of Paradeep in Orissa to Bali. The voyage is known as Bali Yatra. The earliest historical record is in Ujung Kulon National Park, West Java. An early
Hindu archeological relic of a Ganesha statue from the 1st Century AD has been found on the summit of Mount Raksa in Panaitan Island. The next
historical record is in the area of Kutai on the Mahakam River in east Kalimantan. Three rough plinths dating from the beginning of the fourth century
are recorded in the Pallavi script of India. The inscription reads: “A gift to the Brahmin priests”. This inscription is followed by the famous Batu Tulis
(stone writing) near Bogor in Western Java.
During the 8th and 9th century, the world’s largest Buddhist complex Borobudur (see image below) and Prambanan the largest Hindu temple complex
in Indonesia were built near Yogyakarta in Central
Java. In the 10th Century, students were sent to
Nalanda Buddhist University in N.E. India.
Hindu elements are an integral part of Indonesian
culture, which was mostly Hindu or Buddhist
before the spread of Islam in the 14th century; for
example, Indonesia’s national airline is named
Garuda, after the bird-like mount of the Hindu god
Vishnu. The Hindu epic, The Ramayana, became
very influential in the cultural life of the region
which is retold in multiple local variants. One of
the most interesting phenomena in history is the
spread of Indian culture to Indonesia, and Southeast Asia which mostly did not involve conquest until the campaigns of Rajendra Chola I, ruler of the
Chola dynasty, who invaded the Indonesian state of Srivijaya in 1025 CE.
Interestingly, there is little evidence that the spread of Indian culture in Southeast Asia occurred overland. For example, the oldest states in Myanmar of
the Irrawaddy river valley, seem to have been influenced by maritime trade with South India, because their script is derived from the Tamil Pallava script.
The Pallava script is also the origin of most Southeast Asian scripts, like Thai, Khmer, and Javanese. It is not surprising that Indian religious beliefs and
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motifs began to influence the emerging Southeast Asian societies, resulting in the localization of many aspects of Hindu-Buddhist culture in Southeast
Asia.
India and Cambodia: A rchaeologist R. Nagaswamy has this to say about the cultural connections between Cambodia and India. To understand Indian
culture completely, one must visit Angkor Wat. Our connection with South East Asia is documented from the third century BCE, the time of Emperor
Ashoka. He sent his Buddhist emissaries to Thailand and also to Cambodia, which was then a great
power. But there is reason to believe that there was contact from the 1st century BCE. Chinese annals
say that when Chinese travellers came to Cambodia then, they found a significant colony of Brahmins
there. The contact between South India and Cambodia was mostly through the sea. From the mouth
of the Cauvery and the Krishna, people travelled along the coast to the Gulf of Thailand and landed
in the country. M erchants from India came to Cambodia — attested by potteries belonging to
1st century AD from India. They carried the Brahmi script from India to Thailand,
Cambodia and other South East Asian countries.
The earliest inscriptions — 3rd and 4th century AD — are in Sanskrit in Pallava grantha. The
earliest written inscriptions relate to a Cambodian queen, Kula Prabhavati, who established a temple
to Vishnu in the kingdom. Another inscription pertains to a prince named Gunavarman, who
established another temple to Vishnu where he consecrated Vishnu Pada as advised by Brahmanas.
Regarding the building of temples, the earliest available structures resemble Gupta architecture. From
the 8th century arose granite structures look like South Indian temples. There is definite evidence of
the South Indian style of architecture but it had its own expression. The iconography too was
influenced by our culture. From the sixth century onwards, both Sanskrit and Tamil were used in
government documents in Khmer. Bilingual inscriptions are seen in Khmer from the 6th century —
in the regional language of Khmer and in Sanskrit. The regional language became classical because of
contact with Sanskrit. The kings were called Rajendravarman, Jayavarman, Indravarman — Varman
is traditionally Sanskrit. Vastu Sastra and astronomy were followed in the Khmer kingdom. Hanuman
is also regarded as a god in Cambodia. After the 14th century, the land turned to Buddhism owing to
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the influence of Sri Lanka. There is so much evidence of our cultural impact in Cambodia that we could spend years studying it in great detail.
Many other countries in this part of Asia have a special relationship with India and a more recent and current connection - Singapore, Pakistan are few of
them. We will explore Pakistan’s relationship in detail later using different sources. For now it is time for student’s to conduct some research on their
own.
