Divali festival souvenir magazine 2010

Hindu sects in Trinidad and Tobago

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Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council (ICC) is proud to announce the publication of its latest Divali souvenir magazine. Divali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, was observed as a national holiday on Friday November 5, 2010.

The theme of this year’s edition of the magazine is “Hindu sects in Trinidad.” According to the 1990 official census data, Hindus in Trinidad form the second largest religious group in the country, after Roman Catholics. Roman Catholics comprise 29% of the population, Hindus 24%, Anglicans 11%, Muslims 6% and Presbyterians 3%. In a population of over one million, approximately 238,000 persons are Hindus.

Hinduism remains one of the oldest living religions in Trinidad and the wider world. Christians are divided into sects such as Catholicism, Anglicanism, Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism. Hindus are also separated into various sects. Traditionally, they have been branched into four main denominations: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism and Smartism.

In Trinidad, Hindus can be further categorised conveniently into sects such as Sanatanist, Arya Samaj, Kabir Panth, Sikh, Shivnarine/Sieunarine, Lord Murugan, Mother Kali, Hare Krishna, Sai Baba, Ganapathi Sachchidananda, Radha Madav, Chinmaya Mission and the Divine Life Society. It is not a simple task to categorise Hindus since they are often open and versatile in their beliefs, practices and affiliations.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• About Divali in Trinidad and Tobago
• Hindu sects in Trinidad and Tobago – Editorial
• Greetings from the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago – The Honourable Kamla Persad-Bissessar
• Greetings from Minister of Arts and Multiculturalism – The Honourable Winston Peters
• Greetings from the High Commissioner of India – Mr. Malay Mishra
• Sanatanist sect – How Hinduism differs from Christianity
• Sanatanist sect – The Hindu sacred texts
• Sanatanist sect - Hindu philosophies, beliefs and practices
• Sanatanist sect – The caste system and conversion
• Arya Samaj sect – Its founder and the Trinidad missionaries
• Arya Samaj sect – Local organisations, celebrations and ceremonies

Indian Arrival Day commemorative magazine 2010

Glimpses of indentureship: Traditional culture and agriculture in Kernahan Village in Nariva.

The theme of this year’s edition of the magazine is “Glimpses of indentureship: Traditional culture and agriculture in Kernahan Village in Nariva.” Kernahan is located off the Manzanilla Road near Mayaro. It is estimated that there are approximately 60 households in the isolated village that is almost exclusively populated by people of East Indian descent. The villagers were predominantly Hindus, but the majority of them have converted to the Pentecostal faith. There are now two churches and one Hindu-based Sai Baba Centre. Most of the inhabitants catch conch and cascadura and cultivate short-term cash crops such as watermelons for their livelihood. While there is a community centre and a kindergarten, the area is not served by a public school. Electricity was introduced in 2000, but the area is yet to be served with pipe borne-water. The quality of life and living conditions have improved considerably in Kernahan since the first settlers came mainly from Penal in the 1960s.

June 2010. 11 x 8½ inches. ISSN 1683-4143
Glossy pages and cover.
72 pages with advertisements and articles.
Available through mail service ONLY.

TT$40 (includes handling, registration and local postage)
US$15 (includes handling, registration and foreign postage)

Make check or money order payable to Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council.

Divali festival souvenir magazine 2009

Paintings on Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago

Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council (ICC) wishes to announce the publication of its latest Divali magazine in 2009. The theme of this edition of its annual souvenir magazine is “Paintings on Hinduism in Trinidad and Tobago.”

The magazine represents a collection of 34 pieces by aspiring artists, students and professionals in the country. Fifty percent (50%) of the paintings were done by children and 50% by adults. Seventy-six percent (76%) of the artists appear to be Indians and 24% seem to be non-Indians, based on an analysis of their surnames. Fifty-three percent (53%) bear Hindi surnames, 24% carry English/Other surnames, and 23% of them have Arabic last names.

