On Sunday, 30 April 2023, a spectacular celebration was held at Belmont Estate to commemorate Indian Arrival Day in Grenada.
This year’s event included an Indian-themed lunch, a bazaar offering an array of Indian foods, health products, henna painting, clothing, art, crafts and jewellery, and an exciting cultural performance featuring various Indian-styled dances, and Afro-Indian fusions. As part of this year’s luncheon, Belmont Estate partnered with 3 Indian restaurants on island: Punj-Abi, Spice Affair and Madras Dosa Corner, offering a varied assortment of authentic Indian and West Indian dishes.
The guests at the luncheon were excited to welcome VIP guests, Hon. Ron Redhead, Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture, and MP for St George N E Hon. Dennis Cornwall, Minister for Finance, and MP for St. Patrick East and Hon. Clarice Modeste-Curwen, MP for St Mark and Chargé d’affaires of the Indian High Commission to Trinidad and Tobago, Grenada, Monserrat and Dominica.
The entertainment bill was spectacular, featuring amazing dance performances from Brian and Andrea Mangaroo of the Khalnyack Academy of Dance, Trinidad; Ameisha Persaud, Spiceland Dancers, Belmont Belles, Conception Dancers, Cilena Ramdhani, and a beautiful song sung by Dr Garima Singh.
Over 200 visitors attended the celebrations, enjoying all that was on offer and catching up with old friends, making new friends and experiencing the rich cultural traditions of our Indian heritage. This event was jointly hosted as a collaboration between Belmont Estate, The Indo-Grenadian Heritage Foundation Inc (IGHF), and the office of the Honorary Consul for India to Grenada. The event commemorated the first arrival of East Indian indentured workers on the ship Maidstone on 1 May 1857 at Irwin’s Bay, Sauteurs. It is intended to honour our ancestors, celebrate the contributions of IndoGrenadians, and appreciate the Indian culture that is an important part of the eclectic mix of cultures that make us uniquely Grenadian.
The entertainment component of the day was sponsored by the High Commission of India to Trinidad & Tobago, Netherlands Insurance, Mount Cinnamon, Anthony Baghwan, Carl Nedd of ExecutiveTaxi & Tours, Sails Restaurant & Bar, The Grenada Cultural Foundation, Waggy T Rentals, LL Ramdhanny & Co. Ltd., ShoesRus, Save & Gain, SOL, River Antoine Estate, Price Busters Supermarket, Kalico Supermarket, Shalimar, Archibald Distributors and Mayfair. The organisers expressed immense thanks to the sponsors for making the cultural performances a reality.
Indian Arrival Day has been commemorated in Grenada on 1 May every year since 2007 with the day officially being named as a national holiday in 2017. The IGHF has headed these cultural festivities in collaboration with Belmont Estate by hosting a fundraising luncheon on behalf of the IGHF every year.
If you are interested in joining the Indo-Grenadian Heritage Foundation, please contact Jadey Bissessar at [email protected].
IGHF
