India will do all she can to help Guyana build a world class stadium and be a host for the 2007 Cricket World Cup, new Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Avinash Gupta, told the Stabroek News in an exclusive interview.

Mr Gupta revealed that the idea of an Indian financed stadium came to him when he visited the Bourda Ground on his initial visit to Guyana in early August of this year. That was clearly not a world class (or World Cup) stadium. Since then, his proposal has been very favourably received in Delhi and his government is currently awaiting concrete proposals from their Guyanese counterparts on construction and financing. He is hopeful that Georgetown will be a worthy and popular venue in 2007.

This gesture is all part of a new thrust for the Indians to develop trading and financial relations with Guyana. “We want to establish an economic base here” he told me over a none too spectacular meal at The Taj Indian Restaurant in Camp Street.

That relationship would, hopefully, include technical help for the Guysuco factory at Skeldon and much more. Away from economics, High Commissioner Gupta is keen to explore Guyana and her cultures and people of all ethnic backgrounds.

First, though, he has some pressing domestic matters to sort out. He and his wife have arrived and are installed in their luxurious suburban Georgetown residence but their household effects are still somewhere on the high seas between Maputo in Mozambique (his last posting) and Georgetown. That makes for rather skeletal and schizoid living.

On the political front, he brings the lessons of peace from Mozambique. That country was restored after a bitter civil war and is now prospering, thanks to social peace. Guyana, with her travails of recent years, might learn from that. All scars are capable of healing.

Mr Gupta arrived properly in Guyana less than two weeks ago after accompanying President Jagdeo on his recent state visit to India. That, he thinks, was a great success. Most especially Mr Jagdeo’s return to his home village in Uttar Pradesh. That scored a hit with the President, his official hosts and the people of the village who had a bonus in the telephone lines installed for the first time to accommodate the new ‘find an ancestor’ website initiated by President Jagdeo and the widespread media interest in that part of the visit.

High Commissioner Gupta is somewhat of a naif in Caribbean affairs having served mainly in Europe and Africa. He has been once before to Jamaica and once to Venezuela. This time round, he is determined that he and his country make their mark.

On and off the cricket field.