The collection of paintings in magazine format can mirror a display of visual art images in a public gallery exhibition. However, a magazine carries the advantage of allowing one to view the images at one’s own private place, time and convenience. Indeed, it brings the conventional city art gallery – frequented by the elite in society – to the private living room of the common folk. Like a photographic album, a magazine can be kept as a collector’s item for future reference, study, review and enjoyment. This magazine has the added value of including an art critique of each painting, which makes it relevant to any discourse on contemporary culture and ethnic identity. The “reading” of each painting highlights the visual creativity of our local artists and the appreciation of Hindu/Indian aesthetics in the Caribbean.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• About Divali in Trinidad & Tobago
• Paintings on Hinduism in Trinidad & Tobago – Editorial
• Greetings from the Minister of Community Development, Culture & Gender Affairs -
• The Honourable Marlene Mc Donald
• Greetings from the High Commissioner of India -
• Mr. Malay Mishra
• Caroni Dreams by Robert Mackie
• Waterloo Temple by Wulf Gerstenmaier
• The Dancer as Storyteller by Anthony Butts
• A Mysterious World by Parmanan Singh
• Framing a Hindu Wedding by Sara Nesa Muslim
• The Nature of Divine Love by Sanjana Mathur
• Journey of a Thousand Deyas by Mauricia Tricia Lewis

Indian Arrival Day commemorative magazine 2009

Indian-Arrival-2009

A pictorial survey of books on indentureship in the Caribbean

Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council (ICC) is proud to announce the publication of its latest magazine commemorating Indian Heritage Month (May 2009) in Trinidad and Tobago (Caribbean). The theme of the magazine which marks the arrival of East Indians/South Asians from India to Trinidad during indentureship (1845-1917) is “A pictorial survey of books on indentureship in the Caribbean.”

This glossy magazine in full colour highlights the first book on the subject that was written by Joseph Beaumont and published in 1871. It is entitled The New Slavery: An Account of the Indian and Chinese Immigrants in British Guiana. About 80 years later, the second non-fiction book was written by Dwarka Nath and published in 1950, entitled A History of Indians in British Guiana. Since then about 83 books have been published on the subject, mainly by Indians in the Diaspora, some of them being women. Eight of these are works of fiction.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• About Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago
• Editorial: A pictorial survey of books on indentureship in the Caribbean.
• Greetings from the Minister of Community Development, Culture & Gender Affairs, The Honourable Marlene Mc Donald
• Greetings from the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Malay Mishra
• A Question of Labour: Indentured Immigration into Trinidad and British Guiana 1875-1917 by K.O. Laurence
• Autobiography of an Indian Indentured Labourer: Munshi Rahman Khan (1874-1972) by Jeevan Prakash. Book Review by Victor Van Bijlert
• Benevolent Neutrality: Indian Government Policy and Labour Migration to British Guiana 1854-1884 by Basdeo Mangru
• Bechu: ‘Bound Coolie’ Radical in British Guiana 1894 – 1901 by Clem Seecharan
• A History of East Indian Resistance on the Guyana Sugar Estates: 1869-1948 by Basdeo Mangru
• From Caste to Class: The Social Mobility of the Indo-Trinidadian Community, 1870-1917 by E.B. Rosabelle Seesaran
• Centenary Celebration of the Arrival of Indians to British Guiana (1838-1938): The British Guiana East Indian Association (BGEIA) Introductory essay by Baytoram Ramharack
• East Indians in the Caribbean: An Illustrated History by Florence Pariag
• Immigrant #99840 and Canecutter #7074: The Story of an East Indian Family in Guyana by Lal Balkaran
• Transients to Settlers: The Experience of Indians in Jamaica, 1845-1950 by Verene Shepherd
• Indentured Indians by Suresh Pillai

Divali festival souvenir magazine 2008

Education in Hindu Schools in Trinidad and Tobago

Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council (ICC) wishes to announce the publication of its latest Divali magazine in 2008. The theme of this edition of its annual souvenir magazine is “Education in Hindu Schools in Trinidad and Tobago.”

There are a total of 542 primary schools in Trinidad and Tobago comprising of 54 Government-assisted Hindu primary schools. These Hindu schools consist of 43 schools managed by the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS), nine by the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha (APS/Vedic), and two by the Kabir Panth Association (KPA). There are also eight Hindu Secondary Schools in the country administered by the SDMS, SWAHA and Chinmaya Mission. There are also scores of Hindu Early Childhood Care and Education Centers.

