Embracing My Indian Heritage in Jamaica

Many people are surprised to find out that there is a rather sizable Indian population in Jamaica.  A little history lesson:

Indians came to Jamaica after the abolition of slavery.  They came as indentured laborers, brought by British plantation owners in 1845.  In fact, the specific day of arrival (May 10th) is celebrated here as "Indian Arrival Day," now also called "Indian Heritage Day."  Since the 1930s, the influx of Indian merchants and professionals has continued.  Of course, many aspects of the Indian tradition (clothing, religion, etc) were altered in an effort to assimilate with the population here.  However, many festivals, the cuisine, and other aspects were maintained, especially as several national organizations were later created to preserve the culture. 

So how have I witnessed this so far?  Well, it is clear that many people in Jamaica have Indian-looking features.  Moreover, there are several aspects of the Indian food and spices being well-integrated into the staple Jamaican dishes.  Curry is a good example of this.  Many Indian restaurants exist here as well.

In an effort to embrace my Indian roots and learn about how the culture is celebrated in Jamaica, I reached out to several Indian organizations.  I was kindly invited by members in the community to participate in weekly "bhajans," or Hindu prayers that are sung with a group.  This specific group that invited me is quite small - they rotate around each others houses to get together and sing.  Most of them were also from India (had moved here over the last 2-10 years) versus being born/raised in Jamaica.  I enjoyed meeting them, especially as they all spoke my mother-tongue (Telugu) and were originally from the same town as my family (Bangalore).  The prayer session itself was different from what I was used to in college/home, in that it was a "Sai Baba" session (prayers to Sai Baba, a man from the early 1800s who is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Shiva) rather than prayers directly to the Hindu gods.  For example, many of the songs sounded the same, but the words were different.  Still, I really enjoyed being in an Indian home and taking some time to reflect on my religion.  Plus, everyone promised me South Indian home-cooked meals :)

I am interested to see what the broader Hindu community is like in Jamaica.  I am hoping to go to the local temple one Sunday for the service, which includes different prayers and bhajans and discussions.  Further, I'm really interested to see what the Indian community (meaning both Hindus and non-Hindus and those that don't really celebrate the religion) is like!  There is an upcoming celebration for Diwali, the "Festival of Lights," in November.  Apparently the India Club (an organization here) puts on a grand ball, with music, dancing, and yummy food, for which everyone gets really dressed up.  My roommates said that they would join me as well, so we're looking forward to seeing how the culture is celebrated on a broader scale here!

So far, it has certainly been a comforting and interesting experience!  I am looking forward to getting involved in the Indian community while in Jamaica.