Ganesh Chand :

"The story of the indentured workers in Fiji has been painful"

     
  
   L'immigration indienne - l'engagisme indien - dans les plantations tropicales des puissances coloniales européennes au XIXème siècle est un thème que nous avons maintes fois eu l'occasion d'aborder. Si ce phénomène a bien sûr concerné la Réunion, nous l'avons aussi retrouvé, comme d'autres interviews nous l'ont rappelé, aux Antilles et à l'île Maurice notamment. Ganesh Chand nous emmène à présent dans l'archipel des Fidji en plein Pacifique : là-bas aussi les travailleurs indiens sous contrat ont été introduits en nombre, à l'époque où l'empire britannique manquait de main d'oeuvre sur place. Leurs descendants constituent aujourd'hui une composante essentielle de la population fidjienne.

Interview      Site Internet Fijigirmit
Réaction de Satish Rai


Interview

  • IR : Ganesh Chand, please could you first introduce yourself to our visitors ?
          Ganesh Chand, pourriez-vous tout d'abord vous présenter à nos visiteurs ?

    GC : I am a Trustee of the Fiji Institute of Applied Studies, Editor of Fijian Studies : A Journal of Contemporary Fiji, and since 1999, a Member of Parliament in Fiji.


       Je suis administrateur de l'Institut Fidjien des Etudes Appliquées, rédacteur de Fijian Studies: A Journal of Contemporary Fiji et, depuis 1999, membre du Parlement des Fidji.
  • IR : When, why and how did Indian immigration start in Fiji ?
          Quand, pourquoi et comment l'immigration indienne a-t-elle commencé aux Fidji ?


    GC : Fiji became a British colony in 1874. Given that there were numerous wars between various tribes in Fiji during much of the 1800’s, the first colonial Governor of Fiji, Arthur Gordon, introduced a policy of indirect rule. Through this, inter alia, land alienation was banned, and each tribe was encouraged to remain internally self-sufficient. This created a severe shortage of labour for the European owned plantations. People from neighbouring Pacific Island Nations, particularly New Hebrides (now called Vanuatu and Solomon Islands, were taken by European traders, under what is known as the ‘blackbirding system’ to work the plantations in Fiji. But blackbirding was illegal, as well as didn’t produce the necessary quantity of workers. The colonial government then resorted to India for workers. Indentured workers from India were already used by the British colonial government in Mauritius, West Indies and South Africa. The first ship carrying Indian indentured workers, the Leonidas, arrived in Fiji on 15 May 1879. Between then, and 1916, when further recruitment of indentured workers was stopped, 60,965 workers were brought to Fiji.

       Les Fidji sont devenues colonie britannique en 1874. Etant donné les nombreuses guerres entre diverses tribus des Fidji durant une bonne partie des années 1800, le premier gouverneur colonial des Fidji, Arthur Gordon, introduisit une politique de gouvernement indirect. C'est ainsi, entre autres mesures, que toute expropriation territoriale fut interdite, et l'on encouragea chaque tribu à vivre en autarcie. Cela provoqua un lourd déficit de main d'oeuvre pour les propriétaires européens de plantations. Les Européens firent alors venir sur des navires des habitants des archipels voisins, notamment les Nouvelles Hébrides (à présent Vanuatu) et les îles Salomon, pour travailler sur les plantations fidjiennes ; c'est ce que l'on appela le "blackbirding system". Mais ce système était illégal, et de plus ne fournissait pas un nombre suffisant de travailleurs. C'est alors que le gouvernement colonial s'est tourné vers l'Inde pour trouver cette main d'oeuvre. Les colons britanniques avaient déjà eu recours aux travailleurs indiens sous contrat, à Maurice, aus Antilles et en Afrique du Sud. Le premier navire d'engagés indiens, le Leonidas, arriva aux Fidji le 15 mai 1879. Depuis cette date jusqu'en 1916 - où cessa le recrutement de travailleurs sous contrat - 60 965 engagés furent amenés aux Fidji.



Engagés indiens au travail

  • IR : Did the history of this early Indian indentured workers leave any painful memories - as it did elsewhere ?
          L'histoire de ces premiers travailleurs indiens sous contrat a-t-elle laissé des souvenirs douloureux - comme ce fut le cas ailleurs ?