Angkor Wat, Cambodia here P hoto Source
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An Archaeological connection: However, few know that the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat shares a unique link with
India apart from the ancient legends on its walls: the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has played a pivotal role in
restoring and conserving the temple!
Here’s the little-known talebehind this ‘past’ connection!
Research activity: Student driven research to be conducted in class. Find out India’s current and recent connection with Singapore. Since you have
already learnt about the continent of Asia earlier and the economic and demographic elements of the city-state of Singapore. Base your answer on
research and list down the sources you took this information from. Highlight the various connections including trade, migration, citizenship to people
of Indian origin, food, culture, towns in Singapore that have high Tamilian population etc. Cite examples of important personalities in Singapore
government or other fields that are of Indian origin. This answer can be written in the notebook.
(Optional)
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Questions students can notebook (3 mark questions)
1. Describe India’s connections with the following countries (Give at least 2 key points each).
● Indonesia
● Cambodia
● Sri Lanka
2. Do you find a pattern in the connection between India and most South East Asian countries? Give reasons for your answer. (At least 2 reasons)
3. Explain India’s past and present connection to Cambodia? (3 marks)
4. How did India’s connection with Indonesia and Cambodia affect the society in these places? (3 marks. Give 2 points each for both places and
kindly note they can be pertaining to the same key point)
5. India and Cambodia have a strong language connection. True or False. Give reasons for your answer. (2 marks)
6. Emperor Ashoka is a common link between India’s connection with Cambodia and Sri Lanka. True or False. Give reasons for your answer. (2
marks)
7. Complete the table below (Not all columns need to be filled)
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Religious Language/ Trade and/ or Migration of Liberation from
India and Script colonial powers
Malaysia Aid and/ or people for jobs
Indonesia
Defense and livelihoods
Singapore
Bangladesh
Pakistan
Singapore
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References
Encyclopedia Brittanica
Newspaper articles from Hindu and The Diplomat
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UNIT 3: INDIA’S GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
UNIT 3b: Chai, Spice and the Ocean
15 facts about the Indian diaspora in Africa:
1. The earliest accounts of the Indian presence on the eastern coast of Africa are found in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, written in the first century
AD by an anonymous author. Through this and other writings, it is evident that Indian merchants have been trading through the Indian Ocean since the
days of ancient Babylon, and had even established trading posts along the coast of East Africa. Ibn Battuta’s travels have also shed light on India’s
connections with Africa.
2. South Africa is home to the largest population of people of Indian descent in Africa, at 1.3 million, mainly in Durban. In fact, Durban is sometimes
called the “largest Indian city outside India” – though this claim has not been determined conclusively.
3. Large populations are also found in Mauritius, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
4. Although most East Africans believe that the people of Indian origin in the region are descendants of the labourers who built the Kenya-Uganda
railway, this is not actually the case. About 32,000 indentured workers were brought in from India – mainly Sikhs from the Punjab – to build the
railway, but the majority returned to India after their contracts ended. Only about 7,000 chose to stay. But laying the railway came at a high human price.
Records show that 31,983 Indian workers went to Kenya between August 1986 and December 1901. Of these 2,493 died during construction; that is,
about four workers for every mile of railway line laid, and more than 38 dying every month during the construction process. Most infamously, 35 victims
were snatched off by a pair of man-eating lions in Kenya’s Tsavo. Still, the railway opened up East Africa for trade, and large numbers of “free”
emigrants, both Hindu and Muslim, mainly from Gujarat, followed in the years after the Sikh labourers had left. They set up trading posts deep in the
interior, and became the traders and merchants of East Africa.
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5. A similar pattern is found in South Africa, where slaves and indentured labourers were the first people of Indian descent to settle in South Africa,
working as domestic and agricultural workers in the sugarcane plantations of Natal Colony. Later, they were joined by “free” emigrants, a community of
traders who hailed mainly from Gujarat.
6. Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi first employed his non-violent strategies as an expatriate lawyer in South Africa, in the resident Indian
community’s struggle for civil rights. Gandhi was 24 when he arrived in South Africa in 1893 to work as a legal representative for the Muslim Indian
Traders based in the city of Pretoria. He spent 21 years in South Africa, where he developed his political views, ethics and political leadership skills, and
returned to India in 1914 where he put them into practice on a large scale.
