Diaspora, sexuality and masculinity are defined by reference to a non-Indian identity. The role models that emerge from movies and sports are either white or black, but never brown. It’s as if the Indians are not white or black enough.
“Indian youths are on the periphery of this mainstream. Unable to withstand the peer pressure, our sons and daughters are slowly but surely jumping into this river of Western influence,” Ramlogan said.
He explained that a major contributor to the undermining of Indian identity is the absence of young Indian role models with whom children can identify.
In this regard, Ramlogan added, unless the Indian community indentifies and acknowledges this identity crisis as an urgent social problem, a crisis is in the making, and the failure to evolve and adapt could lead to extinction.

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