A THANKSGIVING TRIP TO NASILAI, THE SITE OF SYRIA TRAGEDY: TO ACKNOWLEDGE ITAUKEI MILK OF HUMAN KINDNESS

A PILGRIMAGE TO NASILAI VILLAGE BY FIJI GIRMIT FOUNDATION NZ DELEGATION

Thakur Ranjit Singh

FIJI GIRMIT FOUNDATION NZ has been active and in existence for almost a decade. In October, 2015, it organized a Thanksgiving  pilgrimage from Auckland, NZ  to NASILAI village, the village which had come to rescue of victims of SYRIA TRAGEDY, which you read before in another FIJI PUNDIT article. This article is an account of that visit.

As the Delegation from Fiji Girmit Foundation New Zealand was leaving Nasilai Village after their thanksgiving visit on 14 October, 2015, there appeared to be some divine and unexplained force, urging them to return later. It was certain that it was not our last trip-there was some bond that was pulling us to come back to Nasilai Village.

It appears the whispered legends about spirit of those drowned Indian labourers at Nasilai reef are urging us to comeback. There is talk about strange language and happenings around the reef. Maybe the souls of the drowned Girmitiyas over 140 years ago, are still wondering.

FIJI GIRMIT FOUNDATION NZ did return to the village and helped the renovate and build their community hall and an attached toilet block worth some $150,000.

Maybe others can make a pilgrimage trip to the village where the villagers are as friendly as their forebears were on the fateful night Syria ran aground....PLEASE READ ON......

The welcome sign to Nasilai Village. Over 140 years ago, the forebears of the villagers came to the rescue of and gave shelter and hospitality to survivors of SYRIA (Girmit Ship) Tragedy. 

As the formal ceremony commenced in vakatunoloa (community meeting hall) at Nasilai Village on an overcast morning on 14 October, 2015 at Nakelo, (Rewa) Fiji, the high tide was lapping on the shores some meters away from the meeting house. And the muffled lapping was audible inside. The sea was calm, and the high tide was receding.

History of Nasilai Village explained by this large billboard at the entrance to the Village

However this was not the case over 140 years ago, on a stormy night when the raging waves on the Nasilai Reef claimed 59 lives through sinking of the Girmit ship, Syria, which was carrying Indian indentured labourers to Fiji.

Then, the forebears of this current Nasilai villagers came to the rescue of the survivors and gave them shelter and displayed human love, compassion, hospitality and understanding of the universal language of love, even without understanding each other’s language. 

The Chief of Nasilai Village Chief Daunakelo, receiving the Tabua, and responding to the presentation by the delegation, under the watchful eye of the then NZ National List MP from NZ, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi

On the day of our visit, the ride to the village reminded us of a wedding procession, with convey of government and high commission vehicles, including our bus. You drive through roads snaking through green vegetation past Nausori Airport and villages/settlements of Naselai,(check the spelling of this other village near Nausori Airport) Visama, Nakelo and thence to Nasilai Village through narrow, dusty and winding road. At the end of the road, very near to the sea there is a sign. It says: “Welcome to Nasilai Village.” 

Over a century ago, there was no road and no sign, but the “welcoming” gesture, character and trait of the village seems to have always been alive and bequeathed to successive generations.

The 2015 theme for Girmit Foundation Commemoration in Auckland was the sinking of ship Syria on the Nasilai Reef on May 11, 1884.(Refer to earlier story).

The Founding President of Fiji Girmit Foundation NZ, Pundit Devakar Prasad had a dream to thank the villagers, but unfortunately passed away before the trip. A delegation from NZ traveled to Fiji to fulfill that dream of a thanksgiving trip. Without the villagers’ valuable, timely help and the traditional Itaukei culture of compassion, the loss of lives would have been much higher. 

Unfortunately, Fijian history has not resonated with such acts of compassion and sacrifice where our two communities stood by and for each other, in good times and in bad ones.

Indeed, there is enormous reservoir of love, affection and goodwill between the two races, which needs to be revealed and cherished. Had it not been for the divide and rule technique of the colonists, (adopted by some ethno-nationalist politicians and nationalist Chefs), there would have been better race relations in Fiji, as was displayed through human language of compassion on that fateful and eventful night over a century ago.

A Very Symbolic Gesture: Gratitude after over 14 decades to the descendants of the village which showed compassion and humanity to people in need. A bond was forged with the delegation from NZ, which promised to have the bond of friendship nurtured and facilitate developments and other assistance by other agencies, including NZ and Indian High Commissions. Secretary/Trustee of Fiji Girmit Foundation of NZ, THAKUR RANJIT SINGH shaking hands of gratitude with CHIEF DAUNAKELO of Nasilai Village, in the shadows of Girmit Banner.

Fiji’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola was the Chief Guest in that Girmit Commemoration on May 17, 2015 in Auckland. The President of the Foundation, Master Shiu Charan commended Nasilai villagers for their timely assistance and hospitality. Unfortunately due to doctor’s advice, he could not travel to Fiji and was deputized by Sardar Harnam Singh Golian.

