Hey Ram by Muslim boy Zaid.

@Mitwah: Excellent Mits.

Skelly, at Satsanghs, these are very popular sing alongs.  

On this cold winter morning in Northern Canada,  as I listen to the first song with my eyes closed, my memory takes me back to the logies on the sugar cane plantation. Here, we bathe and visited  the nearby mandir most mornings and sang this song before school,  at an age shown by the children in the video.

In the afternoons, if there is a special service we visited the mandir again, but always leave enough time for a few games of cricket with a home made bat, before it gets too dark. Or watch our sisters and  the girls in our neighbourhood  play rounders.

After supper, we gather at the neighbour's door-mouth and listen to stories, told by the elders.  Sometimes its a story about a jumbie or firerass, but most times its  stories repeated from their older family members, about a ship from India. 

Music stirs the soul across oceans and its important that we remember our culture and heritage. Least we forget who we really are.    

@Tola: After we bathed and got dressed, we went to school. When everyone was in class, it was a different hymn and the Lord's prayer every morning, the same prayer at lunch and a different hymn and the same prayer for dismissal. This was the weekly routine. I remember us singing "God Save the Queen" every Friday afternoon.

This is a beautiful song that I also grew up listening to and it touches my soul. However, without detracting from its beauty I would like to ask a question.  How many Black, Christian Guyanese know this song?  I ask this question because it appears that what we have in Guyana are two solitudes, not only as defined by race but also by culture.  Will these solitudes ever meet?  I believe they will some day but it will take a massive effort and education is the key. 

How many Black, Christian Guyanese know this song? 

@Totaram: I think I know of only one and that is you.

I know Sahaniraht, does that count? I try picking it every so often on the guitar or keyboard.

@Skelly :  You are right about the Presbyterian school we attended. But our family was fortunate to live in the logies across from a mandir, that our parents insisted we attend most mornings. 

As you might know, one of the challenges the Hindu and Muslim students had at the Christian school, was studying the bible before classes, but at home we had to practice our own religion.  I remember discussing this issue with my friends, but we had no other choice for an education. 

This confused  some of my Hindu friends. One friend's father was a pandit, but he became a pastor as an adult.

Regarding the guy  who became a pastor :  Every morning the head teacher had  the entire school study the bible and would randomly call on a student to continue reading where the other student left off.  It was this student's  turn and he try to tell a Christian story instead of reading from HIS New Testament.  When confronted by the headmaster, he said his bible was different from the head teachers. On close examination he was trying to read from a small dictionary, because he lost his bible given by the school. This tall teenager  got six strokes on his backside for this error, in full view of the other students. This was not the only incident, when  he tried to stone the head teacher on his bicycle. 

Bottom line : This student was a practicing Hindu at home, but he was forced to become a Christian.  Because he had no other choice for an education.  Some might be grateful for an education, but what became of our culture.   

@Tola: We had a coolie Christian tyrant for a headmaster. If he was a principal in America, he would have been shot dead. I hated him with a passion. I was so scared of him, I would not look him in the eyes. He would grab you by the collar and drag you up to his chair and table and flog you in front of the whole damn second floor of the school. If he was alive today and I encounter him, I would slap him straight in the face twice without hesitation and saying anything.

The man whipped you!

@cain  Suhani Raat Dhaal Chuki  is from the movie  Dulari [1949]  and sang by Mohammad  Rafi. I believe Dulari is on You Tube. 

I grew up with this song in the logies. Long before most people had radios  and Lall [grocery] shop would hang a speaker on a flag pole and start playing music at 3:00 am for the women to wake up to cook  breakfast and lunch for workers in the fields and children to school. They always start and end with Suhani Raat.

Suhani Raat became a traditional song for many cultural events around the world and most older Guyanese would know it.  This is not to say you are old Cain, when we know you are only 47.  

Now to Himanshi.

Cain is that you strumming?  BTw, this is in G. 

@Totaram : For decades we work peacefully with all races in other countries, but we find Guyana more challenging. Because some people seems to hang on to their racial belief, without much compromise. The dislike and mistrust seems to be ingrained in Guyana and it might take  generations to resolve this issue. Even when working with schools that have both races of students, the majority does not want to include the minority in their common event.

We believe leadership in any country or organization plays a huge part in resolving issues among citizens and members, but in Guyana it is difficult to predict how present issues could be resolved.   

@Mits : The guy even look like Cain with a full head of hair.

Totaram seeing that you want African Guyanese to know that song. Do you know the Christian song "God wash me so I become white as snow".  Maybe all those black guys with white women heard that song.

@Mitwah

Thank you for sharing the video of the children. The first video saw that kids pull a few beautiful notes in Hey Ram. Rishikesh is a beautiful and unforgettable place to visit. In my free time, In my free time I love listening to the Hindi TV Shows with the kids. Brings back wonderful memories of yesteryear.

Now to Banglore. 

Bharat Mata Ki Jai.

Very popular in South India Schools.