Dear Editor,

The month of May marks the 168th year of arrival of Indian indentured immigrants (and Hindu presence) to Jamaica to supply cheap labour to sugar estates. On May 10, 1845, the SS Blundell arrived at Old Harbour Bay in St Catherine with the first group of East Indians, some 261. They had spent over 100 days at sea. The immigrants were contracted to work in the sugar cane, rice and banana estates in Westmoreland, Clarendon, St Catherine, and St Thomas.

In many ways, they brought India to Jamaica, They continued with their traditions of Hinduism and Islam. One major challenge encountered by immigrants in Jamaica was the legality of Hindu and Muslim marriages. Non-Christian unions went unrecognised in Jamaica until 1956.

Descendants of these Indian immigrants commemorated the arrival of their ancestors, who had crossed three oceans to travel halfway around the world to reach the Caribbean. The commemoration took the form of music, dances and the annual Roti festival which was held on May 12, 2013 in Chedwin Park, Old Harbour.

The Government of Jamaica, in 1995, proclaimed the Indian Arrival Day, May 10, as the Indian Heritage Day in recognition of the Indians’ contribution to the social and economic development of the country. Unfortunately, this most auspicious occasion is no long included on the government’s calendar of activities. Historians emphasise the common experience of Africans and Indians under colonial rule, and the links between indentureship and slavery. Both Indian Arrival Day and Emancipation Day demonstrate the historical similarities and experience of our people. Therefore, I beseech the Culture Minister Lisa Hanna to reaffirm the 1995 proclamation to protect and preserve our small but rich diversity.

Andrew King

abking020@gmail.com