Connecting with East Indian Culture Through Dance

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Although making up less than four percent of the population, the East Indian community is coming forward to remind Belizeans that their culture is alive. In this week’s episode of Kolcha Tuesday, we take you to Punta Gorda Town, where we met with a group of girls who are sharing their heritage in the way they know best: dance. Here’s News Five’s Britney Gordon with the story.

[@EgilWar]

Nice to see the mix of cultures in Belize.

[@akashisenju417]

I have very much similar wants as these girls, i am mixed not fully with any of the cultures I'm mixed with and i happen to have east Indian in my blood, i love Indian dances but i need people to dance with, i also love there songs and love singing them, i am a fan of the culture basically but I've never found people of the same age with similar wants as me, i "happen to" come across this and I'm very happy to find people like me who loves the culture and dances like me :)

[@booksusa5995]

Your people have been through a lot and survived. Be proud of your ancestry. With social media you can now find many others like you. Form online communities and connect with others like yourself.

[@dr.geraldzuniga233]

From the comments of all of these participants, you don't hear them mentioned the word NICH nor the Ministry of Culture. Yet, both entities exist for decades. The state of Belize had played and paid a nasty one to our Coolie people for centuries. Those of the north and south! Those who are extracting the honey of Belize are the recently arrived East Indian who I am sure don't intermingle with our native Coolies but because of their economic power have more recignitions, iincluding monuments in key areas. While the others, whom the imperialist extracted from their millenial societies and lliterally dumped into this part of the world as they continue to do to date with other ethnicities, are/were left on their own. Yet, surviving with dignity! We never learn from history.

[@nandwani88]

The native coolie people you are talking about are the real Indians. These recent ones are not. They are all actually Sindhis. And they originate from one part of Pakistan. They moved to India in the 50’s and 60’s. And then moved here to Belize. This is mostly why they do not really intermingle. Both cultures are important. And both should be celebrated. But the distinction must be made.

[@booksusa5995]

The Sindhi people are Indians not Pakistani. There was no Pakistan before the partition in 1947 when Sindh got absorb into Pakistan. The Sindhi people were Hindus who resisted invaders for centuries and the ones who refused to convert were forced to migrate to India. The sad reality is they were displaced from their motherland just like the original Belize Indians were. It's just that they were displaced 100 years later.

[@nandwani88]

@@booksusa5995Both India and Pakistan were created in 1947. Just because a region was taken over and called British India by the Brits does not mean it is the same India that exists today. Calling Sindhis merely Indians is an insult to the rich history and culture of the Sindhis. You can call them South Asian perhaps. It is equivalent to calling a Guatemalan a Central American. Or a Frenchman a European. And the link to Pakistan is because the homeland exists there today. If Sindh was a part of modern day Iran, I would say Iran. Because majority of the Sindhis still live there. 39 million in Pakistan vs 3 million in India. And if you want to get specific and only compare Sindhi Hindus, then India still has the same 3 million while Pakistan has over 4 million. And most Sindhis from India have no idea about this because they have been brainwashed to think all their people had to leave Sindh and come to India. So India is where their base is. But this is a lie. They are just refugees. Before the British came, another part of India was considered as a foreign land to the Sindhis. So how comes the British decided that the whole region was now our homeland? They kept their culture, history, and identity despite being a part of Europe. But they tried to destroy ours by dividing us by religion only. It’s complicated. But in essence, Sindhis are Sindhis. Most are also Pakistani. Many are Indians. Many are Americans. Several are Belizean. Etc. To classify a Belizean Sindhi as an Indian is equivalent to classifying an Indian Sindhi as a Pakistani. None of those countries existed pre 1947. But Sindh has over thousands of years. A Sindhi is a Sindhi.

[@nandwani88]

@@booksusa5995Also, Sindh was the biggest advocate for Pakistan. In fact, they wanted their own state. The Hindus wanted to be a part of the new state of India. But majority of Sindhis were wary of that. Knowing the Hindus of India would dominate and take over their land. So they advocated for another state. And it was always a temporary plan to join some other provinces. I think it will be independent one day. Or maybe join Balochistan since our cultures are close to form a country.

[@booksusa5995]

@@nandwani88 India, that is Bharat, existed from time immemorial. Pakistan was created in 1947 based on a plot hatched in England by people who didn't want to live with Hindus. Sindhi Hindu girls are abducted on a daily basis in Pakistan but can get refuge in India. Minorities from Jews to Parsis to Buddhists to Sindhi refugees are protected and can thrive in India.

[@shanealarcon7928]

Iam half Indian n I bealry here they talk about we came from India they think we came for somewhere else I did my ancestry and Iam North Indian South Indian and bengal , my Indian surname is bahadur and all the rest we came form India 🇮🇳 the white man bring us here in the Caribbean

[@booksusa5995]

Please see my comments to the other comment about the name Bahadur.

[@booksusa5995]

Lovely segment, the girls have the desire and willingness to learn about their heritage and I hope they get the support they need to continue the great work. Indians who visit the Belize should reach out and offer whatever help they can.

[@shanealarcon7928]

Anyone wana know more about Indian history can contact me

[@shanealarcon7928]

All These names these girls have are my family they are Persian n Turkish name became the last ruler of Indian was a Turkish ruler Bahadur Shan before the birth East Indian company took control of India 🇮🇳

[@booksusa5995]

Bahadur as used for indentured and their descendants has nothing to do with Turkish or Persian invaders. While the word is indeed derived from Arabic, the use as a title was invented by the British when they tried to implement indirect rule in India. The idea is to label a village elder or prominent family with titles like Veer Bahadur or Rai Bahadur and many other Bahadurs. The people who invaded are just looters with no lasting contributions.