The Guyana government, in collaboration with the Indian High Commission and Bihar Museum in Patna, India, has launched a new cultural spectacle, adding to Guyana’s diverse landscape.
Indian Arrival Day saw the opening of the Indian folk-art exhibition titled Sita.
Sita—the daughter of Bihar—is an exhibition curated by Bihar Museum in Patna and inaugurated at the National Museum on May 5 as part of the Indian Arrival Day celebrations.
The state of Bihar shares a special link with Guyana, as a significant percentage of the Indo-Guyanese population can trace their ancestral roots to the state of Bihar.
This cultural influence is evident in folk songs like chowtaal, cuisine such as Baigan Chokha, and greetings like ‘Seetaram,’ which have survived to this day, depicting the umbilical connection between the people of Bihar and the people of Guyana.
“The state of Bihar has a unique association with Guyana because this is one of the regions in India from which their (Indo-Guyanese) ancestors came from India to Guyana around 187 years back,” said High Commissioner of India to Guyana, Dr. Amit Telang.
He explained that the association between the two destinations is one of soil — “two lands geographically apart but connected by culture, traditions, and customs.”
The Indian High Commissioner added that the idea for the display came about following a visit by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was moved by the rich culture still preserved by Indo-Guyanese living here. It was decided by the Bihar Museum to curate the exhibition to bridge the connection between Indo-Guyanese and their ancestral lands.
Culture, Youth, and Sports Minister Charles Ramson highlighted that while indentured workers came to Guyana to advance and develop sugar plantations within the country, that single event 187 years ago sparked a rich cultural development.
Additionally, he said it must be appreciated that, outside of culture, Indo-Guyanese have become masters of their trade, professions, and careers.
“Whether it was commerce, law, sports, medicine, accounting… they have all distinguished themselves to become valuable members…,” he said.
The exhibition is described as an opportunity to revive artistic and folk traditions and promote intercultural understanding.
