Indian Arrival day|Arrival Day?

On May 30th 1845, the Fath Al Razak docked in the Port of Spain harbour in Trinidad and Tobago with 225 adult passengers on board. The passengers were immigrants from India who had come to the British colony to work in the sugarcane plantations after the abolition of African slavery. They had spent 103 days on sea during the arduous and dangerous journey that spanned 14,000 miles (36,000 km). The immigrants were contracted for five to ten years to work in the sugarcane estates in a system that ended in 1917.
via www.nriol.com

Ok that is part of our history and it should end there. Indian Arrival day... what is the purpose of this holiday? Most Trinidadians don't care much about this day or any other holiday other than it being another day to 'relax and break ah lime'. Arrival day parties the night before the holiday is a must and the party entrepeneurs capatalize on this for profit. So in terms of finance it stops work for some but creates employment and business opportunities for others like every other holiday in the country.

Now if we think about it, this holiday should simply be called Arrival Day but wait one minute now, didn't the PNM government attempt to rename the holiday Arrival Day? Gosh what is happening to me today I defended the ex Prime Minister on national radio and now I am all for changing Indian Arrival Day to simply Arrival Day that includes all races in this cosmopolitan society.

After all the Syrians, Chinese and Portuguese don't have their own day to celebrate, or do they?

I guess this holiday was long overdue but the name was and still is inappropiate. Should we expect change?  I don't think so but until then the fetes will usher in the day and it would be celebrated like any other holiday in the land of song and dance and steel pan music - time to party!

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