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Fridays at Trainline Bridge....Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant.

12/21/2009

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     The holidays loom and memories come flooding, especially after conversations that I have had over the past week with friends, livelong friends with whom I spent many Friday nights, telling jokes, playing games and singing songs, using our bicycle gear-case as our drums. Some of these friends are no longer with us and it is in homage to them that I recount those heady days.
    We were young teachers, in our late teens. The world held no fears for us and we look forward to each and every day, working and playing, especially playing. Chando Narine, Leslie Etwaroo, William Rawana and Edmund Carpen are among those who are no longer with us and I want to put on record that they were all loyal and trusting and contributed greatly to our pleasures. William loved to sing of his "Bonita", Carps mooned over his unrequited love who lived across the road, hoping to get a glimpse of her, Leslie quoted Shakespeare and Chando stood guard against any interlopers. James Permaul, talked of his Eva and quoted from  the Bible, Chunilall Ramkisoon sang songs of Mahendra, Julip Singh stood by with a smile on his face, Rhidas Sanichar told "dirty" jokes and Prema Sukra and Raymond Mohabir made sure that "spirits" flow. I stroked the gearcase, and joined the sing-a long lustily......songs of Jim Reeves, Bobby Darrin, Nat King Cole, Elvis Presley, Sarah Vaughn, Patsy Kline, Richie Valens, Ravi, Lata, Mukesh and Mahendra, we knew them all and belted them out with vigour if not rhythm.
     In a way, this was our rebellion from the cultural strictures that we had to live with. It was usually dark on these Friday nights and we were "well oiled" with "joie de vivre" and daring. The spot was ideally suited, away from residences (but not too far) and mid-way from where we lived, between Rose Hall and Tain. Some nights, perhaps because we were "soused", we would insist on taking/seeing each other home, and so we would be going back and forth, until exhaustion or giddiness took over and then we would literally crawl home, where parents would be waiting, a hurdle that was at times daunting, but which on most occasion, we successfully negotiated.
      The next morning was a real test. Parents were waiing for any tell-tale signs of discomfort...eating was particularly testing, but a quick swim in the nearby trench, with its cool water, was the best cure, at least for me.
      That bridge ( it was sturdily bulit to take the weight of heavy trucks and is still standing today), was built by the sugar company that owned the Port Mourant sugar estate and served as a meeting place for the sugar workers, who would gather there each morning, to get their orders from the "white" overseers. It fronted the garage where the train engines were housed and where the trains were loaded to take the cane cutters and other workers to the sugar fields that were miles away. It was a very efficient ststem and each morning we would stand in awe as we looked at the sun shining on the dozens of cutlasses and their honed edges, with some workers hanging on the side of the train as it sped on its way. It was a wonder that they did not fall off and/or were not cut by the many very sharpened cutlasses, inches from their faces. Sometimes on the weekend when the trains were not filled, we would jump on and go fishing or hunting. It was fun while it lasted, but that would not be for long, because in order to punish the workers for supporting the political party (PPP), that was leading the fight for Guyana's indepence from Britain ( the leader of the party Dr. Cheddi Jagan, was from there),  the British owners decided to close the Port Mourant sugar factory and reduce its activities. Gradually the trains stopped running and the reduced work force was trucked to the fields.
      It was the end of an era, but we made use of the bridge, which will always
hold a special place in our collective memories.
      Thanks guys, it was fun and the memories are even better.
           
      P.S. I have some other memories of that bridge which I shall write about later but for now the thoughts are too much. Should any of you out there have any stories to tell of the bridge, please share.....I.P.
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Banning Minarets.......Religious Intolerance.

12/9/2009

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The Swiss vote to ban minarets from mosques is the latest move by right-wing European governments (eg. France) to limit the rights of muslim minorities. This is a mixture of intolerance, fear and creeping paranoia.
     There are over 1.2 billion muslims in the world, but a small number have hi-jacked the religion, while the remainder with few exceptions, have remained silent and refuse to take back their religion and its beautiful message. Yes, there are jihadists in various parts of the world (Chechnya, Philippines. Pakistan, Somalia. Afghanistan etc.), waging war in the name of "injustice"and Allah, and they create fears and uneasiness, but mostly they kill their own, whether they are Shia or Sunni or others....the recent spate of bombings in Iraq and Pakistan attest to this.
     Politicians in Europe and North America, have seized upon this to win political office and to put their agenda of intolerance and hatred into force. The French, The Austrians, the Danes and now the Swiss have "made hay", bolstered by the  media's sensational coverage. Pres. Obama has also used this hysteria to promote his"right war"against Alqaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Now banning of minarets are the most recent example of this hysteria masquerading as policy of "national security interest". This is not only hypocritical but shameful and alarming.
    We speak proudly of our democratic values of speech, of conscience, of religion and then by our actions, we debase these freedoms. These acts of intolerance make us no better than Saudi Arabia and other Muslim states, where non-Muslims are restricted in thei practice of their religion ( any Christian or Jewish churches or synogogues in Saudi Arabia, the land of the virulent Wahabbis and of 14 0f the 9/11 perpetrators?). The Swiss People's Party has started a trend, that other politicians will be looking at with great interest to use to gain political power by playing upon the fears, ignorance and insecurity of voters everywhere. 
      Minarets, which has nothing to do with Islam (it was an architectural adornment added long after the first mosque and the death of the prophet), has become the newest lightning rod in the West for its "fear" of Islam. We should be building bridges, not banning minarets. 

