Honouring and continuing the legacy of our ancestors

INDIANS, have over the years since their arrival in 1838, evolved into one of the single largest ethnic groups in Guyana. Through tremendous difficulties, our ancestors persevered and carved a path for us into glory.

Today, as we honour and value the sacrifices of our ancestors, we, the Guyana Islamic Forum for Education, Peace and Religious Solidarity, the Electric Mosque’s Presentation of the Teachings of Islam, in association with the Universal Peace Federation — Guyana, seize this opportunity to extend Arrival Day greetings to the nation of Guyana and to our fellow brothers and sisters of the Indian diaspora.

Through tremendous fortitude, sacrifice, and unwavering resilience, our ancestors — like the ancestors from our other ethnicities — laid their bones on our shores so that we may live, that we may breathe, that we may achieve and that we may be of what we are today. We beseech you, oh people of Guyana, let us not allow their tears, blood, and sweat to go in vain, but rather, we should build on the legacy they have bequeathed to us to further develop this beautiful nation.

Let us use the tools, skills, and talents that were brought from these different territories and continue to build this nation upward to prosperity. Despite our individual talents, gifts, foods, dances, languages, and religious practices, let us never forget that we are a part of one identity, as we are “One People, One Nation with One Destiny.”

Regards
Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.

Originally published at https://guyanachronicle.com on May 5, 2020.