The great Indian diaspora can be found all over the world, particularly in Canada, UK (e.g Southall) and the USA. Their contribution has been inestimable, especially in terms of the professions and business (the most common name for a millionnaire in Britain is now Patel). Over the next few days, I’ll be focussing on the Indians who came to the Guianas
The great Indian diaspora can be found all over the world, particularly in Canada, UK (e.g Southall) and the USA. Their contribution has been inestimable, especially in terms of the professions and business (the most common name for a millionnaire in Britain is now Patel). Over the next few days, I’ll be focussing on the Indians who came to the Guianas
In British Guiana (now Guyana), Indians first began to arrive after the abolition of slavery. With a shortage of cane-cutters the colonial authorities (effectively the ‘plantocracy’) began to recruit in India, starting in around in 1838. The first recruits came from Chota Nagpur, and Bancoorah in Bengal. Over the next eighty years, 250,000 Indians came to BG, and – in due course – became the predominant race.
Make no mistake, conditions were grim. Known as ‘Coolies’ (from the Tamil word ‘Kuli’ meaning ‘labourer’), the immigrants signed 5 year contracts of indenture. Under this contract, they received a clothing allowance (2 dhotis, a jacket …) and a weekly food ration (13lb rice, 1.5lb dried fish …). However, they were also committed to this contract, under pain of imprisonment (for desertion), forfeiture of wages (for drunkenness), and even whipping. Eventually, this attracted the attention of social reformers in England (who described it as ‘the new slavery’) but only gradually did conditions improve. For example, the practice of reindenture (i.e further commitment) only ended in 1873.
Meanwhile, the Indian community grew up very distinct from other communities in BG. This isolation was quite deliberate, and encouraged on economic grounds. Even the christianisation of Indians was strongly discouraged. Unsurprisingly, this separation of races had huge implications for colonial society, implications that still resonate today.
