PANDIT Reepu Daman Persaud has lauded Guyanese for accepting each other's culture and religion and has called on them to continue "so that we can build a land from which we can all benefit."

Pandit Persaud, also President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, said so at a function at the Albion Complex Sunday. The function was part of the Dharmic Sabha's annual celebration to commemorate the arrival of East Indians to Guyana.

The Sabha has, for the past three decades, celebrated the arrival of Indians in all the regions of Guyana. On Tuesday evening at the Uitvlugt Compound, West Demerara, the Sabha hosted the visiting Indian troupe. The huge crowd was treated to Bhangra dancing and Bhojpuri songs, and substantial local presentations.

A section of the gathering at the satsangh at the Rama Krishna Mandir yesterday

And yesterday, Pandit Persaud told the gathering at the Rama Krishna Mandir on Barr Street, Kitty that indentureship is an "integral part of our history which should not simply be commemorated, but deeply reflected upon, so that we could appreciate the experience."

The journey from India to Guyana was a journey of life itself, which exposed the immigrant to severe hardships, challenges and oppression which our ancestors "withstood and countered with their inherent faith and in the final analysis triumphed," Persaud said.

At the Rama Krishna Mandir yesterday.

He added that it goes without saying that their contribution has been magnificent.

"From their experiences, we can learn many lessons which can help us to craft a better future for the good of everyone," he said yesterday.