7. In 1972, military dictator Idi Amin announced the expulsion of all persons of Asian origin in Uganda, then numbering about 60,000, and their
property was expropriated. The majority of those expelled went to the UK, Canada and Kenya.
8. Some returned to Uganda after 1981 when Milton Obote returned to leadership of the country, but most after 1986 when Yoweri Museveni became
president and welcomed them back. Though the law for their return was passed during Obote’s government, he didn’t have the political clout to action
it, which Museveni had lots of.
9. One of India’s biggest cultural exports to Africa has been Bollywood, and it’s popular not just among the Indian diaspora. One unlikely place where
Bollywood has long enjoyed immense popularity is Nigeria, particularly in the Muslim-majority north – which does not have any significant Indian
immigrant community whatsoever. According to the High Commission of India in Nigeria, only about 35,000 Indians live in the country of 170
million, primarily in Lagos. But Lebanese businessmen began importing Bollywood movies a few decades ago as they were cheaper than American movies
– to roaring success. According to South Asian Magazine for Action and Reflection (Samar), one of the most popular of all Indian films in Nigeria
remains the three-hour classic Mother India, a 1957 epic melodrama starring the legendary actress Nargis. Attending a viewing of the film at an open-air
cinema in Kano, in northern Nigeria, Samar’s correspondent in 2013 noted that some people in the audience had already seen the movie 15 times and
sang along to all the Hindi songs (although their native language is Hausa). “I have been showing this film for decades, and it can still sell out any cinema
in the north,” a distributor told Samar.
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10. The Indian connection with Mozambique dates back to at least the late 15th century; Vasco da Gama found some Indian traders when he landed on
Mozambican shores in 1499. Soon after, Goa in India became a Portuguese colony, and Goans began to emigrate to Mozambique to serve as bureaucrats,
soldiers or clergy. Today, the Indian diaspora in Mozambique is estimated at 20,000. Some were merchants, sailors and mercenaries, but the majority
were slaves brought to India by Portuguese traders. The Siddi community is currently estimated at around 20,000–55,000 people, mainly in Karnataka,
Gujarat and Hyderabad in India, and Makran and lower Sindh in Pakistan. Most are Muslim, but a few are Hindu or Catholics.
Source of this article: World Economic Forum and Mail & Guardian Africa
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SECTION B
Idi Amin: The Expulsion of South Asians from Uganda.
Posted on 6th June 2017 by Araddhana Patel
Source: Manchester Historian http://manchesterhistorian.com/author/araddhna/
(Background on Idi Amin: Amin was born in 1923 in either Koboko or Kampala. A researcher from Makerere University has stated that Amin was the
son of Andreas Nyabire, who converted from Roman Catholicism to Islam and changed his name to Amin Dada. Andreas abandoned his son, leaving
him to grow up with his mother’s family in a rural Ugandan town. Amin was educated in an Islamic school, only reaching grade four before being leaving
and later being recruited by a British colonial army officer)
As the daughter and granddaughter of Indian immigrants from Uganda in East Africa, I grew up listening to the stories of Idi Amin’s reign of terror. It
was after a military coup that Milton Obote was deposed from power in 1971. Idi Amin then seized control of Uganda and ruled for the following eight
years until Obote regained power. Throughout his rule, Amin not only committed genocide within Uganda, but also forcibly removed the Indian
minority from Uganda – completely ruining the country’s economy.
In the 1800s, it had been a deliberate decision by the British administration to bring South Asians into Uganda. They were to ‘serve as a buffer between
Europeans and Africans in the middle rungs of commerce and administration.’ Over 30,000 Indian labourers were brought over from British India to
begin construction of the Uganda Railway. However, when Obote served his first term as president, he pursued a policy of ‘Africanisation,’ which
included policies targeted at Ugandan Asians. Obote persecuted Indian ‘traders,’ as they were then stereotyped. Furthermore, they were labelled
‘dukawallas,’ which is an occupational term that transitioned into an anti-Indian slur when Amin came into power.
Obote was overthrown by the army while he was travelling to Singapore for a Commonwealth conference. Amin had ordered this because he knew
Obote was planning to arrest him for misappropriating army funds. As Amin became president, full-blown Indophobia was induced throughout the
country. Exaggerating the policies of ‘Africanisation’ upheld by Obote, Amin announced a review of the citizenship status awarded to Ugandan Asians.
At this point, Amin said his government would recognise all citizenship rights that had already been granted, but outstanding applications would be
cancelled. The number of outstanding applications was close to 12,000 at this point.