    GC : The story of the indentured workers in Fiji has been painful. Numerous people have documented the abuse and violence of indenture in the country. The colonial government in India had also commissioned official investigations into these, and found that there was systematic violence and oppression of the indentured workers. An indentured worker, Totaram Sanadhya documented the happenings in a report published in India titled Fiji Dweep mein mere Ikees Varsh (My 21 years in Fiji – now published in English as ‘The Story of Haunted Lanes’), which publicly highlighted the plight of the system. In more recent times, researches have documented the violence of indenture in the country. They all paint a grisly picture of the system.


       L'histoire des travailleurs sous contrat aux Fidji a été douloureuse. De nombreuses personnes ont relevé les abus et les violences du système dans le pays. Le gouvernement colonial de l'Inde a aussi commandité des enquêtes officielles, et l'on a constaté qu'il s'exerçait sur les engagés une violence et une oppression systématiques. L'un de ces engagés, Totaram Sanadhya, a témoigné de ce qui se passait dans un rapport publié en Inde et intitulé Fiji Dweep mein mere Ikees Varsh (Mes vingt et un ans aux Fidji - à présent publié en anglais sous le titre ‘The Story of Haunted Lanes’ - L'histoire des chemins hantés) ; il a ainsi publiquement mis en lumière les dysfonctionnements du système. A une époque plus récente, des recherches ont révélé la violence de l'engagisme dans le pays. Elles brossent toutes un tableau effroyable du système.


Engagée indienne

  • IR : Do people in Fiji keep in mind anecdotes or famous characters from this period ?
          Aux Fidji, les gens gardent-ils en tête des anecdotes, des personnages célèbres de cette période ?

    GC : People of Indian origin in Fiji still maintain Hindi as their spoken language. But other than language and food, the memories of indenture is almost absent in present day Fiji. The education curriculum does not contain any history of the system. The ‘purging’ of indenture history from the school curriculum by the colonial regime seems to be a deliberate measure adopted by the colonial regime - which ruled Fiji until 1970
    - to destroy, from the psyche of Indian Fijians, the ‘roots’ of Fiji’s Indian people, as well as to deprive them from seeking inspirations from those who struggled for freedom in Fiji. The post-independence governments have continued with the trend. ‘Indenture’ is now absent not only from official educational record, but also from the memory of present day Indian Fijians.

       Les Fidjiens d'origine indienne continuent de pratiquer le hindi. Mais en dehors de la langue et de la nourriture, le souvenir de l'engagisme est pratiquement absent de nos jours aux Fidji. Les programmes scolaires n'abordent aucunement l'histoire du système. Il semble que le régime colonial - en vigueur jusqu'en 1970 - ait délibérémént expurgé ces programmes de toute référence à l'engagisme, pour détruire, dans l'âme des Indo-fidjiens, les racines indiennes, ainsi que pour les éloigner de l'envie de s'inspirer de ceux qui se sont battus pour la liberté dans le pays. Les gouvernements d'après l'indépendance ont poursuivi dans la même voie. L'engagisme aujourd'hui est non seulement absent du vocabulaire de l'éducation officielle, mais aussi de la mémoire des Indo-fidjiens actuels.


  • IR : Nowadays what is the demographic, social, political... importance of Indian people in Fiji ?
          Actuellement, quelle est l'importance démographique, sociale, politique... des Indiens aux Fidji ?


    GC : Over 95% of present day people of Indian origin in Fiji are descendants of the indentured workers. The rest of the people of Indian origin are descendants of ‘free migrants’, who largely came in search of business opportunities during the early part of the 1900’s. Indian Fijians presently number about 380,000, which is about 43% of the total population of the country.
       The descendants of the free migrants maintained their ties with India ; in most cases, they still maintain properties in India and often marry their children in India.
       Other than this category, the vast majority of Indian Fijians have lost all ties with their relatives in India. For them, Fiji is their home, and their complete allegiance is to Fiji. As such, their significance to the country’s social and political landscape is immense.


