JOIN USIndians in Girmitiya nations trace their roots
The Ministry of External Affairs is helping Indians abroad, especially from Girmitiya countries, trace their roots. Requests have been pouring in over the last few years, said Ashok Das, Joint Secretary, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Das told DH on the sidelines of the discussion on “Connecting Contemporary India to Diaspora in Girmitiya countries: Link to Past for a Shared Future”, the maximum demand is from Mauritius, Suriname and Fiji. “We are working together on this and the ministry has also created a special section and library to trace and compile records. Mauritius has taken the lead is this,” he said.
Prithvirajsin Roopun, Minister for Culture and Arts and Social Integration and Economic Empowerment, Mauritius, said that there was also a need for all Girmitiya countries to collaborate and not to look for support from India alone.
“In Mauritius, we have found and digitally preserved records of the first Indian labourers who were brought to the country. The same records should be maintained In Delhi too,” he said.
He also added that there was a need to preserve Indian sites and Indian literature in other countries. He requested Indians do donate books to libraries in Mauritius and to the Ministry of External Affairs so that more information can be disseminated.
Minister of State for External Affairs Gen V K Singh said the ministry had received many requests from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, where Indians living there wanted to trace their roots. “According to the ministry’s research programme, we are finding records and whatever is a part of the database is also being shared with them,” he said.
Members of Girmitiya countries pointed out that they were keen on teaching the younger generation more Indian languages and not just Sanskrit and Hindi.
The first pravasis
Roopun explained that among the many pravasis, the first ones were those in Girmitiya countries. Around 130 to 140 years ago, 38 Indians from Chota Nagpur were shipped to Mauritius from Calcutta to work in sugar fields, by the British. Later, as a part of the exchange slave trade, from Mauritius, they were sent to other countries including South Africa, Fiji and Vietnam. The place where the first batch of Indians landed at Aapravasi Ghat, today is recognised as a World Heritage site.