Ashook Ramsaran
An Immigrant Success Story
Guyana Journal, December 2007
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I stayed at the YMCA in New York City and checked into the college. I was advised to join up with a few Chinese students from Jamaica and we rented an apartment in Flushing, Queens. I started classes and then obtained a Social Security Card to seek part-time employment that I was able to secure at the publishing company of Random House. I retained that job until I completed my BSEE degree at Polytechnic University. The supervisors at Random House were most helpful and supportive, providing me with extra work to earn more in the summer and on Saturdays. I was aware all along that the means of income at Random House during my school years was a transitional event and would most certainly have to give way to the profession for which I was pursuing studies. Nevertheless, the transitional position was rewarding for several reasons. It allowed me a reasonable source of income to provide for my family as well as afford the tuition and fees. It also provided an environment for learning more about United States society by interacting with more Americans, understanding expectations, dress codes and social behavior, and the work environment. It was a useful learning experience. Upon completion of credits for the two-year Associate’s Degree program, the job market place was bad, so I decided to proceed with more studies at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn. The fees were substantially more and the program more advanced but I worked hard, studied long hours and did very well with Dean’s List every semester, even while carrying a full study load and working to support my family.
Our second son Gerald was born in New York on July 25, 1970 while I was still in school and we were struggling to make ends meet. Upon graduation in 1974, I obtained a position as Junior Engineer with Executone, a national company that designed and manufactured intercommunications products. It was a good job and it paid for me to pursue studies towards the MSEE degree which I obtained in 1977.
All in all, it was quite a lot of struggle for me to work, maintain a family and study such high intensity courses as mathematics, physics, electronic signal processing, etc. But I was determined to carry through with the plan and Camille was very supportive and understanding as we persevered and managed with meager resources, but at the same time making sure the children were not short of anything. During the full time school years, life was harsh but was a challenge we overcame. Things got better when I started to work full time as an engineer.
GJ: What did you yearn for in Corentyne, your dreams?
AR: It is difficult to clearly ascertain what ambitions I had in the earlier stages of my life while in Guyana, with limited opportunities, no available resources and limitations for a vision of a future, years ahead. Having worked in the courts, I would have liked to study law in the United Kingdom and return to practice in Guyana. I would have then settled down to raise a family as the other attorneys have done and become a successful one as well.
But that was not possible because we were poor and my parents would not afford that largesse. When I started studies in the USA, my interest was peaked in the direction of advanced electronics technology and the newer opportunities in electronics as a result of recent discoveries in semi-conductor technologies. I am glad that I was pointed in this direction because of the opportunities it afforded me as well as my likeness for the practical application of math and physics for viable solutions.
In a larger sense, I wanted to see what was beyond the shores of Guyana from the time I listened to BBC on our first radio in 1959. I felt that there had to be more than what I have seen in my village and the villages beyond, and I yearned to explore that. So the urge was there from an early age to leave Guyana, get more education and find out more of what the BBC radio news reported as places, people and things. I felt that eventually, if the opportunity were available, I would leave Guyana and keep my eyes and ears open for any such opportunity. That chance came in late 1967 when I applied for studies in the USA and was accepted with bare minimum financial backing.
GJ: What are your ambitions in life – now?
AR: I consider myself very fortunate indeed to have come this far in life and progressed both personally and professionally, having come from the rice fields of Guyana and with no pre-conceived notion of possibilities while growing up. With the given limitations while growing up, it did not afford thought on ambition, just perhaps thinking of how to get by, one day or event at a time.
Whether by focused hard work and enthusiasm or perhaps more so by some circumstances, I have been able, here and now, doing what I am doing. I am truly grateful. I cannot say this was my ambition but I try to utilize all given opportunities to achieve some measure of progress.
I consider it my duty and obligation to give back in time, talent and resources to society as a measure of gratitude for the many good things in life that have come my way.
I am putting lots of effort into the global Indian Diaspora to bring about more awareness and networking among the many groups and in various countries – to provide them with more strength, cooperation and resilience, to focus on issues of mutual interest and concern. I would like to institute my proposal for global Indian Diaspora leadership training – civic, economic and political. Leadership among the global Indian Diaspora is severely lacking in organization, planning, succession, discipline and accountability. These deficiencies hamper progress on several fronts.
My other ambition is to continue to have a happy family, to continue to nurture good values and civic responsibility among them so that I can leave a legacy of gratitude and goodness.
I would like to leave some sound and principled footsteps in life for others to recognize, evaluate and follow to enhance and improve their respective lives.
My ambition is to travel this journey and leave good tracks while doing so, for others to follow and leave the path more improved than when I first started it.
GJ: You are involved in GOPIO. Talk about your role here?
AR: You are correct – my involvement in the Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) is quite extensive and time consuming as well. I am honored to be serving as the current Secretary General of GOPIO, a position that gives me an opportunity to be actively involved with issues of interest and concern to over 25 million people of Indian origin living outside of India. I am able to interact with Indians throughout the Indian Diaspora, and with officials and organizations in PIO (people of Indian origin) countries. Some of the topics covered include cultural, academic, business, human rights and philanthropy. We are also expanding the goals to include media, youth and women’s issues.
