Legendary West Indies batter Shivnarine Chanderpaul was born on August 16, 1974, in a Guyanese village named Unity. His parents Kamraj Chanderpaul (father) and Uma Chanderpaul (mother) are Indo-Guyanese or Indian-Guyanese.
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The Indo-Guyanese form the largest ethnic group (around 40%) in Guyana as per the 2012 census. As the name suggests, these people have their roots in the south Asian country of India and its subcontinent. For the unversed, the Indian presence in this Caribbean region has been seen since the 19th century.
Notably, these people had mostly arrived from Bhojpuri-speaking areas of present day north Indian states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Another source of immigration was the Madras Presidency in Southern India, which comprises the present-day state of Tamil Nadu.
As per various reports, these immigrants shared quite a strong religious and cultural bond which perhaps explains why a majority of them managed to settle in the islands.
Is Shivnarine Chanderpaul Of Indian Origin?
Yes. A practicing Hindu till date, Chanderpaul is well and truly of Indian origin. As per credible reports, his ancestors are the descendants of indentured Indian immigrants and settlers who came to British Guiana between 1838 and 1928.
A significant percentage of these Indian immigrants had arrived in Guyana and other Caribbean regions as contract labourers as a result of political unrest and prolonged spell of famines back in the Indian subcontinent.
While a huge section of the Indian-origin population had returned back to their country after the end of the contract term, a few thousand remained here and made this country their permanent home. Till date, these people play a significant role in the political and economical growth of the country.
Due to a dearth of women immigrants in the region, quite a few of these settlers married with African women during the early days. These women, in turn, produced children of mixed blood referred to as “Douglas”. With many more immigrants entering into inter-racial marriages, it resulted in becoming difficult to maintain ethnic exclusivity. Gradually, with people also changing their names, it started becoming nearly impossible to trace their original roots.
Modern-day West Indian cricketers like Nicholas Pooran, thus, have very little idea about the languages spoken, cultural/religious practices etc. of their Indian-origin ancestors.
When Shivnarine Chanderpaul Opened Up On His Struggles As A Practising Hindu
During an interaction with The Guardian in the year 2009, Chanderpaul had remarked how he had to struggle against the cultural difference despite being part of the West Indian team for 15 years.
In order to follow his religion, the left-handed batter stayed away from beef and pork meat. Thus, most of the times, he would struggle to have a proper meal or would have to somehow adjust by having some rice and bread.
“As a Hindu, one of his first challenges was overcoming that cultural difference. I don’t eat beef or pork because of my religion. So, I’d turn up at the ground and not know if there would be any food for me. You’d have a tough session and sometimes there would only be rice or a bit of bread.”
He would also admit the feeling of isolation in the team, and how everyone would mind their own business after leaving the field of play.
