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7 Indo-Caribbean Businesses to Shop this Holiday Season
It's that time of year again! With the holiday season just around the corner, now is a fantastic opportunity to show some love to some local Indo-Caribbean businesses.
Supporting small businesses not only helps to uplift the community, but also allows you to find unique gifts that are full of cultural significance. This holiday season, consider supporting these Indo-Caribbean businesses as you spread the joy of giving.
Supporting small businesses not only helps to uplift the community, but also allows you to find unique gifts that are full of cultural significance. This holiday season, consider supporting these Indo-Caribbean businesses as you spread the joy of giving.
One Year of Story, A Final Letter from the Editors
12 issues, 50 stories, 21 storytellers and nearly 4,000 impressions - this is one year of Story.
With 1 year of story under our belts, Rebecca and I feel immensely grateful that we have accomplished such an incredible feat. Now, we've made the difficult decision to announce December as our final issue of Story as editors.
When I first created the concept of Story and pitched it to Ryan, I had no idea how successful, moving and impactful it would be. Talk about an e-newsletter quickly turned into a digital publication, or online magazine (as many have called it), that has given a platform to our community with global interest.
With 1 year of story under our belts, Rebecca and I feel immensely grateful that we have accomplished such an incredible feat. Now, we've made the difficult decision to announce December as our final issue of Story as editors.
When I first created the concept of Story and pitched it to Ryan, I had no idea how successful, moving and impactful it would be. Talk about an e-newsletter quickly turned into a digital publication, or online magazine (as many have called it), that has given a platform to our community with global interest.
Mohammed Ramzan Celebrating 80 Years of Life, Leadership and Faith
“When I was back home, I saw [planes] flying in the air, and I always had in mind that one day, I will be up in the air too. And God has given me that opportunity, that I could come to a country for betterment.”
Directing Doubles
As Indo-Caribbean people, we are natural storytellers. Most of the time it is informal - when we’re cutting up vegetables, cooking, eating, drinking or just hanging out at family gatherings there is always someone telling a joke or an old time tale. When it is formalized, mostly in books, the results are beautiful. I’m talking about Gaiutra Bahadur, Shani Mootoo, Rajiv Mohabir, David Chariandy, etc… (I’m leaving out V.S. Naipaul, that’s a whole other op-ed!). Then of course there's music, which is a long tradition that continues to evolve, but paradoxically stays the same.
Indo-Caribbean Women’s Jewelry: Traditions and Innovations
My mother’s grandmother, Maharajiah, traveled across the kala pani from India to Trinidad in 1907. Maharajiah’s father was a child during the 1857 Siege of Cawnpore. Hiding in a boatman’s hut, he observed the orange flames as British soldiers, unrestrained in their revenge for British lives lost during the Siege, burnt villages to the ground. Black ashes covered fields and the Sati Chaura Ghat on the bank of the Ganges. Decades after the Siege, when Maharajiah was born, villagers remained impoverished.
Encountering Our Past as Descendants of Indian Indentured Servants
Growing up as Indo-Caribbean woman in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), I learned as a child that most Canadians of European heritage assume that everyone from the Caribbean is Black. The more history-savvy folks know that Black people were forcibly brought to the Caribbean from various African countries via the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t start seriously looking into how Indian people got to the Caribbean until about a year ago.
A New Yorker in Toronto: Reflections on the Rise of Indo-Caribbean Communities in Toronto
On a recent trip to Scarborough, where I was conducting an interview for my research on the Indo-Caribbean community in Toronto, the already late GO bus driver decided to pull over on the road to use the bathroom at a Swiss Chalet. Annoyed because of the delay, I let out a loud sigh and sucked my teeth. Slightly embarrassed by my noise, I turned around to a sea of brown faces on the bus—everyone was cackling. They seemed to find the situation amusing, accepting that the bus driver needed to use the restroom.
Putting the Half-Stories Back Together Again with Djamil Ninsoo
Djamil Ninsoo, known on Instagram as @douglabwoy_ found himself holding back tears on a visit to the Jamaica Archives and Records Department in Spanish Town, Jamaica.“I had to stop myself from crying because I didn’t want my tears to mess up the paper.”
So You Want to Go to Law School: Here are 10 Tips to Help You Get There
As we embark on a new school year, many students are contemplating their next steps in their academic journeys. That contemplation will lead many students to consider law school who will begin to wonder what that application process looks like alongside future career planning.
Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani: The Therapy Session You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you want to trigger your West Indian, Caribbean or Desi family, take them to the cinema to see the Hindi film, Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani. For the cherry on top, have chai after at a cafe and ask them to share their thoughts on the movie.
Caribbean Excellence on the Road to the King's Plate
If you’ve ever visited Woodbine Racetrack located in Etobicoke, Ontario, you’ve been privy to the exhilarating sounds and often distinct smell of horse racing in the air. The stands are filled with excited fans who’ve put their money on their favourite racehorses, anxiously awaiting that starting bell.