I have contributed significantly to GOPIO’s structural and organizational improvements, applying expertise and acquired management and organizational skills to refinement of GOPIO’s by-laws, definitions of policies, guidelines and mission statements of all GOPIO’s councils, development of chapter and council reporting formats, comprehensive criteria for GOPIO’s annual awards, as well as functional and operational procedures for GOPIO’s Human Rights Council. I have developed the complete mission and organizational structure of GOPIO’s Human Rights Council now posted on GOPIO’s website (www.gopio.net); developed the complete GOPIO Awards Criteria GOPIO’s Annual Community Service Awards now posted on GOPIO’s website. I am also Co-Editor of GOPIO’s semi-monthly newsletter.
My involvement with GOIPIO is obviously more than with the Caribbean/Indo-Caribbean community, although the latter would have been the first choice had similar conditions and structure existed as in GOPIO. My hope is that, as the Caribbean/Indo-Caribbean community matures and becomes more established, there would be more structured grass root civic organizations that would monitor and address those issues which directly and indirectly affect the Caribbean/Indo-Caribbean community as a whole.
GJ: I believe you played a key role in the St John’s University Conference “Coping in America”.
AR: The initial civic effort was founding of the Guyanese East Indian Civic Association (GEICA) to address current, critical issues of interest and concern to the East Indian community of immigrants in the United States. The first project was the 1999 conference titled “Coping in America” hosted at St. John’s University, that examined all aspects of coping, assimilation and adaptation in this new society by our community of immigrants. It was an overwhelming success and catapulted GEICA into the forefront of civic organizations among the East Indian community of immigrants in the United States.
There are many important areas and pressing issues that are part of the objectives but only some of them have been addressed so far, giving interested people to take the responsibilities and available resources. Dedicated and enthusiastic people for these civic duties are few, but we continue to look at ways to get some of the urgent issues to the forefront of civic organizations in the East Indian community of immigrants in the United States.
GJ: Are you involved in other business activities?
AR: Yes. The Caribbean Indian Business Development Center (CIBDC) is a New York based business organization formed by myself and a few colleagues who wanted to establish an effective level of business networking and pro-active advocacy among businesses owned by people originally from the Caribbean now living in North America and the suitable business entities in the Caribbean. In addition, this entity explores opportunities for investments and increased bi-lateral trade with emerging global economic powers such as India. I believe it is a viable enterprise that needs a bit more infusion of interested membership and resources to maximize implementation of its goals.
GJ: Do you maintain links with Guyana? Your thoughts or views or guiding principles?
AR: Views in what respect – social, economic, political, regional? Actually, I am not the expert in this area but I can offer the following response. I was born in Guyana and received a solid basic education there, an education that I am always proud to acknowledge. Having left such a long time ago, I have kept up with some of the details and developments – not as much as others jokingly and sometimes sarcastically tell me that I should. Suffice it to say that I am aware that Guyana has its difficulties with the brain drain and now the muscle drain as more and more are leaving for better opportunities in the USA and Canada, and even other parts of the Caribbean. That is unfortunate but it seems to be a reality. I am sure that this poses problems for the government to keep the educated and trained citizens in the country, while simultaneously the tax base diminishes. In the age of globalization, increasing energy costs, more imports and continuing emigration, I can only surmise the adverse effects on Guyana. In addition, with the increasing energy costs and a volatile global economy, I am sure Pres. Jagdeo and his staff are quite involved in keeping things in balance as well as improving infra-structure and social needs. As always, I am willing to offer my advice and suggestions within my scope of expertise.
My immediate and even extended family members are in USA and Canada, so the social links in Guyana for me are minimal. This is not something that I planned, but it just happened that way over a period of time. I do maintain communication with Mr. Yesu Persaud of Demerara Distilleries, Dr. Prem Misir and Dr. Parsuram Thakur of the University of Guyana, and several others. In May – Jun 2007 I visited Guyana as part of the GOPIO Caribbean trip in conjunction with Minister Vayalar Ravi of Government of India Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) and met with Pres. Jagdeo who suggested that GOPIO hold its regional conference in May 2008 in Guyana in conjunction with the 170th Anniversary of the first arrivals of indentured Indian laborers. I am looking forward to that event. I have noted that there are remarkable changes and improvements in Guyana, and that trend is encouraging.
GJ: Here in New York, how do you see the Caribbean community?
AR: The Caribbean/Indo-Caribbean community has indeed changed from those days when the first handful of us arrived here and struggled to cope in a new land with different ways and expectations. Now there is a very large population residing in the tri-state New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region, and others in Florida and other parts of the country, living in close-knit communities, and with most of the foods that they were accustomed to having in the Caribbean region. There is an increasing level of comfort and affiliation now than in the beginning, and that is a positive change.
It would be not be fair for me to make judgments and draw conclusions based on some of the few adverse behavioral patterns I have observed. That is certainly not representative of the majority of the people. To its credit, the Caribbean/Indo-Caribbean community has dramatically improved itself financially with home ownership, businesses and acquisition of personal wealth. A very visible change is the mobility seen among those in the community relocating to other regions, in particular Florida. Another positive development is the increasing number of youth going on to university levels of the highest caliber and doing well at that level.
While the acquisition of property, businesses and education are very prominent signs of a progressive community, the community still lacks political representation. This is a necessary step and should be a focus for the community leadership to advance in a cohesive manner to maximize the chances at the municipal and state levels.
I would like to see more attention and discussion on community health issues with emphasis on prevention. I urge those who can, to provide more encouragement for education, good social behavior, and doing one’s civic duties such as voting and serving on juries.
I am sure as the community matures and becomes more adaptive, most of these issues will gradually be addressed. However, identifying the critical issues and planning for the future are always preferred sooner than later.
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