KNOWING OUR HISTORY

This story deals with a family's struggle to reconnect with its own history. This challenge is turning out to be a quest to not only to try resolve  genealogical and historical issues, nor is it about proving that the family has its origins in a certain tribe, nor about proving that our forefathers were of a certain profession or class. But rather, it is a journey into our own self-discovery. For each of us, the success or failure of this experience ultimately depends on the insight and knowledge we gain about ourselves as a people and as individuals.

We all know that that our memory is our greatest possession.  To not know one's history or to be indifferent about it, is comparable to erasing a large part of our collective memory. Historians tell us that when a people has undergone such a loss of memory they are in a state of cultural amnesia. In our case, during a period of three to four generations and through assimilation, we have been in such a state and have witnessed its effects, both morally or spiritually. In short, when a people looses its history it has effectively lost its  identity and hence direction. One of our objectives, therefore, of this search is to re-familiarize ourselves with our past and to re-acquaint ourselves with our family roots. Hopefully, by doing so, we will begin to appreciate the strength and character of our forefathers.

Even though we may have been deprived of our sense of  history, and in spite of so many odds, no one can deny the glorious achievements of our parents and forefathers in the field of religion, business and academics. This only bears testimony to the fact that we have originated from a people of great honour, strength and determination. For those who may be too young to appreciate key historical events or to those not familiar with the accomplishments of our ancestors, we find that by exploring their past, a better understanding is gained of the sacrifices and achievements of those who came before us and will no doubt, inspire us to strive for higher and nobler goals. Moreover, by such an understanding we will begin to see where each of us 'fit' into our family tree will give us a sense of connectedness regardless of where we are settled; whether in the West Indies, Europe or North America, or for that matter India itself.

All this said, hopefully, one day when we have succeeded in finding the names and birthplaces of our ancestors and once we a better understanding of the the origin of our forefathers, their culture and our religion, then, one would hope that this information will help us to figure out why we are all really here and ultimately give us a sense of our deeper purpose here on earth.