Replying to Vijay Naraynsingh
By Marion O’Callaghan
www.newsday.co.tt
Monday, August 27 2007
I had mapped out in my mind what I would write for this Monday of the week of Independence Day Celebrations when lo and behold I come across Prof Vijay Naraynsingh’s address at the Fourth Mahant Ramdass Award Celebrations. I say to myself, “there goes again any hope of our living up to the promises of Independence and of a Republic.”
There is the list of wrongs which, according to Prof Vijay Naraynsingh, has been done to Hindus. These wrongs are not only in Trinidad and Tobago but “the Ugandan oppression of Hindus was political, so was Fiji, so Kenya and so Guyana.” Maybe but it is what is omitted by Prof Naraynsingh which permits us to understand that politics. Yes there was tension between African and Indian in Uganda. When Obote was Prime Minister however, the Ghais — to name one family — held posts at the university and was integrated into the broader Uganda society. It was the fall of Obote while he was attending a meeting where he had called for a stricter boycott of Apartheid South Africa, which brought in Idi Amin and triggered the expulsion of Indians.
Tanzania and Mozambique
Some of those Indians, including the Ghais, went to Tanzania. In Tanzania under Nyere, nothing of the sort happened. Indeed the Cassim sisters continued to be advisers to Nyere. Kenya was marked by a large wealthy European settlement and an armed struggle for Independence about which Indians were generally ambiguous. In the Nairobi of the end of the 1960s I was refused service in an Indian restaurant. I hasten to add that it was the only time that this happened in spite of my many journeys to East Africa and my liking for curry. In Mozambique Aquino de Braganzia was one of President Samora Machel’s closest associates and died with Machel in a famous air crash outside of Maputo. In South Africa Frene Gingwale, having represented the ANC in Dar-es-Salaam and in London, became the first Speaker of the House after the Mandela-ANC electoral victory. Now these differences are nowhere in prof Naraynsingh’s address. Hindus —nobody else, no Muslim Indians, none of the Ismaili Aga Khan Muslims powerful in East Africa, no Christian Indians, no Parsees, no Blacks, no Hutu, only Hindus are being oppressed.
May I add and underline that India’s struggle for Independence, Gandhi and Nehru became the inspiration for many of us. They inspired Dr Eric Williams. He visited India before Africa and few would have understood his phrase “recalcitrant minority” as would Nehru, himself fighting communalism within India.
It is this complexity that Prof Naraynsingh omits in order to present a picture of Hindus being universally oppressed — by Africans or like groups as in Fiji. Not a word about discrimination in Europe where Indians, like the rest of us are immigrants.
Outpouring of sympathy
This selective information is particularly worrying when it is about ourselves. Take Prof Naraynsingh’s version of what happened recently when Murtis were destroyed at the Temple by the Sea. Yes, the Murtis were destroyed. Yes there was an attempt to burn down the Sewdass Sadhu Temple. Yes some policeman remarked that it could be about rum drinking. But there is something else — the immense outpouring of solidarity with Hindus over the destruction of their Murtis. The condemnation of the acts against the Temple by the Sea and the destruction of the Murtis came not only from mainstream religions but from the anti-any image religions: from Muslims, Pentecostals, Evangelicals as well as from every organised religion. Sympathy with Hindus was spontaneous as were offers of help. Now this changes the story. It is no longer about Hindus under pressure. Take any of the items that Prof Naraynsingh enumerates to make his case for Hindus under attack for no other reason except that they are Hindus and his case falls apart. The Chief Justice case? But Desmond Allum who has supported the CJ throughout is not a Hindu. He isn’t even an Indian. Selby Wooding, who insists that the Chief Magistrate cannot be allowed to refuse to give evidence in a court and things go on as usual, is not a Hindu. He is not an Indian.
Political discrimination
Even the Devant Maharaj Lottery Board case where a number of things happened which should certainly not have happened, or discrimination (which there was ) against the Maha Sabha with regard to a radio licence, could as easily be described as politics as it can be described as anti-Hinduism. After all Hindus cannot claim direct involvement in politics as religiously necessary for all Hindus, and at the same time expect to be treated as a religious entity interested only in praising the Almighty and morality. If we follow Prof Naraynsingh alone, they are not. They are interested in taking power. The very Bhadase Maraj quoted with great approval by Prof Naraynsingh, consolidated some Hindu factions as the Maha Sabha did the same with the sugar unions, launched into a major school building programme, founded two political parties — and used communal populist politics.
