Region has lost an outstanding academia in Caribbean history

Jul 11, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

It is with sadness that I learn of the passing of Dr. Brinsley Samaroo, retired eminent Professor of History at UWI, a foremost pioneer and specialist on Indian Caribbean history. He died on July 9. He was 82.

Samaroo was attached to UWI since the early 1970s and at one time headed the history department. He was eminently qualified to head the department having excelled in academia. He earned his BA History from the prestigious Hindu College, Delhi University in the 1960s and went on to do his PhD in England. After his PhD, he joined the faculty at UWI teaching history courses. He was a specialist in Indian history, slavery, and indentureship. In the last couple decades of his life, his academic work focused primarily on Indians – indentured laborers or girmityas and their descendants. He published countless articles and penned several books. He also appeared on many TV and radio programs discussing subjects elated to history and politics. Anyone who studied Caribbean history or wanted to know about Indians in the Caribbean would have read his works.

Samaroo was always helpful to all students including struggling Guyanese during the Burnham dictatorship – in their studies in Trinidad, in providing accommodations, and or putting us in touch with his students to provide comfort, lodging, etc. He was overseas examiner for UG for several years.

He was also involved in the struggle against the Guyanese dictatorship providing moral support from 1980 thru the restoration of democracy in 1992. We had a long relationship going back to the late 1970s when a group of us (Baytoram Ramharack and Vassan Ramracha, and myself, among a few others) in New York involved in the struggle for democracy in Guyana communicated with him to support a similar movement launched by our friend in Trinidad. He agreed to help us although he said he would not do so publicly to jeopardize his job. He encouraged that we held and supported protest movements including against Shridat Ramphal when he was UWI Chancellor and visited the campus. He was not one to take public stances if they were controversial or jeopardize his job. He encouraged others to take such positions. For example, in his office and in private chats, he said there was racism and discrimination against Indians in Trinidad and at UWI but would not pen it. Similarly, he said UNC would not return to government but won’t write or say it publicly.

Samaroo quietly gave support to a youth movement in Trinidad including making available rooms for meetings at UWI to address social issues impacting Indians. We worked closely with him and the then political opposition led by Basdeo Panday (TT Alliance) with who Samaroo was affiliated. We flew down and assisted in the 1981 election campaign with the understanding that if it were to win it would support our movement for free and fair elections in Guyana; the opposition lost. Samaroo did not contest a seat for parliament, but he was appointed Opposition Leader in the Senate by Panday who remained opposition Leader, a position he held since 1976.  Samaroo served in the Senate till elections in December 1986 when he contested and won a safe Indian seat (Nariva). Ravi Dev and my group provided financial assistance to the opposition led by ANR Robinson. the promised assistance to help restore democracy in Guyana never materialized. But over association with Samaroo continued.

Over the decades, Samaroo and I met countless times to discuss issues of significance to Indians. We met in Trinidad, Guyana, USA, India, and Suriname. Like myself, Ravi Dev, Prof. Maurits Hassankhan, he was a guest of the Indian government in 2016 to discuss challenges facing Indo-Caribbean people. The Indian government valued our scholarship. Several of our recommendations were accepted and implemented by the Indian government in its diaspora policy.

Samaroo was always warm and sympathetic when it came to causes relating to Guyana. I traveled frequently to Trinidad appearing at UWI campus for exchange with academics sympathetic with our struggle related to Guyana. Samaroo (as well as other academics such as Ramesh Ramsaran and Kusha Haracksingh) and I talked a lot about Guyana’s and Trinidad’s politics and history. Samaroo also spent considerable amount of time in Guyana and in New York engaging Guyanese and Trinis. Guyanese hosted him countless times in the USA and he attended Indian Arrival Day celebrations in Guyana as well as in New York. He was opposed to Indian Arrival celebrations and a holiday for it that some of us championed in Trinidad. He voted against the holiday when he was member of parliament between 1986 and 1991; he felt there should be Indian indentureship abolition celebrations but he never championed the idea of a holiday for it.

My last encounters with Samaroo were at several state functions held in Suriname for visiting Indian President Draupadi Murmu in early June. Dr. Samaroo was the chief guest at a conference on slavery and indentureship at the University of Suriname to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the first arrival of Indians in Suriname. Several delegates were invited to state functions for the visiting President.

On Trinidad politics, he concluded that the opposition will not be returning to government unless there is new leadership. Brinsley Samaroo will be deeply missed. His memory will live on in his works.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram

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• Dr. Brinsley Samaroo, History, Professor, retired, UWI

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