In this land of many peoples and people of many ancestries, how do people see their ethnic heritage? How do they practice it, ignore it, or celebrate it?
On the occasion of our 54th year of independence from Britain, Guardian feature writer Shereen Ali spoke to T&T citizens of different backgrounds to ask how they see issues such as ethnicity, race and in some cases, their own uniquely diverse heritages. People, in their own words, helped paint a picture of an ever-changing, complex twin-island nation of many different ancestral influences.
Today, in part four of seven, we hear from people of Indian ancestry.
Anganie Baksh
Anganie Baksh describes herself as a creative thinker who is passionate about women’s and childrens’ rights in T&T.
When you have to fill in a form asking you your race, what do you put?
East Indian.
How do you see your ethnic roots & heritage? Is it important to how you define yourself, or is it irrelevant, an accident of birth?
Up to very recently, I took for granted the fact that I was East Indian. I grew up in a very traditional East Indian extended family home and lived together with cousins, aunties and uncles as well as grandparents, and therefore identified with this heritage.
At the time I was born, it was not ok to say that you were of mixed heritage in my family. Therefore everyone was adamant that they were full East Indian.
I have mixed feelings about my heritage now, as I have not long ago found out that I am not completely of East Indian descent. At first it was quite disturbing, as I felt it questioned the very being that I am. However, I figured I am who I am, and I always was and always will be, no matter what my heritage is or is not.
Do you celebrate your ethnic heritage, ignore it as irrelevant, or have mixed feelings about it?
My grandparents and parents (as well as all of my uncles, aunts and cousins) were all part of the Hindu faith. However when I was quite young (primary school aged, about nine or so), one of my uncles changed faiths and began to practice Christianity (Pentecostal, to be exact). Eventually, my mother and everyone else was convinced that this was the way to get into heaven, so we all began practicing Christianity, except for my dad, his youngest brother and my grandmother.
It was at this time if I showed any interest in Hinduism at all, that my aunts who had changed faiths, chastised me.
So, although I grew up in a traditional East Indian home, I know very little about the Hindu faith. As an adult though, I wish I knew more.
I grew up listening to dub and watching wrestling on Sundays with my family. I hardly ever listened to Indian or Bollywood songs or watched the movies. I never ever wore the traditional saris and instead opted for jeans and tee-shirts. I did attend the Hindu weddings of my older cousins, however I never understood nor did I attempt to understand the true significance behind the ceremony of it all. I attended church and any and all church-related activities, from Sunday service, to bible study Wednesdays, to Vacation Bible School, to church summer camp.
My mom cooked traditional East Indian fare, rotis and curries, however we also ate accra, pelau, soup and provision. She taught us the value of a dollar and instilled within us her simple and powerful country values in the way she raised us.
My father was, I would think, a free spirit and a wonderful soul who taught us that everyone has value, no matter what external package you came in. Needless to say, his constant parade of friends of every race into my grandmother’s house to visit was frowned upon. He couldn’t care less, and neither did his children when their time came to choose their consorts.
Therefore for the most part, I do not celebrate or participate in any Hindu or other East Indian festivals or have extensive knowledge about them. I am not now actively practicing any faith, however I pray with my children as I was taught to as a child. My children eat all types of ethnic foods from every corner of the world in addition to our traditional Trinidadian dishes.
I do not dismiss my heritage and am happy to have been raised in the home I was, however I also find it helpful to embrace other cultures and heritages as they give us a better understanding of our fellow man, plus life would be so much more bland if we didn’t.
Do you think race is important in T&T? Do you think different ethnicities have different values?
Race is a very touchy topic to most people of our islands, and I tend to stay out of conversations that touch on that issue. And yes, I grew up hearing many things about the different races and their tendencies, but I have found after existing for some time in this place, that people are people and it does not matter what race or ethnic background you come from, it is not a determining factor of anything.
How long have you/your family had roots here (best estimate)? What do you like and dislike about T&T culture?
I was born in Trinidad and grew up here my entire life. My paternal grandmother spoke Hindustan and we were taught some of the words and she worked in a cane-field that was located where UWI, St Augustine campus now stands. However, I have no estimate of the time my family line would have been in this island.
I love the wonderful mix of races and cultures and generally we all get along really well in normal everyday life. It’s the best of all our worlds combined, we get it all here, different foods, clothing, festivals, etc.
What I have seen myself and really don’t like is the way we behave at election time. It is ridiculous that we cannot see past the disinformation that is flung at us like gobar, which we readily gobble up and reproduce to our own detriment, and for what, a newly paved road? (which the government should be maintaining anyway with our tax dollars).
Do you know about the beliefs and lifestyles of T&T people of different ethnic heritages from your own?
I am certain that I do not know every culture that exists in our islands that may be different from mine, nevertheless, the people in my life come from many different backgrounds and I have come to learn of their cultures through that interaction.
Tomorrow: Basdeo Panday and Ken Jaikaransingh contribute.