It follows that political parties who are also interested in taking power or who are in power may treat Hindus as planning their downfall and to supplant them. In that crazy period when it was known that elections were in the air, it is possible, just possible that a PNM government did not wish an additional opposition radio programme and perceived a Maha Sabha radio station as likely to be just that. This in no way changes the fact of discrimination. It does change the likely reason for discrimination.
May I add that I remain doubtful of Prof Naraynsingh’s contention of an eternally existing link between Hindus and politics. This would be practically impossible in a caste society where King and Priest belonged to different castes.
Hindu control?
Let’s face the truth as we celebrate the anniversary of our Independence. We cannot tackle a single problem as long as Hindus, with one-fifth of the country’s population, are deluded into believing that they can, by establishing hegemonic control over all Hindus then over all Indians, take political power and rule in Hindu interests. It ain’t going to happen. The same dream, ie, the Hindu India of RSS and VHP, lasted only the length of a BJP period in government.
Race-Populism
Prof Vijay Naraynsingh’s analysis of Hindus and politics comes to the conclusion that, after following a leader “for some 40 years the Hindus are now Caroni-less, landless, jobless, penniless and almost hopeless. We are dragged through courts, dismissed from strategic positions and denied opportunities using State resources.” Now this kind of language is familiar — it is the kind of race-populism which has led to disaster in the lifetime of many of us. What then does Prof Naraynsingh propose? “Every Hindu leader, every pundit, every temple group must come together and make firm decisions about the political future of Hindus.” It is the end of democracy, of a secular state and of a Republic.
Luckily for us, there is no way that this race-populism can win an election in spite of our dangerous predilection for communalism. It won’t even get the vote of all Hindus. Thanks be to God. All that it does is divert our attention from what we are, and what we can be.
Temple and Doctor
If I had my way on Independence Day I would have read in all the Republic’s schools the story of Sewdass Sadhu and the Temple by the Sea. I would tell of the indentured immigrant who wished to build a home for his deities in a country that was now his home. I would tell of how he braved years, prison and the power of Tate and Lyle to build his Temple, monument to Trini courage.
I would have read in all the nation’s schools the story of Caroline McShine, the immigrant from St Vincent, domestic servant at the Siegerts whose husband had left her to bring up five children in that tough area called Behind the bridge. Yes the story of how Caroline McShine’s son Arthur Hutton McShine studied by the street light for the coveted “exhibition” while his brother stood guard. And how Arthur Hutton McShine went to QRC and on to win a scholarship, become a doctor and the City’s Mayor.
I would tell the story of Captain AA Cipriani, the “French Creole” Corsican, who captained his troops in the First World War, and there in the deprivation of war, asked himself the same question that Eamon De Valera or Michael Collins asked. Why was he fighting for the freedom of “small countries” when his own “small country” was not free and when there, in a war for freedom, his own Trinis who were not white were twice unfree. And so Cipriani returned to become a trade union leader, Mayor of Port-of-Spain and perhaps the greatest of our leaders.
I would tell the story of Beryl McBurnie who translated customs and folktales into dance and founded the Little Carib Theatre, and the story of Pan. Sweet Pan from cast off garbage can covers. And I would tell of another Naipaul, that Naipaul that we rarely meet, and who in his speech of acceptance of the Nobel Prize rooted himself, not in India but in Chaguanas, carrying us beyond our pretensions and his.
http://www.newsday.co.tt/commentary/0,63142.html
This is a balanced article. The writer has among other things pointed out what I’ve said before – That no one group of Hindus speak for all Hindus in Trinidad.
I wonder what Prof Vijay Naraynsingh’s sentiments are about the treatment of the Africans who populate the Andaman Regions in India. Or the visceral racism being meted out to indigenous South Africans by Indians on the Cape. In Fiji, the indigenous peoples have become second class citizens in their own land, and face all kinds of social discrimination from Indian emigrees. It is their reaction to these discriminatory practices that the professor labels as racist, and this is in keeping with my several points on this issue. That the indian intelligencia, at least those behind this push to Indianize wherever they appear in large numbers, consider opposition to their inherent prejudice as racist. In other words, their right to treat Africans as residue from the feet of the gods is sacrosanct, and any African challenge to this right is, in their eyes, racist.