       Plus de 95% des actuels Fidjiens d'origine indienne sont des descendants de travailleurs engagés. La partie restante est constituée de descendants d'immigrés libres, qui pour la plupart sont venus en quête d'affaires commerciales dans la première partie du XXe siècle. Les Indo-fidjiens sont actuellement au nombre de 380 000, ce qui représente environ 43% de la population totale du pays.
       Les descendants des immigrés libres ont conservé d'étroites relations avec l'Inde ; dans la plupart des cas ils possèdent toujours des biens en Inde et marient leurs enfants là-bas.
       En dehors de cette catégorie, l'immense majorité des Indo-fidjiens ont perdu tout contact avec leur famille en Inde. C'est aux Fidji qu'ils sont chez eux, et ils sont fidèlement attachés aux Fidji. En conséquence, leur contribution à la vie sociale et politique du pays est considérable.


  • IR : What could you tell about the relations with other ethnic groups in the country ?
          Que pourriez-vous dire au sujet des relations avec les autres groupes ethniques du pays ?


    GC : About 52% of Fiji’s population is ethnic Fijian. A majority of ethnic Fijians are of Melanesian descent, while a significant number, particularly from the Eastern islands, are of Polynesian descent. About 5% of the population is of various other ethnic groups, including those of mixed ancestry.
       The relationship between the main ethnic groups in Fiji has oscillated between harmony and tension. While social intermixing has been significant in the agricultural and urban areas, about a quarter of the ethnic Fijians – mostly those living on about 80 or so inhabited islands other than the 2 main islands – hardly meet ethnic Indians. Their attitude towards Indian Fijians tends to be relatively more hostile than those with whom the Indian Fijians share commonalities as farmers or workers. Since 1987 (when a military coup deposed a democratically elected government), the state has deliberately and systematically put in place measures which divide the two major ethnic groups socially, politically and economically. This has not augured well for building a harmonious Fiji.


       Environ 52% de la population est constituée d'autochtones fidjiens. La plupart sont d'origine mélanésienne, tandis qu'un nombre non négligeable, en particulier dans les îles orientales, sont d'origine polynésienne. Environ 5% de la population sont constitués de groupes ethniques variés, parmi lesquels des métis.
       Les relations entre les principaux groupes ethniques aus Fidji ont balancé entre l'harmonie et la tension. Tandis que le mélange social a été significatif dans les zones agricoles et urbaines, environ un quart des autochtones fidjiens - essentiellement ceux qui vivent en dehors des deux îles principales - ne rencontrent guère les Indo-fidjiens. Leur attitude envers les Indo-fidjiens a tendance à être relativement plus hostile que celle des personnes que côtoient ordinairement les Indo-fidjiens, comme les agriculteurs ou les ouvriers. depuis 1987 (date à laquelle un coup d'état militaire a renversé un gouvernement démocratiquement élu), l'etat a délibérémént et systématiquement mis en place des mesures qui divisent socialement, politiquement et économiquement les deux groupes ethniques majoritaires. Ce n'est pas de bon augure pour la construction d'un pays harmonieux.


  • IR : Do people of Indian descent in Fiji still keep alive religious, linguistic, cultural traditions from the time of their ancestors ?
          Est-ce que les descendants d'Indiens aux Fidji gardent encore vivantes, depuis l'époque de leurs ancêtres, les traditions religieuses, linguistiques et culturelles ?

    GC : Indian Fijians still maintain Hindi as the language of daily use. While conversion to Christianity increased rapidly over the past 30 years, a majority of the Indian Fijians still maintain their religious roots in either Hinduism or Islam. Culturally, there is also a significant ‘Indianness’ in most Indian Fijians. Functions like Holi, Diwali, Eid, etc., are still celebrated with enthusiasm, while dress and food habits are similar to what they are in India now. The ‘Bollywood’ impact on Fiji is also significant.

       Les Indo-fidjiens conservent le hindi comme langue quotidienne. Alors que les conversions au christianisme ont rapidement crû au cours des trente dernières années, une majorité d'Indo-fidjiens gardent leurs racines religieuses, hindoues ou musulmanes. Sur le plan culturel, il existe aussi une indianité significative chez la plupart des Indo-fidjiens. Des fêtes comme Holi, le Dipavali, l'Aïd, etc. sont toujours célébrées avec ferveur, tandis que les habitudes vestimentaires et culinaires sont comparables à celles de l'Inde actuelle. L'impact du cinéma made in Bollywood est également important aux Fidji.