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In August of 1972, Amin ordered the expulsion of the Ugandan Asian minority. He gave them ninety days to leave. At the time, there were close to
85,000 South Asians in Uganda, and of these, around 23,000 people had had their applications for citizenship processed and accepted. Amongst these
people were my great-grandparents and grandparents, who recall the distressing exodus well. Those who refused to cooperate were subject to theft and
physical and sexual violence by Ugandan soldiers. Many Asians who had received citizenship status chose to leave voluntarily, fearing further
intimidation and violence if Amin went back on his word and expelled them from Uganda too. Amin defended the expulsion by arguing that he was
giving Uganda back to the ethnic Ugandan. He also claimed that God spoke to him in a dream, saying South Asians were responsible for exploiting the
indigenous citizens of Uganda. Amin also accused them of sabotaging Uganda’s economy and encouraging corruption. It has also been suggested that
Amin was plotting vengeance against the British government due to their refusal to provide him with arms so he could invade Tanzania. Many of the
expellees were citizens of the United Kingdom and its colonies, so emigrated to there. The other refugees settled in Canada, India, the nearby Kenya, and
other Commonwealth countries
Before the expulsion, Asians owned many large businesses in Uganda, so the effect on the economy was destructive when Amin purged them from the
country. Amin expropriated all these businesses and properties and gave them to his own supporters. However, the businesses were not managed well at
all, and industries began to collapse from lack of maintenance by the hardworking Asian community. The economy, already declining at this point,
suffered an even bigger loss. Yoweri Museveni, the current President of Uganda, came to power in 1986. He had inherited an economy that suffered the
poorest growth rate in Africa. In 1979, Amin was forced into exile. He escaped to Libya and stayed there for a year, until he settled in Saudi Arabia. Amin
died there in 2003, but never seemed to show any remorse for his actions.
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SECTION C
Zanzibar: A love story
May 26, 2018 22:00 IST; By Amitava Chaudhuri, Hindustan Times
This magnificent island off the coast of
Tanzania changed for the worse when
it lost its favourite princess to
forbidden love . P rincess Nafiza looked
out of the window of the fort in Stone
Town, Zanzibar. Born to a concubine,
she was the favourite daughter of the
Sultan of Zanzibar, active, intelligent
and popular in the royal household.
The sunny morning, the beautiful
silver sands and blue waters of the
Arabian Sea beckoned her. “Let’s go
riding,” she called out to her
companions as she left the fort on her
favourite horse.
Photo caption: After Zanzibar became
an Omani sultanate, the old fort of
Zanzibar was built(iStock)
Island of forts and palaces
Zanzibar is the main island in the
Arabian Sea close to the African
mainland in Tanzania. It has endless silver sand beaches, calm blue seas, historic architecture, friendly people and a past associated with wealth, greed,
cruelty, sultans, princes and princesses. Inhabited for around 20,000 years, it has been ruled down the ages by outsiders – in the 7th century BC by
Sabeans of the Semitic civilisation of Sheba of Yemen, and then successively by the Persians, Portuguese, Arab and the British. As the main port of East
Africa, it traded in gold, ivory, frankincense, ebony, turtle shells, silks, spices, corals, weapons and slaves.
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The Persians arrived in the 12th century. They brought with them their thoughts and culture and built the Zoroastrian fire temples of Zanzibar, the first
in Africa. The Portuguese replaced the Persians and ruled from 1498. When the Portuguese could not be tolerated any longer, the Zanzibari Africans
took the help of the Sultan of Oman and overthrew them in 1698.
A View of the Old Fort, also known as Ngome
Kongwe, in Stone Town, Zanzibar (iStock)
Zanzibar then became an Omani sultanate.
The old fort of Zanzibar was built. Plantations
of cloves, ginger, pepper,cardamom and vanilla
were set up and Zanzibar became known as the
‘Spice Island’. Business boomed and a new
Arab-African culture grew up, and from it a
new language – the Kiswahili, which is today a
major language of East Africa. The Omani
sultans liked their life so much that they
abandoned Muscat to settle in Zanzibar.
The stone town
The Stone Town is a cluster of buildings,
roads and alleyways in the older part of
Zanzibar. The name originates from the use of
reddish coral stone as the main construction
material for houses.With narrow alleys lined
by houses, shops, bazaars and mosques, its
architecture is a combination of Arab, Persian,
Indian, European and African styles. It is a
little like Dariba Kalan of old Delhi, or parts of old Jerusalem.