Like I said, Africans conscious of an unparallel history and present of welcoming all groups into the fold of our communities, a manifestation that is physically apparent unlike similar mouthings by other groups where no such evidence exist, need to confront this deceitful campaign vigorously and vociferously. The strategy is based on the “guilt trip” complex, to push us unto to the defensive where their prejudice will become acceptable and tolerable as retributive justice. I say neva again must we allow ourselves to be played like this. We must not respond to prejudice with prejudice. But at the same time we must not be squeamish about calling a snake a damn snake.
For a supposedly brilliant doctor, the doctor talketh “tatah”. Who is denying Hindus anything in this country? They have fared better than they did in Hiduvta, where, Chamars that most of them are (posing as Brahmins!), they would have been confined to the backwoods of Orissa catching hell. Why does the good doctor not speak on behalf of the 897 million Indians (not only Hindus, but mostly Hindus) who, according to a recent UNDP report, live on less than US 50 cents a day? Why does he not talk about a select few enjoying India’s new-found wealth while the vast majority live in squalor? Noooooo! Guess the doc, Hindu that he is, also got an unfair trial in our biased courts: maybe, for justice to be truly served, he should be sent back to face a new trial. By the way, was Chandra a Hindu?
Some people may well believe that repeating a mantra makes it true.I had wondered if this was the same person, professor of medicine at UWI, who exchanges word for word with Dr. Bartolemew on medical recruiting, and who had the unique position, unheard of in the annals of crime, to have TWO wives murdered, consecutively. The beautiful Chandra- my heart aches anytime I see her picture, was his second. Was this the same guy who allegedly performed such gentle surgery on the now beleaguered Mr. Justice Sharma, that the latter tried to implant the idea that such gentle hands could not commit murder? ( notice he said nothing about paying for it.)
I am of the considered opinion, stated in another controversial piece I wrote, that nowhere else outside of India have Hindus achieved the levels of prestige and power that they have in TnT.That they continually carp abut discrimination seems to suggest that they want the whole hog, or chicken or cow, or buffalypso to themselves. Then, where will the rest of us go?
Our Independence, which we proudly celebrate today, was won in 1962 without bloodshed( The Charlie King and other examples of bloodshed were more than 24 years previously). It may be that people like him miss the vicious bloodletting that accompanied The Partition in 1947-48. And so, like Muniver Cheevy, they think they were born in the wrong place and time. Of course, a lot of people’s wealth, especially that of the Muslims in India ended upin Hindu hands. Perhaps, he misses the possibility of that too. Now, this will set many on their heads. I dare them to dispute it, since Gandhi-ji himself criticized it.
I just found this whole speech on another forum.
http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5108
Cindy
###
Professor Naraynsingh – Hindus in awe-ful Crisis
4TH MAHANT RAMDASS AWARD
Saturday 11th August, 2007
Maha Sabha Headquarters – St. Augustine
By Prof. Vijay Naraynsingh
It is difficult for anyone to understand how touching an experience it is for me to receive an award in the name of Mahant Ramdass. I was born and grew up in Tunapuna only about 1 mile away from the El Dorado Shiv Mandir. Stories about this powerful Sadhu were often told and people would visit the Mahant for various ailments as his siddhis/powers were well known. Once per year, people would arrive from all over the island to witness the ‘fire pass’ where the Mahant, after a prolonged period of strict fasting and prayer, would walk through a bed of fire.
Although, as a child, I was never taken there, my parents and others from Tunapuna would take the walk to El Dorado to witness these events. Other legendary figures of my childhood from the Tunapuna area were Pundit Sahadeo and Bhadaase Sagan Maraj. I always heard stories of these powerful people and now, I often wonder what they would have done if they witnessed the present crisis in which Hindus find themselves. Are the following events just accidential?
1. The Chief Justice, Sat Sharma is removed from Office because of a mere allegation, but the Chief Magistrate, proven guilty of an offence, remains in office?
2. Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie is removed as Principal from U.W.I.-can no longer sit on Appointments, Promotions, Assessment Committees etc.-though he was a most outstanding Principal.
3. Devant Maharaj- victimised by the National Lotteries Board- proven in Court.
4. The Maha Sabha discriminated against by the State- a position clearly stated by the Privy Council.
5. The dismissal of outstanding achievers from State Enterprises such as Kansham Kanhai, Tota Maharaj, Donald Baldeosingh.
6. The charge against Swami Kripalu Maharaj- published worldwide – and then withdrawn months later because there is no evidence – but after the damage is done.
7. The charge of Basdeo Panday and Finbar Ganga for failing to declare accounts when some 390 others, including Government Ministers, did not declare their assets.
8. Hindu women from Princess Town, handcuffed and paraded on the streets, charged for Voter padding but never proven guilty, while two women from Morvant charged and proven guilty were not handcuffed when taken to court. And I mention this specifically because when, my wife, Seeromani, a Hindu woman who spent her entire life in Hindu work- when taken to court was always handcuffed. A policeman, one day, explained to me that it is not usual to routinely handcuff women prisoners unless they are unruly or a great risk, but they have instructions from high office, that whenever Seeromani Maraj is in public she must be handcuffed – and that is why your Television and newspaper pictures always looked like that.
9. And of Course my own case – they knew I could not be there – the Chief Immigration Officer told them so and moreover, the building did not exist( burnt 5 weeks before) and confirmed by the Chief Fire Officer. 10. Then the assault on the Murtis in Waterloo and the attempt to burn down the Siewdass Sadhu mandir. Six men arrive in a car at midnight, put on masks, jump the fence, vandalise the place and the police arrive at the amazing conclusion that it is because of rum drinking. And Hindus are still looking on at all these events as our loved ones are kidnapped, our businesses looted and our children shipped aboard – often never to return to a land that we proudly call our janma bhoomi.
In my view, these events are not accidental and they will increase in numbers, hostility and wanton injustice if Hindus do not take charge of their political destiny. These events are occurring because, at political and administrative levels, Hindus are discriminated against – and the Privy Council stated that in two rulings so far; they are not just my view. Politics has determined the fate of Hindus and the future of Hinduism in most countries where Hindus live. The Uganda oppression of Hindus was political, so was Fiji, so Kenya and so Guyana. Do we really think that we are so unique that this is not happening to us? Who are the victims of kidnapping? Who are migrating? Who are sending their children aboard?
I am of the firm view that Hinduism and politics are not separate. After all, Central to the Ramayan are the politics of Ayodha, of Kishkinda and of Lanka. The entire Mahabharat is about the politics and struggles relating to kingship and kingdoms, about systems of government and social ethics.
Right here in T&T, the first opposition political leader in 1956, Bhadase Sagan Maraj was also the leader of the SMDS. His successor Dr. Rudranath Capildeo, was also a prominent Hindu.
Hindus, therefore, cannot separate religion from politics and in fact should be unafraid of political challenges since these often influence the development and practice of Hinduism and the future of Hindus themselves.
If Hinduism and politics are inseparable, what really is the political position of the Hindu today? When Eric Williams referred to the Hindu schools as ‘cowsheds’ and the ‘recalcitrant minority’ opposition, he was describing a people who had a firm loyalty to their then leader, Bhadase Sagan Maraj. That group of people has remained steadfast in their loyalty to Basdeo Panday for almost 40 years. That group of people has followed faithfully, unwaveringly, even blindly their leader. Loyalty to a leader, a teacher, a Guru is part of our creed; it is strength but it is also potentially our greatest weakness. After following so faithfully for some 40 years, the Hindus are now Caroniless, landless, jobless, penniless and almost hopeless. We are dragged through Courts, dismissed from strategic positions and denied opportunities using State resources. The Presbyterians have adjusted their political loyalty as they saw fit, the Muslims did the same but the Hindus maintained a blind loyalty to their leader, no matter what. Yet we are today leaderless because this same leader destroyed or sidelined every potential leader that could have emerged in the last 40 years. He started with Suren Capildeo and went on and on through Suruj Rambachan, Vishnu Ramlogan, Sahadeo Basdeo, Brinsley Samaroo, Amrika Tewarie, Bhoe Tewarie, Hulsie Bhagan, Kusha Harracksingh, Kelvin Ramnath, Ramesh Maharaj, Winston Dookeran, Roodal Moonilal and others. A few of these crawled back on bended knees to their master but most remain in the political graveyard. That’s the sorry state in which we Hindus find ourselves, all possible leaders executed by the leader himself. What is the answer?