  • IR : Is there any particularity in Hinduism in Fiji ?
          Existe-t-il des particularités dans l'hindouisme aux Fidji ?

    GC : Hinduism in Fiji is, in one respect, unique. The followers of Puranic rituals, which comprise a majority of Hindu’s, have developed a unique form of Ramayan recital, which is not found in India or in other places where Hinduism is practiced. Hundreds of ‘mandalis’ (small clubs) have been established which on Tuesday (and sometimes on Friday) evenings recite the epic Ramayana with music. Other than this uniqueness, most other aspects of Hindu practices – like Gita recital, hawan, etc. - are of the universal form.

       L'hindouisme aux Fidji est, d'une certaine manière, unique. Les adeptes des rituels puraniques, qui constituent une majorité des hindous, ont développé une forme unique de la récitation du Ramayana, que l'on ne retrouve pas en Inde où dans les autres lieux où se pratique l'hindouisme. Des centaines de "mandalis" (petits clubs) se sont constitués, où l'on récite l'épopée du Ramayana, le jeudi soir (et parfois le vendredi). En dehors de cette caractéristique unique, la plupart des autres aspects de la pratique hindoue - tels que la récitation de la Gita, le hawan (rituel du feu), etc. - correspondent aux formes universellement répandues.


  • IR : Could you tell us about Muslims of Indian descent, especially about their culture ?
          Pourriez-vous nous parler des musulmans d'origine indienne, notamment de leur culture ?

    GC : There are numerous mosques and ‘marqaz’s’ in Fiji. Like the people of other faith, Muslims are also very passionate about Islam. Eid and Prophet Mohammed’s birthdays are popular functions in Fiji’s calendar ; the latter (together with Diwali, Easter and Christmas) is also marked as a public holiday. Other than for religion, in all other respects, the Muslims are like the non-Muslim Indian Fijians in Fiji.

       Les Fidji comptent de nombreuses mosquées et "marqaz". De même que les fidèles d'autres religions, les musulmans sont vraiment passionnés par l'islam. L'Aïd et l'anniversaire du Prophète Mohammed sont des dates de fêtes incontournables dans le calendrier fidjien ; l'anniversaire du Prophète correspond d'ailleurs (au même titre que le Dipavali, Pâques ou Noël), à un jour férié officiel. Sur les autres plans que religieux, les musulmans ne se différencient pas des autres Indo-fidjiens de l'archipel.


  • IR : Nowadays, what are the relations between Fiji (Indian community especially) and India ? Between Fiji and the Indian diaspora around the world ?
          De nos jours, quelles sont les relations entre les Fidji (en particulier la communauté indienne) et l'Inde ? Entre les Fidji et la diaspora indienne dans le monde ?


    GC : Other than for the descendants of free migrants, there is insignificant relationship between Indian Fijians and India. Strangely, Bollywood – films, music, and occasion visits of actors and musicians from India – seems to be the only tie which is well known, and in fact cherished. During the more recent years, some religious ‘gurus’ have been coming to Fiji and preaching Gita, Ramayan or Sai Baba’s virtues. The Indian High Commission provides some scholarships to Fijians of all races for studies in India. Other than this, the interface between ‘official India’ and the average Indian Fijian in the country is non-existent.
       In 1989 – which was two years after a military coup in the country – Indian Fijians began building links with the Indian disapora. They became co-founders of GOPIO, and have remained a strong voice in this organization. They also actively participated in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in 2003 and in 2004. The links with Indians in countries other than India are also being gradually strengthened. On individual or organizational basis, Indian Fijians they have built strong links with people in Guyana, Trinidad and Mauritius. But links with other countries are largely absent, or not widely known.


