Guyana Archives and the case of the missing ship

Dec 05, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor,

On December 27th, 2023, Stabroek News posted an article on the inability of the Guyana’s National Archives to provide travel records of indentured servants from India, who landed on the shores of Guyana over one hundred and fifty years ago. Sadly, nothing has changed from one year ago. But this is not a new issue. In a passionate lecture in observance of Archives Week in 2009, Historian Dr. Melissa Ifill said the relevant authorities seem to lack an understanding of how critical the preservation of records is, particularly its impact on future generations. (That article was published in the Stabroek News November 1st, 2009).

An Indo-Guyanese still cannot trace their ancestral heritage back to the villages they came from. How do I know that? Well, I am an Indo-Guyanese, and I attempted to trace my roots one year ago in November 2023 at the Guyana National Archives building in Georgetown, before writing that December 27th, 2023, article. I visited Guyana in November of 2023 simply to accomplish finding my ancestral records. The staff who tried to help me with the archives was indeed helpful. She tried her best using the office computer, only to conclude that the information on the ship my grandparents came on was missing. I was not able to find the record of the Ship my maternal grandparents nor my paternal grandparents came on. And I’m not alone in this dilemma. There are over 300,000 Indo-Guyanese who also cannot prove that their grandparents or great grandparents were from India. To put it in simple words, the Guyana National Archives cannot provide the information of which specific ship our ancestors arrived on. That is the case of the Guyana National Archive missing ship.

It is indeed laughable that I am Indo-Guyanese, but I can’t prove I’m Indian.

I know this sounds funny but hear me out. I cannot prove to the Indian embassy in Georgetown, Guyana that my grandparents arrived on a ship from India approximately 120 years ago. I cannot prove it because the Guyana national archives cannot find the record of the ship my maternal grandparents nor paternal grandparents arrived on, from India. I need that proof from the Guyana National Archives to obtain an OCI (Overseas citizen of India) card. By having a OCI card, I would not need to get a visa to visit India, and I can stay as long as I want and enjoy all the same benefits as NRIs (non-resident Indians). OCI cardholders can work in India without the need for a work visa, and they have the same economic, financial, and educational rights as NRIs. This includes the ability to open and operate bank accounts, invest in Indian securities, and access domestic airfare rates. OCI cardholders can also purchase residential and commercial properties in India.

I have visited India 13 times in the past 32 years from the USA. And I had to get a visa for every trip. But, if I had an OCI card, I wouldn’t need a visa. On one of those trips the Indian immigration officer noticed on my US passport that I was born in Guyana. Then he asked me “why are you visiting India”? I replied, “because my grandparents were from India”. He then asked, “do you have any relatives in India”? I answered no.  Then he asked, “where did your grandparents live in India”? I said I don’t know. He then became suspicious and took me to a room nearby for further questioning. He and another officer interrogated me for 15 minutes trying to find out if I was coming to India to engage in terrorism. This was a year after India’s 26/11 2008 bombing. This probably would not have happened to me if I had an OCI card.

President Modi of India recently visited Guyana on the 19th of November 2024. His visit according to many news sources in Guyana, was to improve and increase the relationship between these two countries economically and culturally. India will become the world’s third-largest economy by 2027, surpassing Japan and Germany, with GDP exceeding US$5 trillion. Obtaining an OCI card will surely increase the relationship with India culturally and economically. As a result, more Guyanese will visit India and may even start import and export businesses with India. It’s my fervent hope that this article will reach the eyes or ears of Guyana’s President His Excellency, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali or The Honorable Bharrat Jagdeo Vice President of Guyana, both of whose ancestors came from India as mine did. We just can’t prove it to the Indian embassy in Georgetown because the Guyana National archives cannot find the records of the missing ship.

Sincerely,

Sri Rajaji

(Guyana Archives and the case of the missing ship)

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• Georgetown, Guyana Archives, Guyana in November, missing ship, relevant authorities

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