Ramleela connect for Indians in Caribean

LUCKNOW: For descendants of those who migrated from India as laborers to Trinidad and Tobago (twin islands in South America) it is a golden opportunity to perform ‘Ram ki leela’ in the one-of-its-kind International Ramleela Festival being held in Uttar Pradesh. It is helping them trace their Indian roots.
It is the first visit to India for members of National Ramleela Council of Trinidad and Tobago (NRCTT), an organisation formed in 1991 by migrant Indians.Besides feeling elated at being invited to the festival organised jointly by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations(ICCR), and Culture department's Ayodhya Research Institute (ARI), they are excited about their journey of discovering their ancestral past.
They are enacting the Ramleela in English and none of the 13 members of the troupe can speak proper Hindi but they keep chanting in unison ‘Jai Siya Ram’.
“Performing in India and that too at the Ram Janmabhoomi at Ayodhaya is a big honor,” said the president of NRCTT Kamalwatttie Ramsubeik, who is also the script writer, director and narrator of the Ramleela being performed in English language at Lucknow and Faizabad.
She added, “In our endeavor to preserve the virasat (legacy) of Indian traditions and customs brought to Trinidad and Tobago by the Indian immigrants over 166 years ago, we are here not only to perform but also retrace the paths our ancestors have walked on.”
Talking about her forefathers, the 65-year-old retired school teacher Kamalwatttie Ramsubeik said while her maternal grandfather Post Master Jag Mohan Singh hailed from Bhagalpur of Deoria, her paternal grandfather Mahabir Rai belonged to Gorakhpur.
Pleasantly surprised to know that the post office where her grandfather worked still exists, she said, “To visit the workplace of my dear dadaji is a matter of pride.”
Sharing similar feelings of nostalgia, 70-year-old Boodram Ramgoolam, who plays the character of a guru in the play, hails from Faizabad and said, “Right after the performance the next big mission is to record all details of my grandfather tracking down my ancestral place Harraiya tehsil in Basti district.”
While the rest of the troupe which comprises mainly students and young professionals are still figuring out the exact towns/villages of Uttar Pradesh to which they actually belong, another troupe member (makeup artiste and costume designer) Christine will be visiting Farrukhabad where the children of her great grandfather live.
“Trinidad and Tobago has 1.3 million population comprising 41% Indians mostly from Uttar Pradesh who take a lot of pride in celebrating all Indian festivals, like Dusshera, Diwali, Holi, Shivratri, Hanuman Jayanti but not everyone is blessed like me to have had made it to the native place,” said Christine.
Ayodhya Research Institute director Y P Singh said, “Performing Ramlila is just a tradition during Dusshera festivities. But immigrant Indians stationed in South America tell the same story of Ramlila with more spirituality and integrity. “It is a good sign that India is engaging actively with its large diasporas in the remote islands of Trinidad and Tobago in meaningful ways,” he added.