By Staff Reporter
Well known Guyanese and Indo-Caribbean patriot Dr. Vishnu Bisram, a political commentator and news reporter and a pollster in the West Indies, was honored in Fiji in May at a public reception “for lifelong humanitarian and volunteer service to Diasporas globally and for extraordinary academic achievements”.
The award was given by Janhitkari Sewa Sansthan, an Indian organization that spreads goodness globally through volunteerism. Dr Bisram was recognized by this NGO for his commitment to serve humanity in Indian diaspora countries.
Dr. Bisram has been involved in humanitarian and community affairs in the USA since in the late 1970s when he arrived there to pursue tertiary studies. He started community activism from the time he arrived working with Guyanese, Trinidadian, Jamaican, and South Asian immigrants. Dr Bisram is the holder of multiple degrees in the natural and social sciences and in educational administration.
He said his recognition and extraordinary academic achievements are due to hard work, dedication, and commitment to various humanitarian and charitable causes and working closely to uplift the lives of Guyanese and other immigrants in America. “I fought the hell to get an education while serving others, and I fought my own battle as well as the battle for Guyana while serving to uplift lives of less fortunate,” he said.
Dr. Bisram donates funds and time regularly to myriad social causes and organizations in Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Fiji, the US, and India. He also regularly helps with the Christmas and other festival luncheons and occasional outing activities for the elderly in Queens through the Indo Caribbean Federation and various Hindu religious organizations. He has tutored junior high school students in preparation for entrance exam to select (magnet) high schools in New York City; he worked closely with USA Arya Samaj and Indo Caribbean Federation to organize program and refreshments for participants in their various activities, and he tutored students individually in their homes gratis.
Dr. Bisram is among a small group of Guyanese in the Diaspora who participated in the struggle to bring democracy and fair and free elections to Guyana in 1992. He spent decades in that struggle. In fact, he co-founded several political and socio-cultural organizations with Dr. Baytoram Ramharack, Vassan Ramracha and Ravi Dev. Amjng some organizations he founded included the World Union of Guyanese and the Jaguar Committee for Democracy and the Indian Caribbean Federation. He also penned articles in various newspapers, including India Abroad, News India, India Monitor, Asia On Line, West Indian News, and Caribbean New Yorker, as a component of the struggle. And he did voluntary reporting on activities pertaining to the Guyanese and Trinidadian diasporas in America.
