Dear Editor,
Shri Hari Shanker Adesh (popularly called Professor) recently passed away in Trinidad at the age of 84. He was a celebrated cultural icon for many Indo-Trinis and Indo-Guyanese and their diasporas in North America and the UK. His cultural legacy touched the lives of many, and uplifted the Indian from 1966.
Although he was based in Trinidad, Prof Adesh had tremendous impact on Indian culture, and helped to transform it in Guyana and beyond. He trained Guyanese students and teachers in Hindi, music, dance, and other art forms. He became revered by Indian music and dance artists in the region.
Prof Adesh has left a very rich and lasting cultural legacy in Trinidad and neighbouring Caribbean territories where he visited and lectured, training students in music, dance, Hindi, and Hinduism. His students have settled far and wide, including in North America and the UK. They call him a cultural legend, praising his enormous role in facilitating their cultural elevation. No doubt, he was one of the greatest teachers of music and culture (including theatre and acting) in Trinidad.
Prof Adesh was born in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, India. Rae Bareli was a source of many indentured immigrants to the Caribbean. He was a scholar in Hindi, Indian music, and the Hindu scriptures.
He was a lecturer at a university in Kashmir. He came to Trinidad to perform cultural missionary work with the Indian High Commission (Embassy) in the mid-1960s. Although he was posted in Trinidad, his work was regional. He decided to settle in Trinidad in 1966 with his wife and other family members.
And he founded several organisations to promote culture, not only in Trinidad, but around the region as well. He became an acclaimed teacher of several subjects in the arts, instructing generations of musicians and dancers and Hindi speakers. Guyanese students went to his camps. He advised the public to be proud of their culture, and encouraged patriotic link to Mother India. He also lived in Canada, and here he was close to Indo-Caribbean people, providing guidance and training in the cultural arts.
Prof Adesh won numerous awards and other accolades, but none from his native India for his contributions to the Indian diaspora. He was worthy of the prestigious PBD Samman, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Shri awards, but the Indian Government regrettably did not honour him. He became revered by Indian music and dance artists in the region.
I had memorable encounters with Prof Adesh in Trinidad and in New York. I attended several of his kathaks in countless visits to Trinidad since the early 1980s. I visited his Ashram in Aranguez during trips to Trinidad, and during his visit to New York in May 1995, when he came to deliver a talk on culture and Indian indentureship at a conference I co-organised to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Indian presence in Trinidad.
Basdeo Panday was the guest of honour. Prof Adesh and Panday addressed a packed gathering that included many Guyanese. I learned much about the history of the Indian cultural presence in the Caribbean.
Prof Adesh spoke of his early experience in Trinidad and Guyana teaching music, dance, and Hindi. I reported on his lecture in New York, and also wrote about an interview I conducted with him in the Indo-Caribbean media. And he hosted many camps in Trinidad, where several Guyanese went for training.
He was a stickler for the classics, perfecting authentic Indian arts.
Guyanese scholar Dr. Satish said, “Prof Adesh was excellent in writing Hindi poetry and song. He wrote his own original Hindi songs. He developed and sang his own compositions, and made several LP records that were played by Guyanese. And he helped to change song styles during the late 1960s and 1970s across the region. He sang the songs of how the fore-parents of indentureds crossed the Kala Pani, he revolutionised the teaching and learning of Hindi, and he taught cadres of Hindi teachers who went on to instruct others. His work also cut across racial barriers. He had many African students”.
Professor Adesh told me that when he came to the Caribbean, he was most impressed with the cultural retention and persistence among Indians. But he said Indians were not proficient in their Indian musical beats (drumming, daantal, tabla, harmonium, etc.), classical dancing moves (Bharatnatyam, Kuchipudi, etc.), and pronunciation of Hindi words. He said they knew the basics, but needed guidance for improvement of their skills.
He was a stickler for correct pronunciation of Hindi and for grammar, as well as for musical tones and dance movements. He provided tutoring and training lessons that helped Trinis and others to perfect their spoken Hindi, playing musical instruments, and rendering classical dance performances.
Guyanese scholar Dr. Satish said Prof Adesh’s greatest impact on Guyanese was more on the teaching level of Hindi and music. Students he trained went on to teach others. Virtually no one contributed more to improve and promote Indian culture in the region during the 1960s and 1970s.
His memory lives on in his students, who have been performing in mandirs and concerts in North America and the UK, among other locations.
Those who know him expressed sadness at his demise. His passing has left a huge void in the art, culture, and Hindu scene in the region. His contribution was monumental and very instrumental in the dancing, singing, and religious careers of many.
Yours truly,
Dr Vishnu Bisram