       Hormis le cas des descendants d'immigrés libres, les relations entre les Indo-fidjiens et l'Inde sont insignifiantes. Bizarrement, c'est Bollywood - à travers les films, la musique et les occasionnelles visites d'acteurs et de musiciens venus d'Inde - qui semble constituer le seul lien bien établi et vraiment apprécié. Au cours des années les plus récentes, divers gurus religieux sont venus aux Fidji pour prêcher les vertus de la Gita, du Ramayana ou de Sai Baba. La Haute Commission Indienne distribue quelques bourses d'études à des Fidjiens de toutes origines pour poursuivre des études en Inde. En-dehors de cela, la connexion entre l'"Inde officielle" et l'Indo-fidjien moyen est inexistante.
       En 1989 - deux ans après le coup d'état militaire dans le pays - les Indo-fidjiens ont commencé à instaurer des contacts avec la diaspora indienne. Ils sont ainsi devenus co-fondateurs de la GOPIO, et sont toujours très écoutés au sein de cette organisation. Ils ont aussi activement participé au Pravasi Bharatiya Divas en 2003 et 2004. Les liens avec les Indiens présents dans d'autres pays que l'Inde se renforcent aussi graduellement. A titre individuel ou à travers des organisations, les Indo-fidjiens ont établi des liens solides avec des gens du Guyana, de Trinidad et de Maurice. Mais les liens avec d'autres contrées sont largement absents, ou méconnus.


  • IR : Do you think it would be possible and useful that Indian people in Fiji and Reunion Island start cultural (and other) exchanges ?
          Pensez-vous qu'il serait possible et utile que les descendants d'Indiens aux Fidji et à la Réunion établissent des échanges culturels (et autres) ?


    GC : It is certainly possible, and in fact desirable for Indian Fijians and people in Reunion Island to start cultural and other exchanges. It has been most unfortunate that so far there has been no communication between individuals or groups in these places. But with a much better communication technology now widely available, there is no excuse for communication, exchange, and travel between the two countries.

       Il est certainement possible, et même réellement souhaitable, que les Indo-fidjiens et les gens de la Réunion amorcent des échanges, culturels et autres. Il est très dommage que jusqu'à présent il n'y ait eu aucune communication entre individus ou entre groupes de ces deux contrées. Mais avec les nouvelles possibilités de communications aujourd'hui disponibles grâce à la technologie, il n'y a plus d'excuses pour que les contacts, les échanges et les voyages ne se développent pas entre les deux pays.


  • IR : Could you tell us more about your website ?
          Pourriez-vous nous parler davantage de votre site Internet ?


    GC : Fijigirmit.org was established in 2004 to mark the 125th anniversary of the first arrival of Indian indentured workers in Fiji. The site is a project of the Fiji Institute of Applied Studies, an independent academic research and publishing house in the country. It is managed by a special project committee comprising professionals. The reception to the site has been overwhelming, with people from throughout the world, particularly Indian Fijians who have left Fiji, visiting the site and taking inspiration from it. In addition, fijigirmit.org is perhaps the only site exclusively dedicated to indentured workers anywhere in the world. It is unique in this respect as well. We intend to enhance it further, and if adequate interest were shown from the descendents of indentured workers in other countries, work towards greater collaboration between fijigirmit.org and others outside Fiji, particularly those who are descendents of indentured workers elsewhere.

       Fijigirmit.org a été créé en 2004 pour marquer le 125ème anniversaire de l'arrivée des premiers travailleurs indiens sous contrat aux Fidji. Le site est une émanation de l'Institut Fidjien des Etudes Appliquées, une institution indépendante de recherche universitaire et d'édition. Il est dirigé par un comité de projet spécial, comprenant des professionnels. Le site a été incroyablement bien accueilli, avec des visiteurs du monde entier, en particulier des Indo-fidjiens expatriés ; certains se sont même inspirés du site De plus, fijigirmit.org est peut-être le seul site au monde exclusivement dédié aux travailleurs sous contrat. Il est aussi unique à cet égard. Nous comptons bien le développer encore et - si un intérêt suffisant se manifeste de la part de descendants d'engagés dans d'autres contrées - travailler dans la perspective d'une plus grande collaboration entre fijigirmit.org et d'autres, hors des Fidji, particulièrement avec ceux qui sont descendants de travailleurs engagés, où qu'ils soient.


