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As a great grandchild whose fore parents slaved as indentured labourers on the plantations of British Guiana I strongly support the Kolkata Memorial.
Our foreparents decided that the economic conditions in India at the time were getting from bad to worse and they had to find avenues to improve themselves and families. They were prepared to take the risk; leaving the shores of India which was in a depressed state; to a far off city which they knew nothing of; to start over a new life. . They were recruited mostly from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, small numbers from Bengal and approximately 10% from Madras which is today known as Chennai and adjoining states like Kerala and Andhra
Pradesh.
The ship depot was at the Hooghly River in Kolkata. The majority of them with the exception of a few from Madras had to board the ship at the Kolkata docks which has now been identified as the original site of boarding vessels. They had to leave all their friends and families behind and cross the Kala Pani which was considered taboo in those days. They suffered much onboard ship; food and hygiene were very poor. Our foreparents were determined, persevering and pioneering groups of men and women who arrived with very few utensils, very little clothing; a sari for the women and dhoti for the men. They were put to work two days after arriving on the sugar plantations of Demerara. They worked from 5am to late in the evenings and upon return home had to prepare their measly meal for dinner. They were determined to succeed in the new land and subsequently did. The current generation attests to this. From their meagerly savings and working little kitchen gardens many were able to save sums of money to start trading. Others who served in the rice and cattle industries had become ‘prosperous coolies’ a term used in those days. In less than 100 years they were in the professions in business, in farming and indeed they pioneered the rice industry which is one of the premier industries of Guyana today. Without their hard work on the sugar plantations the sugar industry would have died after the abolition of slavery.
During the hardships, they forged a special relationship called ‘jahaji’ – where the ships brothers and sisters whilst on the sugar plantations always tried to visit their brothers and sisters. This was to weld them close together. Nevertheless, many died and had to be dumped unceremoniously overboard.
The Kolkata Memorial would be considered a sacred place for thousands. Statistically 240,000 crossed the Kala Pani and less than 30,000 returned. The others remained to help carve out a new nation, nation of Guyana along with all the other immigrants that were brought in building a new nation.
There are some outstanding names of Guyanese humble parentage, whom have made tremendous contributions to the world at large. We have some giants not only in Guyana but around the world who have contributed much to the world and have made India proud indeed.
I personally being a founder member of GOPIO am very proud that Mr. Ashook Ramsaran, a fellow country man; has played such a major role in getting the India Government and the Bengal Government to recognize the importance of the Kolkata Memorial and to create a memory for posterity to remember our foreparents who left India to create new countries, wealth and the highest professional standards that can hardly be considered
elsewhere.
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