Now, to fulfil our undertaking of honouring the villagers, a delegation from Fiji Girmit Foundation ventured on this pilgrimage. It included Trustee/Head of Delegation, Sardar Harnam Singh Golian, with a team of 8 from New Zealand. It also included the then New Zealand’s National Member of Parliament, Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi. In Fiji, the delegation was joined by the then NZ High Commissioner, Mark Ramsden, official of Indian High Commission and other local community leaders and media. 

Presentation of Plaque to Chief Daunakelo (extreme left) by the Head of Delegation and Trustee of Fiji Girmit Foundation-New Zealand, SARDAR HARNAM SINGH GOLIAN (with glasses in front). Others in the picture are members of delegation from New Zealand (from left) Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi, Viren Lal, Vijay Prasad (back, partly obscured) and Trustee and current (2021) President Krish Naidu.

Gifts of food items, sporting goods and stationery were presented and very warmly received by the villagers in their meeting house. We were honoured with the traditional welcoming yagona (kava) ceremony followed by presentation of Tabua, (whale’s teeth) gifts and a commemorative plaque. There was networking and Talanoa session in which the delegate promised to maintain ongoing relations with the village and facilitate development through New Zealand and Indian High Commissions respectively and other agencies on an ongoing basis for the wellbeing of the village.

It was an emotional event where praises were made to the forebears of the villagers for their compassionate, humanitarian and courageous act of rescue and hospitality. It was especially emotional for the great-granddaughter of one of the survivors of Syria tragedy, Mrs Padma Wati Charan, (wife of Master Shiu Charan) who, with her son Vinesh, had made that special trip from New Zealand as part of the delegation. Her great grandfather, Thakur Kuldip Singh was a survivor of that fateful ship that met a fateful landing.

Jiko Rasoqosoqo, Acting Chief of Protocol at Fiji's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (left, sitting) with Mrs Padma Wati Charan, whose great grandfather from Rajasthan, India was on board the Syria that sank. Luckily, he survived and was looked after by the villagers. It was a nostalgic moment for Padma to be present in the village whose forebears helped her great grandfather.

In general discussion, the villagers cited the immediate need for repairs to their meeting house, addition of a toilet block and completion of a Syria monument that was reportedly undertaken earlier by Indian High Commission. The villagers were thankful to be remembered, and they commented that others had visited before, but forgotten them. They were assured by Sardar Golian that they will not be forgotten, ‘We will work with other agencies to make sure that assistance is given where required, and we will make further visits in future.” he told Chief Daunakelo. The NZ High Commissioner, also assured them of assistance they would provide.

The delegation was treated to a very tasty, healthy and mouth-watering, lunch, which was enjoyed by the delegation and a large media contingent who covered the event. The food appeared to have been very lovingly prepared, and that added to its taste. The event was well-publicised in Fiji media which helped in bringing awareness about Girmit and the inter-ethnic compassion that existed so early in Fiji’s history.

On our way, we visited Nasamila District School. This was facilitated by Ministry of Education. Once again the usual hospitality was displayed by the school teachers and students. It caters for four nearby villages, including Nasilai. The visitors were thrilled by the show of respect, and performance of cultural programmes. 

We presented the school with some sporting goods and stationery, and promised to extend development through educational aid agencies in New Zealand. Our eyes welled up when the Nasamila Cultural Group of students sang the ever haunting and melodious farewell song-Isa Lei.

The delegation was overwhelmed by show of respect and welcome at Nasamila District School, where children from Nasilai Village attend, apart from other three nearby villages. The school children said "good-bye" to  the visitors, with an emotional Isa Lei song. It appears hospitality to visitors in that neighborhood has been bequeathed by their forebears to the current generations.

As we departed Nasilai, one thing was certain. The love, compassion and hospitality that was displayed to the Indian Girmitiyas over140 years ago was evident and inherited by the descendants of those villagers with a big heart. 

And the Itaukei hospitality so well-known worldwide again won the day. It was certain that it was not our last trip - there was some bond that was pulling us to come back to Nasilai Village. 

The Nasilai Light house and splashes of waves on the reef, taken by Sony Zoom camera from Nasilai Village (by Thakur Ranjit Singh).You can see the waves splashing on the reef. If the Captain of the ship was doing his job properly, disaster could have been averted. By 7pm on the fateful night, there was a full moon and had a lookout been posted on the masthead, disaster could have been averted as the breakers would have been visible from a long distance on a moonlit night. But this was not done, and disaster happened due to human weakness, inexperience and negligence. By the time they saw the reef it was too late - the ship hit the reef and started disintegrating at 8.30pm.

It appears the whispered legends about spirit of those drowned Indian labourers at Nasilai reef are urging us to comeback. And by God, we will come back. In addition to development of the village and the school, we may also bring some priest or pundit (may be FIJI PUNDIT should be enough) to appease those wondering souls still seeking salvation and Satgati.

Shat Shat Naman to those who perished and those who helped- salutations.

Om Satgati - may they achieve their final salvation.

[About the author: Thakur Ranjit Singh is a founding Trustee and Secretary of Trustees of Fiji Girmit Foundation New Zealand which came on the thanksgiving trip to Nasilai Village on 14 October, 2015. He was a member of the delegation and communications link between Fiji Government and the Foundation. He is a community worker, a media commentator and scholar, and runs his blog site, FIJI PUNDIT]