Maybe there are many answers, but in my view there is only one answer because time is too short for other options. Because political leadership has destroyed or sidelined leading Hindus and because their action has often not been in the best interest of Hindus, the Hindu religious leadership must take the responsibility of leading the Hindus. Every Hindu leader, every pundit, every temple group must come together and make firm decisions about the political future of Hindus-because the political future of Hindus will determine what happens with our education, our jobs, our promotions, our temples, our schools,our cultural activities, our children and even the extent to which we are victims of the criminal element and, indeed, of the State.
The religion of the Hindu is not separable from the politics of the Hindu- it is not so in our scriptures, and it is not so now.
Bhadase Sagan Maraj epitomizes this link between politics and religion and now, 50 years later, the challenge is laid before us again. Are we going to let others determine our future or are we going to come together and chart our destiny.
I sometimes hear Hindus express concern about if the PNM gets a Constitutional majority. But I tell you, Patrick Manning does not need that, all he needs is a 21:20 victory to do whatever he wants. Right now he does not have a Constitutional majority but he could fire the Chief Justice, dismiss the Principal of the University, build a Brian Lara Stadium for 800 million dollars, get a monorail for 1.6 billion dollars, fix his home for 150 million dollars, build 4 smelter plants, shut down Caroni and send the workers home-all without a Constitutional majority.
The Hindus cannot risk further loss at this time. Any further loss is the beginning of a slow, painful death. We must decide if we are going to follow, blindly, a leader who has led us to where we are or if we are going to become serious thinkers and planners of our own destiny. In summary therefore, I feel that
a. The Hindu community is in crisis – a crisis that is likely to worsen if we do not manage it effectively and urgently.
b. The solution is political – and Hindus cannot, according to our tradition, separate politics from religion.
Our religious leadership must take over the guidance of our people since our political leadership has failed us.
I want to thank the members and executive of the El Dorado Shiv Mandir for this special honour, and all of you, my friends for being here tonight.
This is an excerpt from an online article on Religious and social Hinduism. There many who make the, perhaps, very true argument that the caste system in the Hindu religion was not designed or intended to promote prejudice and discrimination based on race and colour. Well the same thing can be said about all religions.
For the most part spirituality, religious worship, faith whatever, cater to our human reachings for castle in the sky inspiritaions and connections. But it is our social interpretation and practice of those “orders” that lead to the divisions among us, that lead to ego fulfilling myths of color, racial and ethnic superiority inundating the perspective of some groups, and that ultimately lead to frustration and dis-satisfaction when there is rebellion against, and rejection of, such psychologically troubling expectations.
From the appeal of some Trinidadian born Indian women to the Indian Prime Minister to remove them from Trinidad and Tobago to the mythical rantings of Vijay Naraynsingh, we see the evidence of dis-satisfaction and frustration over people not playing into their game of social casting. The fact that the products of Bollywood, an industry that blatantly subscribes to the social order of caste preference based on color and how you look, find so much unquestioning popularity among the rank and file of Indians in the diaspora, especially Trinidad and Tobago, surely suggest that the social prescription of color mean a lot more to them than they would comfortably reveal publicly. Anyway, read on.
Untouchables
The untouchablity feature in the caste system is one of the cruelest features of the caste system. It is seen by many as one of the strongest racist phenomenon in the world.
In the Indian society people who worked in ignominious, polluting and unclean occupations were seen as polluting peoples and were therefore considered as untouchables. The untouchables had almost no rights in the society. In different parts of India they were treated in different ways. In some regions the attitude towards the untouchables was harsh and strict. In other regions it was less strict.
