The constituency of Couva South came together on Saturday to pay respects to its East Indian ancestors and celebrate the community’s strength, legacy, and various cultural expressions.
The event was hosted by Member of Parliament Barry Padarath, who noted that the East Indian community’s impact and contribution to the overall development of Trinidad and Tobago are still evident 180 years later in spheres such as politics, medicine, law, and culture.
“It cannot be that those of us who have come from the foreparents of the East Indian indentured servants, that we only remember around Divali time and Indian Arrival time, the contributions that have been made. The contributions have been made in so many different spheres of national development, and politics is just one of them.”
Minister Padarath echoed Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s sentiments that India, Africa, China and Europe should be viewed not as motherlands but as grandmothers. He emphasised the importance of understanding one’s origins while also appreciating the diverse cultural reality that defines today’s Trinidad and Tobago.
“Today we can safely say Trinidad and Tobago delights in our differences. Unlike so many other parts of the world where there’s turmoil, there’s religious strife, Trinidad and Tobago continues to be one of those nations that is bound by our faith, our understanding, our tolerance, and our appreciation for each other.”
Highlighting the hard work and perseverance exhibited and passed on by our ancestors, Minister Padarath reminded individuals to never forget where they came from.
“I told you about resilience. I told you about a resilience of a five-year-old girl who went, bundled bhaji and bodi in the Penal markets along with her grandmother, who was told that people from Penal will amount to nothing because their foreparents planted sugarcane. Today, she sits not as the first female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, she serves as the second female Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The Indian Arrival Day celebrations were held on Saturday in collaboration with the Orange Valley Vishnu Mandir and the St. Andrews Street Youth, Sport and Cultural Group.