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Obama's War of Necessity.....Words are a two-sided Sword

12/2/2009

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    Preasident Obama has decided, after weeks of deliberations and consultations, to send 30, 000 more troops to Afghanistan. He called this a 'war of necessity'., aimed at "disrupting, degrading, dismantling and ultimately defeating".  the Taliban and ad Qaeda. This is one of the two biggest problems( the other being Health care), on which his presidency will be judged.
     He became fully committed to fight this war, as soon as he referred ot it as a "war of necessity", Now he has to deliver. He has drawn a circle around this by setting a time-table to deliver the troops ( 6 months) and win this war (1911).He is courting failure on both counts. Logistically, it will be nearly impossible to fulfill the first....the Marines can get there in time but the Army will not. As for the second, to withdraw successfully, that is even more difficult. The Taliban and al Qaeda do not fight conventionally. Their's is a querilla warfare...hit and move....hit and disappear across the border with Palistan. They will not stand and fight, they will lie low and select their target carefully. More and more their target will be those Afghanis who work with ISAF.... the International Security Assistance Force.......civilian, police, military.
     The Americans who now have about 100,000 troops there has to do a few things that are necessary for success. Firstly, they have to change tactics and localised the war. Kandahar and to a lesser extent, Helmand are the keys, and this where they have to concentrate their efforts. Reach out to the warlords. Bring them on board, by paying them off. This will be difficult because they control the very lucrative drug trade. Production has gone up from 500 tons in the mid-80s to 6,900 tons this year, and farmers are paid $250 a kilo compared to $28 in 2008( Matthieu Aikins in Dec. 2009, Harpers). Two tribes, the Achakai and the Noorzai control the trade and the smuggling. If they don't want to "play ball", then you can play one against the other, but that will mean, the winer will have to be allowed to take control of the trade ( the wisdom of Soloman ?). 
     Next , the population must be convinced that the Americans are there to help them and that they will not abandon them as they did in 1989. Hospitals, schools, roads, water, electricity and jobs are the key.The Taliban will target the infra-structure and will remind the people of 1989. Trust must be built up.....Obama has to go to Afghanistan and speak to the people directly.
     The Karzai government is corrupt. His government is not trusted. He has to create a grand coalition and include the Tajiks, The Uzbeks and the Hazarra, as well as disaffected Pashtuns. Obama has "to lay down the law", and Karzai must be held accountable and on a short leash. This will not be easy, because Karzai must not be seen as merely an American "poodle". This will need the deft hands of a professional diplomat....
     Pakistan is an important player. Their military has finally decided to take the fight to the Taliban and al Qaeda. Their continued effort is necessary to seal the border as much as they can and to make sure that the safe havens are no longer safe. Military and economic aid must continue to flow to Pakistan, but bit must be monitored to ensure that it is not stolen and/or spent on Pakistan's war with India, or taken over by the notorious ISI, for its "pet projects".
      If all of this can be done successfully, then Obama's "war of necessity".....this gamble, which the American public is very skeptical about, can be won.
     Obama love words. He must understand that these words have consequences......they can free or imprison. They can  beconstructive or destructive. They can energise or deflate. Above all they can build or destroy. So far he has used 
uplifting words to sell his vision. Hopefully, he has not built a trap for himself.  
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12/2/2009

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    fig 2-b My Father and Mother to whom I owe everything

    "Ecce Homo"  ("Behold the Man"), Antonio Ciseri's depiction of Pontius Pilate presenting a scourged Jesus to the people of Jerusalem.

    fig 1-b


    figure 1-a

    F. Goya
    Two men fighting with clubs
    circa 1819-1823

    The Black Paintings Period


    (Fig 2a) The Death of Innocents


    Author

     Ishwar R. Prashad recently retired from over 47 years of teaching.

    He taught Political Science variously at Dawson College, Loyola College, Algoma University College, Sir George Williams University, Concordia University and Vanier College.

    Previously, he taught for nine years in Port Mourant, Guyana.


    He became Principal of Corentyne Comprehensive High School at the tender age of 21. During this time he turned down Scholarship offers to study overseas in England and the U.S.S.R.

    He chose Canada and after graduating from Sir George Williams with a B.A Honours with Distinction, he accepted a Fellowship to complete his graduate work at McMaster University. He completed his first two degrees-Bachelors and Masters- in three years.  

    His last position was as Co-Ordinator of Political Science and Economics at Vanier College and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Concordia University.

    He is married to the former Juliet Ramcharan (Library Supervisor, McGill University) and together they have three children – Indra R. Prashad, P.Eng. ,McGill (Presently Manager, Ontario Safe Water Drinking Agency), Ishwar R. Prashad Jr., B.A ,McGill (Presently, President, Kismit Gear Inc.) and Rabindra Y. Prashad, (Presently, Artist and Chef).They are the proud Grandparents of eight grandchildren-Miranda, Kamal, Ayesha, Élan, Anĵa , Étienne, Chloé, and Jasmine.

     

     

     





     



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