In regions where the attitude was less strict the untouchables were seen as polluting people and their dwellings were at a distance from the settlements of the four Varna communities. The untouchables were not allowed to touch people from the four Varnas. They were not allowed to enter houses of the higher Varnas. They were not allowed to enter the temples. They were not allowed to use the same wells used by the Varnas. In public occasions they were compelled to sit at a distance from the four Varnas. In regions where the attitude towards the untouchables were more severe, not only touching them was seen polluting, but also even a contact with their shadow was seen as polluting.
If, because of any reason, there was a contact between an untouchable and a member of the Varnas, the Varna member became defiled and had to immerse or wash himself with water to be purified. In strict societies, especially among the ‘Twice Born’ (the three top Varnas) the touched ‘Twice Born’ also had to pass through some religious ceremonies to purify himself from the pollution. If the untouchable entered a house and touched things of a Varna member, the Varna members used to wash or clean the places where the untouchable touched and stepped.
In some incidences the untouchables who associated with the Varna members were beaten and even murdered for that reason. Some higher hierarchy Jats also had servants whose job was to go or walk before the high Jats members and announce their coming to the streets and to see to it that the streets would be clear of untouchable people.
The orthodox Hindus treated anyone who worked in any kind of polluting job as untouchable and did not have any contact with them. According to orthodox rules any one who does not belong to the four Varnas, meaning foreigners, are untouchables.
Quick, before anyone changes the evidence, look at the list of names of arrivees on the Fatel Razack. I do not think you would find many people with the suffix Singh attached to their names. Singh denotes high rank. That is because there were no high caste people on that ship, but manual labourers. Now look at the migration of names: Bhagwan becomes Bhagwansingh, Ramoutar becomes Ramoutarsingh, Jugmohan becomes Jugmohansingh, and so on. Narine becomes Narinesingh, and a change of spelling further confuses followers and would-be followers of that family line. Every or almost every Sikh is named Singh, and attaching it to on’s name denotes high class.
The appelate was sometimes added to the name of a first born son, expressing the family’s hopes for that child.
The same is true of Khan as a Muslim name. Jenghiz was the Khan, mening king or ruler. Stan was kingdom. Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Hindustan,Pakistan, Baluchistan are specific regios belonging to, and ruled over by the Afghani,Turkomen, Pathan and Baluchi people.
ome ppeople, confined to a small space, may give themselves grandiose titles.
Also, in recording Hindu names and birth dates, a lot of confusion occurred in Trinidad among illiterate people. This is borne out in the recent official list of “Workers at Caroni Limited” Look up the list to see how many alleged workers at Caroni Limited were born on June 1, for the years 1910 to 1935. Unless there were mass Hindu copulating ceremonies, resulting in identical birthdates over and over, that list could be the biggest fraud ever committed on the people of TnT. Somebody needs to check this. The list was published in all daily papers the second week of JULY, 2007.Again, an opportunity to clain every advantage, by hook or by crook, taken.
This link demonstrates the hypocrisy in the lamentations of Narynsingh. Hindu Intelligencias, like this professor, are embarked on a crusade to revise history and the present in order to promote total Hindu/Indian dominance over all non Hindu/Indian groups in the diaspora, with the Commonwealth Caribbean being a specific target.
http://www.cwo.com/~lucumi/india.html
You know, linda and ruels constant indian/hindu bashing only deserves one comment->Dem creole is at it again!!!
Professor Amartya Sen, the Nobel Laureate in Economics, criticises this tendency of the Hindutva movement to revise history, and leave out the contributions of non-Hindus like the Mungals. Any other country where this was allowed to happen would hardly call itself a democracy. Now that the BJP is out of power, honest historians may need to revise history books again, to give coverage of the contributions of the Shah Jehan and others who helped shape India.His book, The Argumentative Indian, was publiished in 2005(Farrar, Strous and Giraux, New York)
Narynsingh and others may be part of the BJP’s revisionist movement, telling gullible people in TnT what they want to hear. this could only lead to trouble.
zaiyer
You know, linda and ruels constant indian/hindu bashing only deserves one comment->Dem creole is at it again!!!
I don’t mind being a creole, as long as I can take it to the individuals and groups obsessed with converting themselves into the Master Race. Like I said, your disatisfactions and frustrations surface when people turn over the card you are playing.