Legally Brown: Natasha Prasaud on Fulfilling Generational Dreams and Making Room for Self-Actualization
Natasha Prasaud is a Canadian Lawyer-turned-Director of Associate Programs, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Stikeman Elliott LLP) who was born to Guyanese parents that migrated to Toronto after leaving Guyana citing political conflict.
Navigating Truth and Reconciliation as a Descendant of Migrants
September 30th in Canada is now named the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. It’s a statutory holiday, born out of the annual commemoration of Orange Shirt Day, in haunting memoriam of all that was lost to the Canadian residential schooling system. Throughout the month, many Canadians host conversations and events around Indigenous history and justice. Those who have been paying attention for years may be sharing a thought: that finally, this is being given the attention it deserves.
Saldenah Carnival: A Legacy
Toronto Carnival is revered worldwide as a place to let loose, celebrate and free up yourself on the road. The annual Caribbean Carnival Parade, better known as Caribana, is held on the Saturday of the Civic long weekend here in Toronto; but for the Saldenah family, the road to Carnival is much longer.
Ronny Saldenah is the son of Louis Saldenah and grandson of Harold Saldenah, a lineage of trailblazers and leaders in the Toronto Mas scene. Before we really dove into our interview, I told Ronny about my unforgettable experience playing mas with Saldenah and stressed how organized their process was, to which he replies, “Masqueraders, that’s our number one priority, to make sure that they’re having a great time”.
Ronny Saldenah is the son of Louis Saldenah and grandson of Harold Saldenah, a lineage of trailblazers and leaders in the Toronto Mas scene. Before we really dove into our interview, I told Ronny about my unforgettable experience playing mas with Saldenah and stressed how organized their process was, to which he replies, “Masqueraders, that’s our number one priority, to make sure that they’re having a great time”.
Moments of Masquerade
For the 56th year in a row, a sea of masqueraders filled the lakeshore stretching into the horizon to celebrate the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, more commonly called Caribana.
Despite repeat visits to the Grand Parade, stepping onto the road surrounded by the sounds and sights of revelry is not quite like anything else.
Despite repeat visits to the Grand Parade, stepping onto the road surrounded by the sounds and sights of revelry is not quite like anything else.
Carnival Take Me Home
Growing up in a mixed household with two different but the same cultures gave me a very blessed experience. To have a mother who is a Muslim Guyanese person and a father who was a born Hindu/Christian Convert Trinidadian provided me with a mind of openness. Fast forward a few years where I am now a parent, I now want to share the things I love with my children that I shared as a young child with my parents, particularly my dad. My dad taught me the love of Soca, Calypso, Chutney and Indian music. We would sit down with his cassette player with the latest tapes from Trinidad and listen to them every time he came back from a trip. The voices of the Mighty Sparrow, Sundar Popo, Anand Yankaran would be loud throughout our household.
Beauty Behind the Scenes, An Interview with Sarita Nauth
Social media was ablaze on Tuesday May 2, 2023 - the day after the coveted Met Gala, where Social Media Manager, Sarita Nauth graced the red carpet to cover the event. For Indo-Caribbean, and Caribbean folks at large, this was monumental. I did not know Sarita, when her photo came across my feed, nor had I heard of her but at that moment, I was cheering for her.
Pandit Toshan Persaud's Spiritual Calling to Spread Joy and Learning to the New Generation
Religion can be intimidating. More and more you hear Gen Z and Millennial folks describe themselves as atheists, or as “spiritual but not religious”. Young adults and children in Indo-Caribbean households have mostly grown up Hindu, Muslim or Christian and while many have held onto their religious practices and traditions, there are some who would describe themselves as blank but not that religious. The term religion itself, for many folks - worldwide, signifies a system of rules or a structure to be followed; something Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X have a knack for challenging.
Reclaiming Indo-Caribbean HerStories: Reflections on the Indo-Caribbean Women Past and Present Panel
Indo-Caribbean women have played a central role in narratives of survival throughout history. However, representations of Indo-Caribbean women’s resilience through time have been monotonous, and they have not often received the recognition they deserve.
Toronto Carnival Music: The Hype List
As the Toronto Caribbean Carnival season approaches, it's time to get ready for the biggest party of the year! As one of the most important aspects of any carnival celebration is the music, we asked our followers for their favourite songs to create the ultimate carnival hype playlist. Here are some of the top picks for the upcoming Carnival season.
Alim Lila: Politics, Community Organizing, and Encouraging Indo-Caribbeans to be Civically Engaged
“I think a lot of it is pushing people to consider the importance of civics and politics, participating in the things that will shape your life, regardless of whether you want them to.”
Becoming Sanjina: The Hyphenated Journey of a Trans-Indo-Fijian-Woman from Vancouver to Toronto
“As it is, right now, if you look at the world: drag shows are being banned, all of us trans girls, trans folks in general are being targeted.”
Sanjina (she/her) aka Sanjina DaBish Queen, is a charismatic drag queen who is determined to bring Bollywood dance to the forefront of the community courtesy of her Indo-Fijian roots - a heritage that she is undoubtedly proud of.
