President on Indian Arrival Day holiday:Indian Arrival Day a time for celebration for all

PRESIDENT Paula-Mae Weekes, in her Indian Arrival Day greeting, has encouraged all citizens to celebrate the holiday and commemorate the day in history when the first indentured labourers arrived on Trinidad's shores in 1845, saying that the contribution of people of East Indian descent has greatly added to our signature as a nation.

"Indian Arrival Day provides another occasion for us, the people of Trinidad and Tobago, to reflect on who we are. It is an occasion to consider our history and to be mindful of the input of the indentured labourers who came in 1845 and others who followed from the Indian subcontinent. The seed that they planted has flourished and has added considerably to our signature as a nation."

She said thiswas not the only country that can boast of diversity in its population, "but there is a Trinidad and Tobago brand that has enabled us to avoid serious manifestations of discord, as has been and even now is being experienced, in many parts of the world. We can be an example to the nations of the world."

While this country may be"a work in progress," she said, "there is evidence that we may yet claim a place of leadership in the matter of living in harmony. We must continue to embrace the possibilities for greater cohesiveness as a nation, even as characteristics of our various origins are clearly recognisable."

Weekes added that when the first immigrants came to Trinidad, they clung to family and customs in a way that could be described as a means of survival in an unsure time. That adherence to culture ensured that East Indians made their mark on TT's history and culture.

"The contribution of persons of Indian origin to our nation remains current, not confined to history, and is visible in every sphere of national life. Sharing such a small physical space, we have the privilege of benefiting from many aspects of the East Indian presence in Trinidad and Tobago."

While Indian Arrival Day was celebrated among East Indians for many years, it was not until 1994 that it was officially made a public holiday, and called Arrival Day. In 1995, it was renamed Indian Arrival Day.

Indian Arrival Day is celebrated on May 30 each year, and re-enactments of the arrival of the Fatel Razack, the ship that brought the first indentured Indian workers, are staged at various beaches to commemorate the day in history.