President Kangaloo: Immigrants were strong, resilient

President Christine Kangaloo said on Indian Arrival Day, TT celebrates the legacy of the dauntless immigrants who came to TT, bringing their cultures, traditions, values and mores as well as the drive and determination to forge a better and brighter future for themselves and their offspring.

In a statement on Monday, Kangaloo said the arrival at the Port of Spain harbour on May 30, 1845 of the Fatel Razack signalled the beginning of a significant chapter in the history of TT.

She said 225 passengers disembarked to survey their adopted homeland, exhausted from their long and arduous journey over the treacherous kali pani, yet buoyant with hope and expectation for the future.

“They were the first of over 143,000 Indian indentured labourers who came to this country over an ensuing period of 72 years, until 1917, to work on sugar and other agricultural estates, forever transforming the social and cultural landscape of our nation.

“Although they faced harsh working and living conditions, meagre wages and rampant discrimination – even after the end of the indentureship system – they persevered, remaining fiercely committed to their customs and beliefs and sacrificing tremendously to achieve their goals.

"They triumphed over adversity and they made this country their home.”

Kangaloo said TT has benefitted enormously and been enriched in many ways, tangibly and intangibly, by the sacrifices and contributions of the people who came, persevered, and prospered, in so doing helping forge a stronger, more diverse society.

“Among the most enduring lessons that their arrival and their way of life have taught us, are the power of commitment and the importance of resilience.”

She called on citizens to use the occasion of Indian Arrival Day to not only reflect on the experiences of their Indian forebears.

“Let each of us adopt, in our own lives, their ability to endure and overcome even the harshest of circumstances and press on through times of difficulty with fortitude, resolve and courage. Let us honour the memories of those who gave their lives for future generations by embracing the cultural diversity and heritage to which they richly contributed, and by resisting all forms of division and discord.”

Kangaloo called on the public to rise to this moment in history in their memory and honour.

“Let us be strong and resilient in the face of all of our modern-day challenges – poverty, crime, misogynism and intolerance. Let us, like those 225 passengers who walked off of the Fatel Razack and into a future which we now call the present, step forward, united in our commitment to stare down any and all challenges, to teach our children the meaning of resilience, and to show the world why TT, despite all of its adversities, is still the most amazing nation on the face of planet Earth. Let us all, as they did, re-commit to making this country our home.”