Curry favour or flavour: Indians landed long ago
WHILE IT is clear that the government has something to ‘explane’ about the flight with Indian nationals being cleared to mingle with the population, Baba Singh and Marahaj came here 179 years and three days ago. Landing at Old Harbour ‘Olava’ on May 9, 1845, some 200 men, along with 28 women and 33 children, became the first official migrants from the subcontinent. Their presence has helped to shape the very landscape of this country and its culture.
Out of many one people means exactly that. And for this reason our official statistics do not collect any data related to this dubious thing called race. Therefore, despite the estimate that approximately one to two per cent of the Jamaican population is Indian, we really don’t know. Self-identification may work to some extent. However, there are individuals who have Indian-type features who do not identify themselves as such and similarly the reverse. Moreover, the names don’t help either, because one simply needs a conjugal relationship with a male from a non-Indian background, for the surname to disappear faster than a spoonful of dahl in a hungry man’s mouth.
Two days ago we commemorated Indian Heritage Day. Unlike Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana where between 40 and 50 per cent of the population originally came from India, we don’t see massive celebration of Divali here. It is an amazing and beautiful spectacle. There is, however, Hosay, which though Indian, is not Hindu.
Indian DNA is certainly present in far more than two per cent of the population. Many of us are walking around with biological features that we cannot explain – and I am not speaking of internal organs. My maternal uncle, for example, is a little man with a nose my nephew describes as originating from the bird family and a body frame that could easily look like Mr Singh or Paragh, who used to call me the ‘ karparstani,’ as we drank an occasional ‘daru’.
INTERESTING CHUTNEYS
Given everything that we know about Jamaican men being rolling stones, lots of Indian and African moss mixed into interesting chutneys. Personally, there is no doubt that someone from India stuck a needle into my blood line. Miss Ivy’s mother told us that around 100 years ago, she used to be teased by pierced-nose Indian women, who kept saying, “Nani, Nani, that is our man!” and in response, Grandpa, described as a ‘butter head’ man, said something like, “yah meree patnee hai!”
Between the curse words in their version of Hindi, I learned that much of what we consider to be ethnically Jamaican, and even black, is in fact Indian, even marijuana. Thus, I almost got a whipping because Ravi’s grandmother was very kind, and I told my mother, “Nani is so sweet.”
Speaking of sweet; our staple fruit, the mango, is also a migrant from India. Thus, all the varieties are technically East Indian; despite my favourite being … duh! The black mango. While the Julie is doubtless a close second, the ‘the sweetie come brush me’ is delectable, and I got detention from my biology teacher for suggesting that the innovative Chinese could create a hybrid version.
Apart from our signature black, green and gold, Jamaica’s colours are also portrayed as the ‘Bandana’ fabric. Properly called Madras cloth in the rest of the Caribbean, I had to caution my Indian friend as to how he would describe the new version more cheaply produced from bamboo, when attempting to sell it to Jamaican merchants. It is no joke, the Indians are super creative and sell a strong, breathable material, made into some bags I use often.
ACCENTS
Still, inasmuch as the arrival of the Indians week before last week was big news, it was not so much of a safety or security risk; because not only are their accents very strong and distinct, but they walk very differently from native Jamaican Indians, who, like their African counterparts, have some kind of bop in their step.
Believe it or not; the news regarding India which scares me the most in the last week has little or nothing to do with the flight. Most disturbing was the discovery of the large quantity of counterfeit curry by the CounterTerrorism and Organized Crime Investigation Branch (CTOC) of the Constabulary. Not only is curry a mainstay of Jamaican cuisine, it is given a special twist by Indians. Hands down, the best curried anything is Indian. From the obvious goat, and chicken, Afro Jamaicans are way behind our Indian neighbours. We probably curry favour better, in the interest of politics sometimes.
Trifling with curry is almost sacrilege. Indeed, it is dangerous, and unfortunately, the perpetrators are not only people from outside of India. Modern India is a very interesting paradox. On the one hand it is a robust and large economy with a massive gross domestic product (GDP) of US$3.417 trillion. On the other hand, its GDP per capita is US$2,410.89, about one-third that of Jamaica and one-sixth that of China’s US$12,720.22 whose population is almost the same 1.4 billion.
This means there are more persons in that country who are pushed to innovate both positively and negatively. A few years ago I outlined the fact that this dynamic country, with cutting-edge technology, has one of the highest concentration of the brightest and most educated individuals in the world. Its scientific breakthrough halted the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
This former colony of the British discovered some miscreants producing fake masala (Indian curry). Imagine around 15 tonnes of fake masala made from rotten rice, sawdust, and chemicals, uncovered by the vigilant cops in north east Delhi’s Karawal Nagar.
Hopefully all those who conspire to sell fake or adulterated food or spices are treated as if the crimes are capital. In Jamaica, there is a big difference between messing with a man’s food and messing with his food. Trust me!
Dr Orville Taylor is senior lecturer at the Department of Sociology at The University of the West Indies, a radio talk-show host, and author of ‘Broken Promises, Hearts and Pockets’. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and tayloronblackline@hotmail.com