A bord du navire emmenant les travailleurs
indiens vers les Fidji.
Cette photo comme les deux précédentes est présentée
avec l'accord de fijigirmit.org

 

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Site Internet

     Le site Fijigirmit ( www.fijigirmit.org ) propose d'ores et déjà un menu assez copieux, en anglais bien sûr. Les textes, variés, sont aussi bien des documents historiques, des articles et essais, des interviews, des histoires vraies ou même des poèmes. Des galeries d'images apportent un complément utile et intéressant. Des rubriques habituelles sur la Toile se retrouvent au fil des pages : forum, lettre d'information... Sans oublier des thèmes plus spécifiques : en particulier une librairie mais aussi la page "Tracking ancestors" (rechercher ses ancêtres).      
  

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Réaction de M. Satish Rai
Mr Satish Rai's reaction

(Letter to Indes réunionnaises webmaster)

     Dear Philippe,
   I am a film maker and researcher with girmitiya ancestry now based in Sydney. I have been involved in Discovering Your India Roots Project since 1994 and have produced two films on this subject so far. I am the general secretary of the International Girmit Congress Inc. Presently I am engaged in Doctor in Creative Arts research on the issue of Identity among the Indo-Fijians living in Fiji and in the Indo-Fijian Diaspora.
   Firstly let me thank you for taking an interest in people of Indian origin of Fiji and congratulate you for adding a virtual interview with Dr Ganesh Chand on you wedsite. The interview is very well conducted and will provide a better understanding of the Indo-Fijians in Fiji to your readership.
   However there are certain information provided in the interview which I consider incorrect or misleading. In my view if they remain so then wrong or misleading views about the Indo-Fijian community my be perpetuated indefinitely. I hope you will be able to inform your readership about my thoughts on the subject.
   I do not support Dr Ganesh's view that "Indenture' is now absent not only from official educational record, but also from the memory of present day Indian Fijians". I have been researching on Discover Your Indian Roots Project for some 10 years now. In this capacity I attended the Indian Week held last year in Fiji-during which I held information sessions on Milaap-Discover Your India Roots in Suva. Despite only a few days publicity some 900 people came to see us over the week long sessions. Additionally I have had great response to my Milaap project from whoever I met during my travels in Fiji. This demonstrates that even now, the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation Indo-Fijians still remember Girmit and girmityas and are very keen to discover their ancestral roots,
   During the same period I managed to assist some 100 of these people extract the Girmit passes of their ancestors from the national achieves in Fiji. Since information about Milaap Project appeared on this website I had constant flow of correspondence from Indo-Fijians from all over the world about tracing their roots in India. Over the years I have met a number of people from Fiji who have already traced their roots in India or are in the process of doing so. So far only a very small percentage of the Indo-Fijians who I have spoken to-numbering in several thousands, not even 5% categorically stated that they did not want to discover their roots in India. From my experience of living in Fiji since childhood to age of 23yrs and as the originator of Milaap project, almost every Indo-Fijian in Fiji has a desire to trace their roots back in India. It is just that no one in Fiji has brought up this subject or provided assistance to anyone wishing to trace their roots in India. I would like to bring to your attention a letter written to the website and its reply :

      "Dear Sir/Madam,

      I am a british born Indian of Fijian Indian parentage. It is my sincere wish to relocate to India and be able to claim my heritage. Unfortunately, I will be unable to do so until I can offer proof of passage of one of my great grandparents. I have been seeking this information a long time and only fell upon your site this evening. please kindly let me know if you can help me as I am unaware of what records you hold or where I should be looking.

     In kind anticipation

        Lata Lakhan
        21/4/2004"

      "Sorry, we can't help you with this. Our organisation has no funding (yet). Your task is not impossible but it definitely takes time. This is what Dr. Brij Lal's new book says about this emigration passes to India :"Subsequently they were transferred to the National Archives of Fiji where a full set of 60,965 of the originals is available in some 240 large folios. The National Library of Australia has a copy of all the Passes on microfilm and these were used in my research." So you would have to travel to Fiji to search for yourself. Sorry for not being able of more help."

      In my opinion the reply was most unhelpful-to say the least. Suggesting to someone to travel from the other side of the world to carry out a search, which takes at most half an hour-(with sufficient information in hand), in my opinion shows lack of knowledge or committment or both. I have been able to assist people to extract immigration passes of their ancestors from my office in Sydney!
   To one question Dr Ganesh states: "Other than this category, the vast majority of Indian Fijians have lost all ties with their relatives in India. For them, Fiji is their home, and their complete allegiance is to Fiji. As such, their significance to the country's social and political landscape is immense."