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To keep their interiors breezy and their appearance majestic, the houses have extensive balconies, embellishments, windows with shutter work and
magnificently carved wooden entrance doors. Also, they often have a baraza, or a long stone bench running along the outside walls of the houses, which
is used as an elevated sidewalk if heavy rains waterlog the alleys. At other times the barazas can be used as benches to sit down, smoke and socialise. When
Persians arrived in the 12th century, they built the Zoroastrian fire temples of Zanzibar, the first in Africa. The Stone Town of Zanzibar is a Unesco
World Heritage Site. The majestic wooden entrance doors of stately houses for which Zanzibar is famous, have elaborate carvings and reliefs sometimes
with big brass studs like in Mombasa, Muscat or Kutch. The carvings on the doors often feature verses from the Quran, or occasionally lotus flowers,
betraying Zanzibar’s ancient connection with India. Sometimes one comes across a door where cultures meet; these doors have arches that are Indian and
carvings in Arabic.
The roofscape of Stone Town at sunset
(iStock)
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The House of Wonders, the landmark building in Stone Town, is striking in appearance (Shutterstock)
When the old was new
Zanzibar was extremely modern in its heyday. It was the commercial capital of East Africa and the main gateway to the interior of the African continent.
The House of Wonders, the landmark building in Stone Town with extensive balconies, is striking in appearance. Built in 1883, it was the first
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multistory building erected in much of Africa, with running water, electricity and a lift. The building has been restored by the Aga Khan Trust for
Culture and it houses the last Sultan’s furniture, artefacts and his motor car.
The majestic wooden entrance doors of stately houses for which Zanzibar is famous, have elaborate carvings (iStock)
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There are many other magnificent buildings in Stone Town, some have been restored and turned into boutique hotels, upscale shops and restaurants.
They remind the visitor of the original glory of Zanzibar, with their polished woodwork, brass inlay and stone and mortar walls. Some old buildings still
carry the names of their past owners, like the one with the name ‘Currimbhoy’, who was perhaps a trader from India. The old forts on the beach are
equally impressive with elaborate pillars and outhouses. There were hammams in the outhouses, where the Sultans had steam baths using huge copper
vessels to generate steam.
To facilitate public transportation in Stone Town, the Sultan had set up a 12 km railway line in 1879, which ran parallel to the beach and the town. After
a few years, it was dismantled and another was built by the Americans. By 1906, long before even London had them, Stone Town had electric street
lights. A brief period of socialism after the British left in 1964 resulted in the only major modification to Stone Town, when an apartment complex was
built in a style reminiscent of Russian apartment complexes in East Europe or Central Asia.
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The old prison courtyard on the Prison Island (iStock)
At the height of Zanzibar’s glory, it had German, French and American trading houses, and hosted any European or Arab of any importance to Africa.
Major expeditions to Africa’s heartland like those of David Livingstone were financed by the Sultan. Much of East Africa was indirectly controlled by
him and his wealth.
Princess Nafiza
Princess Nafiza returned to the fort, a little hot and breathless. She was accustomed to the life of royalty, but of late it bored her. Surely life must have
something more to satisfy the soul, she thought. As she neared the fort she remembered that she would have to rest and dress up for the moonlit barbecue
to be held that night on the beach.
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At the barbecue that evening, Princess Nafiza sat with her companions languidly looking at the guests – among them an assortment of mostly young men
from Europe. The royal women were served food inside the fort. The men and guests ate outside and discussed spices and the schedule of ships expected
to call at the port.
The Stone Town is a cluster of buildings, roads and alleyways in the older part of Zanzibar (iStock)
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One young man seemed familiar and Nafiza learnt that he was Karl, the representative of a German trading house from Hamburg. Nafiza asked her
companions to find out if it was him she had seen riding on the beach. If it was, he was indeed a very good horseman. By coincidence she saw Karl again
the next morning, when she looked out of the window of the west wing of the fort. Karl was standing at a balcony of the hotel opposite the fort. They
waved and spoke across the buildings and met briefly on the beach a few days later when they went riding. Thereafter they continued to see each other.
