Hakkas in Tangra, India

[Kelvin & Henri <kachie-hakit@account-pro.com>]

Dear Dominic,
I am posting part of your letter that you had sent me on the asiawind
forum. I am sure all my new Hakka friends that I've been chatting with in
cyberspace would like to hear the latest news about the Hakkas from Tangra,
Calcutta. It's really nice to get first hand information from you. The
asiawind forum is a place for all of us to discuss what's important to us.
Maybe this will give the other Hakkas that live elsewhere something to
think about, and we'll have comments, replies, or reactions. 

I hope lots of people are reading my message because the Toronto Hakka
conference coming up in Dec. 28-30, see http://www.members.home.net/hakka 
is the first of its kind in the whole history of Canada. All are welcomed
to attend. For more information, contact Dr. Keith Lowe, the co-ordinator
of the conference at hakka@home.com
Sincerely,
Henrietta.


Dear Henrietta,
Thank you very much for your information.  Through you I have received a
loadful of e-mails from our Tangra Hakkas brethrens who had migrated to
Canada.

I  have a lot of relatives and friends in Canada. But I was not aware that
most of you are doing a great service to the Hakka community by trying to
preserve and enrich our culture by organizing such an event.  Kudos and
Congrats to all of you!!!  I will try to spread the message regarding the
Hakka conference in Toronto. Hope a lot of dynamic people will participate
and a lot of constructive ideas will emerge.

I am not surprised that Prof. Ellen has aptly chosen the title of her book
as "Blood, Sweat & Mahjong". I know how most of the Indian chinese had
struggled in life to overcome their poverty. I look forward to reading her
book and will of course be happy to find all the characters as alive and
true as I am seeing them now this very moment!!!

We have prepared a diary which lists some important chinese festivals and a
brief description of how the Indian chinese celebrates them.  For next year
we are planning to prepare a diary about the different chinese communities
scattered all over India. We have also started a quarterly newsletter in
English. Hope to make this newsletter a medium to exchange ideas among the
community.

It is not our intention to eliminate all the other associations.  All the
associations and groups are doing a great job in their own little ways and in
their own fields of work.  But if we can all unite together for a common cause
like organizing and celebrating the New Year together, fighting injustice,
etc.  I suppose we all can contribute more effectively to the society.

I am really surprised to learn that you are from Trinidad. Which type of
Hakka do you speak ?  We speak  Mei- xien (Moi Yan) Hakka.  I do have some
relatives in Mauritius.
With regards.
Dominic

> Dear Dominic Lee,
> There's a Tangra Hakka website that might interest you, it's done by Kuo
> Liao(he's originally from Tangra).
> http://www.yucc.yorku.ca/~kuo/index2.html
>
> Prof. Ellen's Oxfeld's research on the Tangra Hakkas and some of her work
> history is located at,
> http://www.middlebury.edu/~soca/oxfeldvitae.html
>
> Prof. Oxfeld's book on the Tangra Hakkas sold 1.6 million copies in the
> hardcover version, you can purchase it through amazon.com, it was published
> in the U.S. It's called, "Blood, Sweat and Mahjong. Family Enterprise in an
> Overseas Chinese Community".
> Henrietta Akit.