President Richards: We must strive to build on successes of the past

AS A nation, we must resist the pull towards notions of superiority, particularly concerning race. And if the guideposts of history are not leading us to higher heights, then current events as reported from many regions of the world, in vivid detail, should caution us.

That is the message of President George Maxwell Richards on the celebration of Indian Arrival Day. His Excellency said we must strive together to build on successes of the past, recognising at all times to appreciate the threads that our ancestors and we ourselves have brought so far, to the tapestry of life in Trinidad and Tobago. The President noted that in celebrating the arrival of East Indians to our shores, we were acknowledging the precious resource of human endeavour that has been contributed to the development of the nation by East Indian immigrants and their progeny. He further said that in embracing the traditions of India, purity of form has given way to influences in the  local context that have made us different and special, somewhat an enigma. He said people should regard as a special blessing the positive effects that exposure to other cultures without our national borders can have.