Punishment and exile
It was forbidden by the Sultan for a member of the royal household to have such contacts. Princess Nafiza received 10 days to cut all relations with Karl
or face the prospect of exile to Prison Island five kilometres offshore. Karl would have to leave Zanzibar immediately. Today, Stone Town is crowded:
one of the forts on the beach is an open air art gallery and hosts a film festival. The only alternative for the couple was Aden which was under the control
of the British. Princess Nafiza and Karl left Zanzibar quietly for Aden where they married and embarked for Hamburg. An Arabian princess, she chose to
live in Germany with a German name. She had no choice: the Sultan had sent word that she would never be allowed to set foot in Zanzibar.
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The narrow streets of Stone Town (iStock)
The history of Zanzibar changed completely soon after Nafiza left. The Sultan died in 1896, and the new Sultan, Khalid bin Barghash, was seen by the
British to be hostile to their interests. To bring Barghash to his knees, the British started shelling Zanzibar from the sea on August 27, 1896, in what
became known as the Anglo-Zanzibar War. The Sultan capitulated within 38 minutes. The victorious British formally occupied Zanzibar. In 1964,
Tanganyika in mainland Africa and the Zanzibar island secured independence from Britain, joined hands and named the new territory the nation of
Tanzania with Dar es Salaam as its capital.
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The sacred tree and ancient turtles
Today, Stone Town is crowded with people. One of the forts on the beach is an open air art gallery and holds the annual Zanzibar International Film
Festival. The post office has fast Internet facilities. The African Grey Parrot at the entrance to the restaurant next to the post office cries out to guests
who enter “Hello, welcome! Do come in and sit down.” The silver sand beach and the calm blue sea are unchanged. But there is nothing living today
from the 1890s, when Princess Nafiza met Karl, except the sacred 1,000 year old giant baobab tree on the outskirts of Stone Town where people go to
make a wish, and the dignified 150-year-old turtles that live quietly on the Prison Island where Princess Nafiza was to be exiled for falling in love with
Karl.
Article written by Dr Amitava Chaudhuri is the former UN and World Bank Adviser to Africa
Source: From HT Brunch, May 27, 2018
References
● World Economic Forum website
● Articles from Hindustan times
● Blog articles from Manchester Historian
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UNIT 3: INDIA’S GLOBAL CONNECTIONS
UNIT 3c: Howzzaaat! - India’s connection with the Caribbean
From 1838 to 1917, over half a million Indians from the former British India, were taken to various island nations in the Caribbean as indentured
workers. This was to address the demand for sugar cane plantation labour following the abolition of slavery.
A HISTORY - Sugarcane plantations in the 19th century
Picture detail: A 19th-century lithograph by Theodore Bray showing workers harvesting sugarcane on a
Caribbean plantation; on the right is the European overseer.
Much like cotton, sugarcane plantations motivated large-scale enslavement and forced migrations in the
19th and early 20th century. Following the emancipation of slaves in 1833 in the United Kingdom, many
liberated Africans left their former masters. This created an economic chaos for British owners of
sugar-cane plantations in the Caribbean region, and elsewhere. The hard work in hot, humid farms
required a regular, docile and low-waged labour force. The British looked for cheap labour. Since slavery
had been abolished, the British crafted a new legal system of forced labour, which in many ways resembled
enslavement. Instead of calling them slaves, they were called indentured labourers. Under this indentured
labour scheme, Indians (primarily) began to replace enslaved Africans on sugarcane plantations across the
British empire.
The first ships carrying indentured labourers for sugarcane plantations left India in 1845 for the Caribbean region. The ship had sailed from Calcutta. In
the early decades of the sugarcane-driven migrations, indentured Indians were treated as inhumanely as the enslaved Africans had been. They were
confined to their estates and paid a pitiful salary. Any breach of contract brought automatic criminal penalties and imprisonment. Many of these were
brought away from their homelands deceptively. Many from inland regions over a thousand kilometers from seaports were promised jobs, were not told
the work they were being hired for, or that they would leave their homeland and communities. They were hustled aboard the waiting ships, unprepared
for the long and arduous four-month sea journey. If labourers protested and refused to work, they were not paid or fed: they simply starved.
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The sugarcane plantation-driven migrations led to ethnically significant presence of Indians in Caribbean. In some islands and countries, these
Indo-Caribbean migrants now constitute a significant proportion of the population. Sugarcane plantations and citizens of Indian origin continue to
thrive in countries such as Guyana, formerly, British Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Martinique, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Grenada, St.