Ruel Daniels writes about indegenoius native Fijians “have become second class citizens” in Fiji as compared to Indian emigree. This shows how ignorant Daniels is about Fiji. If you do not know abaout the conditons in Fiji I suggest either you find out the truth or just shut up.
Look at the Constitution of Fiji and you will find that the native Fijians are superior citizens. Furthermore 90% of the land in Fiji is owned by native Fijians. Every important p[ost in the governmetn is occupied by native Fijians. The public service is 75% native Fijians as compared to Indians.
Linda Edwards praises Sah Jehan. Yes he was the Emperor who killed his elder brother so that he could become the Emperor. Also he is the perosn who raped his 16 year old daughter.
Before you write chiek out your facts please.
Look Daniels find out about Fiji and then write. Do not write lies.
Linda,
The work KHAN is derivative from the Chinese name Kan or Kwan. It does not mean a ruler.
Linda and Ruel, me thinks thou dost protest too much.
Dr. Naraynsingh accuses the present government of discrimination,but the actions of the government can just as easily be described as political expediency, fired by the desire to stay in power and eliminate all threats. The kind of Hindu political power and recognition desired by the doctor can only be achieved by working within the system and possibly using the very party-PNM which he rejects.The doctor should also realize that Hindus do their fair share to alienate themselves from the population by perpetuating their holier than thou attitudes.With regard to Uganda, does the doctor realize that a substantial number of those expelled were Muslims? Also,Hindus in T&T have always regarded Indian Presbyterians as “sellouts” and treated them accordingly.It is time to turn down the Hindu rhetoric and make an attempt to join the rest of T&T society with more positive and welcoming outlooks.
There is a new person who disagrees with me:R.D. Mishra writing on this page on July 5, 2008, said that khan did not mean ruler.
I cite the New Shorter Oxford Dictionary of the English Language,page 1483, column 3,citation #4.”lord, king or supreme ruler. Any of the various successors of Ghengis Khan, supreme ruler over the Turkish, Tartar and Mongol peoples, and emperors of China.
Now, I only speak and instruct in one language, English, the landgage of the conquerors of my ancestral land.
I make damn sure I speak it well, with references and citations where needed. Next comment?
Linda with all due respect the Europeans called the Caribs and Arwaks ” Indians ” and the history books written by the Europeans indicates these (the Caribbean, South America, North America etc) lands were discovered (even though they met people here).
My point is facts written by Europeans on indigenous topics maybe baised and should not be taken as gospel (note I am not saying you are right or wrong)
I agree with ruel daniels. Also, in Canada, East Indians can be very racist towards white people as well as black people. As far as black people go in Trinidad where their ancestors didn’t have a choice to go there, the present black population there is treated like dirt in many cases. My husband is a dougla, his grandfather is Indian, his grandmother was African. The grandfather treated his own children, and then their children like animals. What is it with indians that they need to believe they are superior to everyone else? We are all human, and we should be treated as such.
There is a rough diagonal line running across India, southwards fro west to east. it is the migratory path of Africans out of the Great east Afrian Rift valley, hundeds of thousands of years ago, and a climate line of demacation. The people to the south of that line, have more Negroid features- a result of weather and climate, flatter noses and darker skin, as well as culrier hair allows for better survial in hotter climates. This South India includes the state Of kerala, Tamil NAdu and the islands of Sri Lanka The Maldives, Figi, Papua-New Guinea and the Andaman Islands. The route ends in Australia, where the Aboriginal peeople have lived for twenty thousand years.You can place an Aboriginal person from Australia into TAmil Nadu or parts of Sri LAnka or Fiji and no one would knoe the difference. Those who migrated north, experienced colder weather, and the noses adjusted over thousands of years, so did skin and hair.
Racist paler Indians are trying, everywhere to avoid the fact that they are part of the original African humans who moved out. Caste systems were creted to preserve the paler skinned people as the rulers. DArker Indian women go to tremendous lengths, using tumeric to make their skins paler. you cannot change twenty thousand years of volution, which is like yesterday.
Peole ought to understand that matings, blood and organ transplants are possible because we are one genetic group. When we mate a horse with a donkey, we get a mule. human matings agcros ethnic groups produce better huans. God, Vishnu and the Buddha must be laughing at the foolishness of their followers and children.