Today, these schools are a source of pride to Hindus. The results of the SEA examination in 2008 reveal that among denominational institutions, Hindu schools performed the second best after Muslim schools. They also attained the same level of excellence as private primary schools. Hindu schools comprise just 10% of all primary schools in the country, but secured 22% of the schools that made it to the top 100 places in the SEA examination.

Once again, Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College occupied pride of place among prestigious secondary schools in Trinidad. It secured an impressive 15 National Scholarships in the 2008 CAPE/GCE A’ Level Examinations. Lakshmi Girls’ is now ranked third in performance in A’ Levels among all seven-year schools in North Trinidad. Shiva Boys’ Hindu College in Penal made history by winning two National (Open) Scholarships. The Maha Sabha-managed Hindu college won these awards for the first time with its first batch of A’ Level graduates.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• About Divali in Trinidad and Tobago
• Education in Hindu Schools in Trinidad and Tobago: Editorial
• Greetings from Prime Minister: The Honourable Patrick Manning
• Greetings from the Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs: The Honourable Marlene Mc Donald
• Names of students among the top 100 in the 2008 SEA exam
• Map showing all Hindu schools in Trinidad and Tobago
• Graph showing number of students from all types of schools among the top 100 in the 2008 SEA examination
• Graph showing percentage of school-types represented among the top 100 in the 2008 SEA examination
• Graph showing number is scholarships won by schools in the 2008 CAPE/GCE A’ Level examinations
• Aranguez Hindu (SDMS) Primary School: Producers of a DVD highlighting its achievements
• Arima Hindu (SDMS) Primary School: A school with an exceptional history
• Clarke Road Hindu (SDMS) Primary School: A school that produced an Open Scholarship winner
• Don Miguel Hindu (SDMS) Primary School: Nurturing a culture of excellence

Indian Arrival Day commemorative magazine 2008

Heritage Tourism: Indian heritage and sacred sites in Trinidad

Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council (ICC) is proud to announce the publication of its latest magazine commemorating Indian Heritage Month (May 2008) in Trinidad and Tobago (Caribbean). The theme of the magazine which marks the arrival of East Indians/South Asians from India to Trinidad during indentureship (1845-1917) is “Heritage Tourism: Indian heritage and sacred sites in Trinidad.”

This glossy magazine in full colour highlights significant places, built structures and land formations that Indians consider to be particularly historical or sacred to them in multi-ethnic Trinidad. These sites include three temples, three secular buildings, a mosque, a church, a cave, a rock, a volcano, a river, a beach, a massacre site, a cremation ground, and Nelson Island. Though these designated sites and architectural monuments bear special meaning to Indians, they exhibit outstanding values that are universal to all mankind. These sites have become popular destinations to local visitors and can be marketed to attract tourists.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• About Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad and Tobago
• Editorial: Indian heritage and sacred sites in Trinidad
• Greetings from Prime Minister Patrick Manning
• The Light House in Port of Spain
• Nelson Island

Divali festival souvenir magazine 2007

Steps of the Hindu Marriage Ceremony

Marriage is one of the most-important of the sixteen sanskars [sacraments] in the life of a Hindu. It is no wonder, therefore, that so many relatives, friends and well-wishers are invited to witness the ceremony. Deities are also invited to witness and bless the marriage. They are invoked by the presiding pandits through the chanting of verses in Sanskrit from the ancient Vedas. The marriage does not only establish a bond between two individuals but also between two families. It is an elaborate and lavish affair with numerous rites and rituals lasting three to four days. The main ceremony takes place at the bride’s place under a mandap or maro [canopy] beautifully decorated with electric bulbs, colourful fabrics and flower petals. Each step has its own function and significance.

Table of Contents

• Steps of the Hindu Marriage Ceremony [Editorial]
• Greetings from his the High Commissioner of India
• By His Excellency Jagjit Singh Sapra
• Chey-Kai – The Engagement Ceremony
• Mehendi – The Dulahin’s Seductive Body Art