Shri Ramautar Ji.
Photo courtesy Nanda Sahadeo.
MY INDIAN ARRIVAL DAY as told by Nanda.
Pranaam.
Today in honor of this special day, my Mata Ji and I decided to spend our day in a special way.
We first went to give sweets to some children whose home was destroyed by fire a few years ago. Then we went to visit an elder --Sri Ramoutar Ji. Sri Ramoutar Ji was born on 2nd January 1915. His Pita Ji --Sri Somai Ji came from India.
Sri Ramautar Ji was born at Mon Repos Estate and lived in a small flat bush house as a little boy. Sri Ramoutar Ji went to school--what he refered to as the English Church School (The Anglican School). He said the teachers( they were mostly Blacks) used to come around and ensure that the small children attend school. He stop attending school at 14 years when his Mata Ji fell sick. He had to now help out his Pita Ji.He joined the Creole Gang whose job was to throw manure on the cane, when he got a little older, he joined the Weeding Gang then later the he started to Cut and Drop then later Cut and Load cane.
He worked and saved until he was able to buy land--what was called "beds" and started to plant rice.
At the age of 18 years, Sri Ramoutar Ji got married. His wife was from Canal No 2 on the West Coast of Demerara. He never met his dulhan until the wedding day--she was 12 years old. The match was made by a Naaw (matchmaker). The dulha wore a pink jora jama and maur.The dulhan wore a jula (blouse) and gangri( skirt) and white ordni. She wore silver churiyas with two silver bangles on either side of the churiya and silver foot rings.She was covered with 5 yards white cotton for the ceremony and until she reached his home. She was brought into the house and his female relatives would go to her--lift up the chadar to see what she looked like then they gave her presents. Sri Ramoutar Ji only saw his Patni when she came into his home. She was given 3 silver bari earrings to wear and because her nose was not pierced--his Mother had the Dulhan's nose pierced and gave her a silver nose ring.
The brides in those days did not wear saris as these were not available--saris had to be made from white cotton dyed in whatever colour you chose.
The weddings lasted for four days:
1st day--Mati core
2nd-- Bhatwana--preparation of the food
3rd-- Telwaan--the wedding day.
4th-- Kangan
All weddings were done in the evenings in those days. They hired a bus to go with the Barraat. Because his Dulhan lived across the Demerara river--they had to hire a launch(small boat) to take them across. It dropped them just a few yards from the home and they walked the rest of the way. They hired Karaila Natak --dancers/musicians to go with them. Tassa was not used in those days--only hand drum (dholak).
On the Kangan day, his Mother took the Mour and the kangan strings and with five married ladies--they went into the trench--put the mour and strings into the water and squeezed them down into the mud. Then she gave her sister, her mother in law and her husband's sister saris and jula made out of white cotton dyed yellow.
Sri Ramoutar Ji said that the dulhan went back to her parents' home on the day after the kangan and then returned on the following Sunday. She was afraid,he said and cried and wanted to go back to her parents home. They came and took her back and she stayed there for 4--5 weeks then she came back. He said she would spend 1 week with him and 4 weeks with them. She got her first child at 15. In those days, the Nana and Nani would bring all the clothes for the baby and the Mother. They got 4 children and 5 days after delivering her last baby, she passed away. Sri Ramautar Ji said, he ran to get the village doctor who lived about 1/4 mile away but the doctor said he cannot come as his driver had already left. Sri Ramautar Ji then went to the Post Office next door and they telephoned for another doctor who he said lived two miles away but before the doctor could start out--the news came that she had passed away.
In those days, when your wife died and there were young children to raise, the custom was that you will then marry the younger sister of your late wife. They said that this was the only way of ensuring that the children would be loved and taken cared of. Sri Ramautar Ji then got married to his younger sister in law. They got 7 more children.
This is just a little of the story that Sri Ramautar Ji told me and my Mata Ji today. I also have the story and picture of his father who came from India. I hope to video Sri Ramautar Ji and my own Mata Ji--you should have heard the two of them talking. My own Mata Ji is from Essequibo and she is so full of knowledge and has such a great memory--most of the paramparas that I know are all from her.
I hope your Indian Arrival day was as special as ours.
Nanda Sahadeo
nandukother@yahoo.co.uk
May 5th 2006.
THE TRADITIONAL INDIAN WEDDING IN GUYANA
The traditional Hindu wedding is very much alive in Guyana but it has
evolved somewhat. What happened during the Jahaji time is that they
had to make do with what was available and what they could afford. I
mentioned that saris were not available--they had to dye white cotton
and wear that. The tradition of covering oneself with 5 yards ordhni
still exists but the ordhni is not cotton but fancy material eg, when
I got married my ordhni was red gauze with zari work intertwined and
shiny tassles at the border.
Of course the tradition of not seeing or knowing the bride is no
longer the custom but arranged marriages are still being done
especially with the more traditional families and with those seeking
to get their children out of Guyana.
There are still the 4 days celebrations--Maticore to Kangan. The
ladies do go and bury the maur and kangan in the mud--whether in the
nearby trench or by the seawall--this is one of the fun parts of the
wedding. I can remember seeing my Cha Chees and my Mata Ji and the
other ladies dancing away as this was a ladies only ceremony. They
would bring back sea water in the wedding kalash and then 5 of the
married ones would walk around the bamboo and sing and dance then
splash the water when they finished.This was all done with merriemnt
but no vulgar --no one drank alcohol or else they cannot participate.
The Maticore too is alive and quite an integral part of the Hindu
wedding--this too is a ladies only ceremony and it is a source of
great celebration. The dye ceremony too is another part that is quite
enjoyable--we would try to push down the dulha off the peerha while we
were doing the ouchay. And then while dying --we'd rub it all in his
eyes--we treated girls differently--hehe.
The baraat is the same--but everyone don't pack into one bus--several
vehicles are used.
This is all I can think about now. If you need to know more please ask
and I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge.
Regards,
Nanda Sahadeo
May 10th; 2006.
Comments