Lucia, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Croix, Suriname and Nevis. By some estimates, over 2.5 million people in the Caribbean are of Indian origin. Many have
ethnically blended with migrants from other parts of the world, creating a unique culture.
The majority of the Indians living in the English-speaking Caribbean came from eastern Uttar Pradesh and western Bihar which are mostly
Hindi-speakers, while those brought to Guadeloupe and Martinique were largely from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. About twenty percent (20%) of
the indentured were Tamils and Telugus particularly in Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana. Indo-Caribbeans comprise the largest ethnic group in
Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.They are the second largest group in Suriname, Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia,
Martinique and Guadeloupe. There are also small communities in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, French Guiana,
Panama, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Netherlands Antilles. .
CASE STUDY: TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
ORIGINS
Indian Arrival Day, celebrated on 30th May, commemorates the arrival of the first Indian Indentured labourers from India to Trinidad, in May 1845, on
the ship F atel Razack.The F atel Razackbrought not only a new labour force to assist in the economic development of Trinidad, but also a new
people with a new culture.
While this momentous event has been celebrated among the East Indian community in Trinidad and Tobago for many years, it was not until 1994 that it
was made an official public holiday. It was called Arrival Day. In 1995, it was re-named Indian Arrival Day. On 30th May each year, Indian Arrival Day
commemorates this momentous event by staging a re-enactment of the arrival of the Fatel Razackat various beaches throughout Trinidad and Tobago.
There is also music and dance, and outstanding members of the community are honoured for their contributions to society.
Indian Immigration to Trinidad spanned the period 1845-1917. During this period over 140,000 Indians were transported to the island. The journey was
long and arduous and living conditions were deplorable. After disembarking at Nelson Island, the arrivals were fed and rested for a couple weeks and
then sent to the various estates that had requested them previously.
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CUSTOMS AND FESTIVALS
The East Indians brought to Trinidad a wide range of festivals and religious observances. For East Indians - both Hindus and Muslims - these
celebrations were important. They allowed the immigrants to hold on to the values and principles which had sustained them for centuries. They also
served to make the harsh daily life more bearable. Events such as Divali,E id-ul-Fitr,Phagwa and Hoosay have, over the years, become part of the
cultural fabric of Trinidad and Tobago.
East Indians who came to the Caribbean initially came from various regions in India, each with its own language and customs. However, by the late 19th
century there was less diversity in language as the majority of immigrants originated from Uttar Pradesh. The inhabitants of this region spoke Bhojpuri, a
Hindi dialect, which became the shared and unifying language for East Indians in Trinidad.
The indentured labourers brought not only their religion, food and clothing, but also the names of the places from which they came. They gave to the
places they settled in Trinidad, the place names with which they were familiar. Hence the reason for village names such as Fyzabad, Barrackpore,
Chandernagore, and many others.
One ancient practice which has recently become a western phenomenon is the Mehndi(or Henna) which is the ancient art of body tattooing. Mehndi
powder is made out of dried leaves from a shrub. Traditionally, mehndi is used to decorate the hands and feet of a new bride.
FOOD
The indentured labourers who came to Trinidad brought with them their own East Indian cuisine, complete with traditional seasonings and ways of
cooking. Most important of their spices were the curries. In Trinidad and Tobago most Hindi words in common use today relate to the kitchen and
food. Over time foods such as roti, doubles, saheena, katchowrie, barah, anchar and pholourie have become household names and are consumed by a
wide cross-section of the society. Today, East Indian dishes are part of the national cuisine of Trinidad and Tobago.
MUSIC AND DANCE
Music was and still is, a fundamental part of the various Indian festivals. Consequently, the Indians brought their musical instruments with them when
they migrated to Trinidad. A number of these musical instruments were previously unknown in the West Indies. These include the tassa, tabla, dholak,
majeera, bansoori, sitar and harmonium.
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The most popular musical instruments were the drums, of which there were several types. There was the dholak, which provided the rhythm for most of
the folk songs. It is a cylindrical, double-headed drum which is beaten on both sides. The larger side provides the bass and the smaller side the tenor.
There was also the tassa drum which is made of clay covered with goat's skin. It is beaten with a pair of sticks. Usually several tassa drums are played
together by a group of people. The tassa drums are used at weddings, Gathka dancing and Hosay celebrations. There are also the various types of dances,
which range from classical Indian dance to chutney.
References:
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Grade 6 Geography Resource Book 2020
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