      I think Dr Ganesh has got this wrong. This is demonstrated by the undeniable fact that nearly 100,000 Indo-Fijians have fled Fiji since the first coups of 1978 in Fiji. Today for the vast majority of the descendants of the Fiji girmityas the priority is to leave Fiji permanently. During the India week last year I saw it for myself that even school children had greater feelings for India than Fiji-seen clearly during India Week cultural programs. Most people believe that almost all of the remaining Indo-Fijians will leave Fiji permanently, if given slightest of chance to do so.

   To your question "What could you tell about the relations with other ethnic groups in the country ?" unlike Dr Ganesh, I believe that there is rampant racism against the Indo-Fijians by the native Fijians in all spheres of life. The fact thatIndo-Fijians are denied the right to purchase land in the country where they are born in and are citizens of is a form of apartheid similar to that existed in South Africa. This fact is known to every Indo-Fijian and it is about time that the whole world knows about it. Below is one of the articles by the former PM of Fiji, Mr Chaudhary, whose views are nearer to the truth. There are more of his articles on the Labour Party website http://www.flp.org.fj/. I believe that shielding the whole truth in favour of political correctness or for some other motives will not assist the cause of the descendants of Fiji's grimityas!
   This is one of the articles:

      "Former Prime Minister and National Farmers Union general secretary Mahendra Chaudhry lashed out at traitors who tried to ingratiate themselves with the oppressors to serve their own interests at the expense of the community.
   He made the comments during the official launching of the magazine titled Children of the Indus as part of the celebrations of the arrival of the girmityas to Fiji, which was held at the Fiji Teachers Union Hall yesterday.
    "We strive for acceptance from others yet some of our own stab us in the back which is a sad part of our history that we as a community must recognise," he said. "One has to look at what happened to the Agricultural Land Tenure Act in 1976, the Coalition Government in 1987 and to the People's Coalition Government in 2000, where the spoilers in all these cases were the self-serving in the Indo- Fijian community," he said.
   Mr Chaudhry said it was also the rich and the powerful working against the interests of the farmers, the workers and the poor.
   "At the time of each coup, these people from within our own ranks were behind-the-scene instigators, the financiers of the coup and the destabilisation campaigns," he said.
   "The history of the Indo-Fijian people in Fiji have no dull moment. If we are not oppressed by others, we fight among ourselves which keeps the story line moving and the excitement and tension remain vibrant throughout."
   "Even today, we are denied our political rights in the land of our birth, we are still fighting against racially motivated statutory discrimination in all aspects of life despite a very liberal constitution that guarantees us equal citizenship rights and equal opportunities."
   "Our people have been subjected to three racially instigated coups that have deprived them of their legitimate constitutional rights to participate in the formation of a government and to help formulate national policies."

   To your question "Do you think it would be possible and useful that Indian people in Fiji and Reunion Island start cultural (and other) exchanges ?" I have this to say: I am attaching an article I sent to a number of individuals last year: Dr Ganesh also sent his opinion about this but as I recall it, he was not supportive of the idea. As is clear from our proposal of International Girmit Sammelan/as and formation of International Girmit Congress Inc in Sydney, we firmly believe that there is need of far greater interactions amongst the Global Girmit community.  (In absence of any other single unifying name for the global descendants of indentured Indians, we are putting forward "Girmit" as the universal word until such time when a replacement can be agreed upon).

