Last of leaders of 1962 celebrations

THE EDITOR: My father Ramnarine Binda recently passed away in Winnipeg, Canada, surrounded by his wife Kausill and other family members. We believe that with his passing there are no other leaders alive who were involved in the independence celebrations of TT in 1962.

Binda was chairman of the Caroni County Council during the period 1960-1968 and safety officer of Caroni Ltd from 1972 to1988. So eventful was his life of activism that he documented it all in his autobiography, Courage in Caroni, in 2009.

The book is a retelling of history from the frontline and got to the hidden stories behind the official records (formation of the Maha Sabha, rise of Bhadase Sagan Maraj, Basdeo Panday’s rise to leadership of the All Trinidad Sugar and General Workers' Trade Union, the Princess Royal’s visit to Caroni, personal friendship with Dr Eric Williams and his fights with Dr Patrick Solomon, building of Hindu schools from "cowsheds," problems with Archbishop Ryan and the Catholic Board, building of the Temple in the Sea).

He interacted and worked with the who’s who of TT in the 20th century, eg Tubal Uriah Butler, Mitra Sinanan, Simboonath Capildeo, Ranjit Kumar, Williams, Sir Soloman Hochoy, Maraj and Panday.

His book was chosen by Nalis for Indian Arrival Day in 2009 and he felt very proud as this was the first time in his 50 years of public service that he was recognised nationally.

The following excerpt from the book is still relevant today:

“My hunger has always been to uplift the common man. This book is a reminder not only to my family but to all those of the younger generations, that if one wants justice and equality one must take responsibility for accomplishing it. You then develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.

“To me, it has always been important that people speak out on issues which affect their community. Too often that function has been left for those with power and money. But it’s the voice of the common man that brings about change and the voice of the rich and powerful does not always look after their interest.

“Over the years my struggle has been in a small way to remove the burdens which affect the whole community. I am talking about water, health services, road quality, education and defensive driving. These are things that are relevant to everyone.

“The task is even greater today. To be successful as a nation we must provide a landscape which removes the burdens for our citizens – it is the only way by which we can release the creative talents of man, woman and child in this nation.”

VISHNU TEWARI

via e-mail