Through organizing our sit down together it was clear that the star of Call Me Mother’s first season is booked and busy. Not only does she dream of bringing her art of performing to top stages like Rupaul’s Drag Race, she also dreams of creating pathways to success for future generations who are interested in the art of drag.
Sanjina (she/her) aka Sanjina DaBish Queen, is a charismatic drag queen who is determined to bring Bollywood dance to the forefront of the community courtesy of her Indo-Fijian roots - a heritage that she is undoubtedly proud of.
Through organizing our sit down together it was clear that the star of Call Me Mother’s first season is booked and busy. Not only does she dream of bringing her art of performing to top stages like Rupaul’s Drag Race, she also dreams of creating pathways to success for future generations who are interested in the art of drag.
A Queer Relearning Hindustani
"I have always been haunted by the traumas of my creation story. I come from an East Indian, Guyanese community that was colonized, indentured, and forcefully displaced by the British colonial machine from 1838 to 1917. The story of the overseer’s whip still cracks, still torments my family, albeit in steadily modernizing ways now that we live in the United States. One trauma is the gradual forgetting of our language and the taking of English as Eucharist. Our poetry recedes into the darkness of obscurity. I relearn my Aji’s language to heal my white scars, to join the broken earth of my body with queer light.
Like many West Indians, I did not grow into a family that spoke a South Asian language consistently. My ears, however, were attuned to the phonetic structures of the Hindi and Caribbean Bhojpuri of the music that scratched its high pitch across our living room. My parents did not speak much of it and only mimicked the Ram Ram and Pranam that they learned from their own parents, who were fluent in a culture that my parents’ generation ran away from, packing their suitcases filled with collections, British poetry, Western clothes, and rum. On Saturday mornings nostalgia and longing for back-home, despite their earlier abandonments, smote their hearts with its hurricane force winds.
I grew to learn the words to Hindi songs like “He, Neele Gagna Ke Tale” before I knew the meaning: Beneath the blue sky…"
Like many West Indians, I did not grow into a family that spoke a South Asian language consistently. My ears, however, were attuned to the phonetic structures of the Hindi and Caribbean Bhojpuri of the music that scratched its high pitch across our living room. My parents did not speak much of it and only mimicked the Ram Ram and Pranam that they learned from their own parents, who were fluent in a culture that my parents’ generation ran away from, packing their suitcases filled with collections, British poetry, Western clothes, and rum. On Saturday mornings nostalgia and longing for back-home, despite their earlier abandonments, smote their hearts with its hurricane force winds.
I grew to learn the words to Hindi songs like “He, Neele Gagna Ke Tale” before I knew the meaning: Beneath the blue sky…"
Dance is Me
As my eyes opened on a Saturday morning, I could already hear the bhajans, or the latest bollywood soundtrack coming from the stereo. This was my alarm clock. Growing up, music was always around me. I remember spending Sunday afternoons as a child by my grandparents house in Ajax watching Bollywood movies and music videos with all my cousins as our parents socialized in the other room.
Dance has played an important role in my life. I grew up in a very musically and artistically inclined family. I began dancing at a very young age . At first, I was just performing as part of family functions. Dance was just something I tolerated since it was a fun way to hang out with my family and spend more time together. But as I aged, I slowly started to realize how I was able to express myself through dance in ways words never could. Over time it developed into a passion that allowed me to learn more about who I was and fully understand my culture and heritage.
Dance has played an important role in my life. I grew up in a very musically and artistically inclined family. I began dancing at a very young age . At first, I was just performing as part of family functions. Dance was just something I tolerated since it was a fun way to hang out with my family and spend more time together. But as I aged, I slowly started to realize how I was able to express myself through dance in ways words never could. Over time it developed into a passion that allowed me to learn more about who I was and fully understand my culture and heritage.
Brittany Singh on Lesbian Visibility and Leaving a Legacy
“Growing up, I never saw anyone that looked like me talking about their sexuality. Hopefully, some of our followers who may be young or who may be going through difficult times with their sexuality [can see] that there are people who look like them, have those identities, and can also be successful.”
This pride month, I got to speak with Brittany Singh, 27, a Student-at-Law, J.D. based in Ottawa, Ontario. Brittany went to Law school at UOttawa and did her undergrad in Political Science at Queens University. Identifying as lesbian, Brittany does tremendous work for EPIC, a program within the Indo-Caribbean Canadian Association (ICCA) dedicated to LGBTQ2S+ Indo-Caribbean people.
This pride month, I got to speak with Brittany Singh, 27, a Student-at-Law, J.D. based in Ottawa, Ontario. Brittany went to Law school at UOttawa and did her undergrad in Political Science at Queens University. Identifying as lesbian, Brittany does tremendous work for EPIC, a program within the Indo-Caribbean Canadian Association (ICCA) dedicated to LGBTQ2S+ Indo-Caribbean people.
Story is an Indo-Caribbean newsletter designed to bring Canadian Caribbean culture to the forefront. Explore Indo-Caribbean news, identity, and culture online.
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