JOURNEYS TO THE ANCESTRAL HOMELAND - ASHWINI KUMAR RAJPAL

During one’s childhood then adulthood participation in certain activities form indelible impressions in your mind that lead you to make some bold moves.

This article is about such a bold move i.e. visiting the ancestral homeland. Growing up in Guyana one was expected to take part in all cultural and religious activities. Weddings were week-long affairs which allowed distant relatives and friends to refresh memories of people and events. In our home we also celebrated India’s Independence Day.

After emigrating from Guyana in 1972 participation in these activities were far less in the new homeland due mainly to the low number of persons of similar background. However with increased immigration and birth of children these activities were increased dramatically. In addition the lectures/talks on history, culture and religion by various scholars were a new dimension in our learning. These lectures/talks were so inspiring that they led me to do a lot of reading to learn more.

Although a great-grandmother from India was living with us until 1971 she never spoke to us about the experiences under the indentured system or of the relatives in India. My reading shed a lot of light why the Indentured immigrants (Girmitiyas) did not want to talk about their lives up to the end of Indentureship. The sacrifices of these Girmitiyas have created conditions for better lives for us. More than ever I was determined to visit India and ‘thread the path’ of my forefathers.