While most may tether the initial economic impact of the East Indian community to the sugar industry, a local historian is urging the public to acknowledge the wider contribution of the group to the country’s economic development.
Historian and lecturer at the University of the West Indies Dr Jerome Teelucksingh told the Business Guardian that unfortunately, even the country’s education system has reinforced this stereotype.
He said, “There is this stereotype that Indians only came to work in the sugar industry. Primary school children, secondary school children have grown up knowing this, even adults. And when I tell them that Indians have contributed to the cocoa, the coffee, the rice, the coconut industries, they are surprised.”
Teelucksingh said the contribution to agriculture by the East Indian community should not be understated, as well as the fact that there was an overlap where the community worked alongside the African community in the development of that sector.
“I think this is a very important point. When you look at the contribution to the agriculture sector, some might even know the term peasant farming. After 1845, they were the new labour force and they continued the peasant farming that the ex-slaves were also doing,” said Teelucksingh, in a phone interview on Tuesday.
“I also want to mention a very important point, and you might not believe this, but on the sugar estates, Africans were working with the Indians. People don’t realise that that happened in the early stages of indentureship, not just in Trinidad but also in Guyana. When the labour force was now coming in, the Indians from India, the ex-slaves, all they only could do was agriculture. They were not trained to be clerks or bookkeepers or anything. So after slavery ended, some of the (Africans) continued to be employed in agriculture.”
Economist and former Central Bank Governor Winston Dookeran also noted the significant role the Indian community played in the development of the agricultural sector.
“In the earlier days, the contribution was in the fields of sugar and cocoa, which provided the mainstay for the development of those industries in terms of the labour input,” said Dookeran, who explained that since then the community has excelled in various other fields which has led to major developments in the business community of Trinidad and Tobago.
He explained the group’s contribution in that field was one of three significant fields the East Indian community has developed immensely since coming to Trinidad and Tobago.
“One is in entrepreneurship. There has been a fair amount of success in building entrepreneurs outside the public sector, to which the (East Indian) community has contributed,” said Dookeran, “I think building the economic base in sugar, cocoa, coffee, etc in the agricultural sector was an early contribution subsequently enhanced by entrepreneurship in the business sector, and then later on by the capacity to raise funds to save. The tendency to save. Now, this is not exclusive only to the East Indian community, but I think this is part of the contribution they have made. The general contribution of all societies that are worked for the benefit of our country.”
He explained that the community had done significant work towards the development of the financial sector based on the desire to maintain and generate savings.
“They have had a strong desire for savings in their own lives. And they have contributed significantly to enhancing the savings capability of the country, which of course meant that they have made a contribution to the financial sector to help maintain the stability of the financial sector by their savings’ habits. Saving, as you know, is a necessary requirement upon which you can build a society and create opportunities for investment. And if savings are not pursued, then you lose the chance of investment,” said Dookeran.
Teelucksingh also noted that several significant businesses have sprung up from the East Indian community, post indentureship and Independence, which continue to be household names today.
“Some of the early people like the drinks manufacturer SM Jaleel we have now, started in the early 20th century. Even in the transport industry, retail, and wholesale, a lot of these Indians went into those companies. Some of the auto supply firms, even the Chancellor Hotel, Amral’s Travel, all these companies were owned by Indians,” said Teelucksingh.
He also pointed out the pioneering Indian women of business such as the cosmetologist Ramdoolarie Maharaj of the Madame Maharaj School of Cosmetology and Helen Bhagwansingh, who passed away in December last year, who created legacy franchises with generational impact.
Dookeran said the community’s contribution to governance and education also played a major role in the development of the economic framework of modern Trinidad and Tobago.
“The area of governance, in this respect, in trying to build good governance in the country, they have been able to build the necessary institutions at the local level and beyond that. The individuals who have performed over the years in office, emanating from the East Indian community, by and large operated with distinction in the area of governance,” said Dookeran.
“The third area I think, that you might want to focus on, is in the quest for education. Both in terms of building institutions for education, and in terms of acquiring a desire for high or higher education. Religious institutions have built a lot of education institutions to support the education drive in the post-Independence era,” said the former Minister of Finance.
“I am referring to the contribution in that area, particularly with respect to the Presbyterian community, the Hindu community, and the Muslim community, which added new institutions to those that existed before and continue to exist.”
Dookeran said the East Indian community in T&T has progressed significantly over time and was largely well-placed to build on what had been achieved by the group. However, he felt there was still some reluctance to venture into new areas of business and he hoped that the new generation would take up this challenge.
“I think an area that I sense the East Indian community wants to move into, but I’m not too sure they’re feeling confident enough to do so, is in the area of innovation. I sense that they don’t have the full confidence to go from traders into innovation,” said Dookeran.
“I think the younger generally generation might be more inclined to do that. But that’s looking to the future. There might be something that will assist them to get excited to go into innovation and to get the confidence to do that.”