  INTERNATIONAL 'GIRMIT' SAMMELAN
('Girmit' refers to the descendents of indentured Indian labourers)
  The Background
   I have been promoting the idea of collaboration between India and the international girmit community for some ten years now. During this period I have written papers, travelled to India three times, produced three documentaries and worked with the government of India Tourist Office in Sydney on promoting travel to India.
   Today there are up to ten million descendents of Indian indentured Indians (fondly referred as 'Girmityas') living away from India. The term girmit and hence girmityas arose because the indentured Indians could not pronounce the word agreement which they signed to become indentured labourers. They called it 'girmit'. The word stuck and now has become an important part of vocabulary when discussing the indentured Indians. They are now fondly referred as girmityas and their descendents are now referred as children of girmityas.
   Initially some one million girmityas were taken mainly by the British Raj to work on their sugar cane plantations. Now numbering some ten million the majority of the descendents of girmityas still live in the countries where the girmityas were takento. They include Mauritius, South Africa, Guyana, Surinam, Trinidad & Tobago and Fiji. However a fair proportion million live in the western world including the UK, Holland, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
   One important part of my ten year long work has been DISCOVER YOUR INDIAN ROOTS. The aim of the project is two fold. Firstly, it seeks to unite the children of girmityas with their ancestral land and relatives in India. Secondly, it is designed to financially benefit India through increased tourism and financial and skills investment by the children of girmityas.
   Upon learning about Up Government's Discover Your Roots project, in 2000-2001 I visited Uttar Pradesh Tourist Office in Lucknow and met Mr Desh Deepak Verma, the person who claims to have started Discover Your Roots project in UP. He spoke about the project and I shot some footage with him and his officers for my documentary 'Milaap-Discover Your Indian Roots'.
   A Proposal
   During our conversation I mentioned to Mr Verma some of my thoughts on organising an International Girmit Sammelan in Uttar Pradesh. Mr Verma agreed that such event should take place but unfortunately no further discussion took place between us since then.
   There are several reasons why such event should be held, maybe in Uttar Pradesh:
1.     The majority of girmityas were either from Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. Maybe a joint UP and Bihar venture is called for. I believe Lucknow has the infrastructure to organise and host such event.
2.     The international girmitya community has some specific needs and aspirations which are different from the rest of the Diasporic Indian community. This fact was amply demonstrated during the recently concluded Pravasi Bharatiya as. It is felt by many that the  Pravasi Bharatiya as was more Non resident Indian (NRI) focussed rather than PIO focussed, the girmitya community falling into the People of Indian Origin (PIO) category.
3.     I also mentioned to Mr Verma that migrants from Indian states such as Punjab and Gujarat were contributing enormously towards the economical growth of their respective states. Same can be done by the PIO's for the economy of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
4.     The leadership of Indian states such as Punjab and Gujarat are actively engaged in dialogue with their overseas migrants. In return they are benefiting from the contributions of those migrants.
5.     By holding the event in UP/Bihar, the leadership of these states will be engaging in direct dialogue with the children of migrants from these states. (A similar event can be organised in Madras for girmitya migrants from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh).
6.     The Pravasi Bharatiya as had Bollywood and music as major draw factor. I believe the Girmit Sammelan should draw upon the sporting success of the girmitya community, specially in cricket and Golf. Vijay Singh and Dinesh Chand of Fiji have put the girmityas firmly on international golf scene. The success of the girmitya community is well known in cricket with international cricketers such as Alvin Kallicharan, Shiv Narayan Chanderpaul et all. If events can be organised around these international girmitya sports people in Uttar Pradesh/Bihar, I am sure it will attract massive interest from the international girmitya community, local Indian people and the international media. This can be complemented by girmitya music and by presence of Bollywood personalities originating from UP/Bihar-Amitabh Bachchan and Shatruhan Sinha.
7.     This event can also target the girmitya business people, with view to offering them opportunities to invest in UP/Bihar or to import from these estates. It can also target people who wish to carry out social projects in these states.
8.     I believe that just by attracting girmitya tourists to their ancestral land will generate substantial revenue in form of transport, accommodation, food and entertainment.
9.     Although Pravasi Bharatiya as had many plusses, it did not provide opportunities as listed above.
10.  The Girmit Sammelan should be over a week or two, allowing for all the activities, including special sightseeing tours to the state's icons and visits to some of the villages where roots of the girmityas have been discovered.
11.  A video documentation should be made of the whole event for subsequent promotion of the theme in the international girmitya community.

   I believe an international event such as International Girmit Sammelan on the footsteps of Pravasi Bharatiya as will be very beneficial for India as well as the international girmitya community.

   Compiled by Satish Rai (BA Hons, MA)

   As I have mentioned before the above critique is designed to provide an alternate view about plights and situation of the Indo-Fijian community. I understand others may have different views to mine and would welcome their views if they are put forward to further the cause of the Indo-Fijian community or the Girmit community.

Satish Rai

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