A Salute to Fiji’s forgotten Girmitiyas on 14 May, 2019 - 140 years on

A Salute to Fiji’s forgotten Girmitiyas - 140 years on

Thakur Ranjit Singh

FIJI GIRMIT FOUNDATION OF NEW ZEALAND is hosting 140th Girmit Thanksgiving Day on Friday 10 May, 2019 from 6.30 - 9.30 pm, at ARST Community Hall, 53 Skipton Street, Mangere, Auckland, New Zealand.

May 14 is a significant day in the calendar of Indo-Fijian history. It can be variously recognized but its foremost significance is the arrival of first ship Leonidas, with 479 Indian indentured immigrants, who we call Girmitiyas. That significant year was 140 years ago, in 1879.

This followed 82 other ships that transported over 60,000 Girmitiyas to Fiji. Indenture system (Girmit) came to an end on December 31, 1919 after a bitter struggle against the recruitment of Indian indentured labourers that saw the might of Mahatma Gandhi ultimately triumph over that of the British Government. Some 35,000 of these people decided to settle back in Fiji, and their descendants now make a distinct race of people with a distinct culture, language - and achievements. They are us-FIJI INDIANS

Sir Anand Satyanand, Chief Guest for 140th Anniversary of Girmit. He is a proud son of Girmit, tracing his roots to Fiji. He has been a lawyer, a former Judge and former Governor General of New Zealand.

As 14 May 2019 marks 140th Anniversary of the first arrival in 1879, I am sure many in Fiji Indian Diaspora are ignorant of its importance. I do not blame them for their lack of knowledge of history of their heritage, as our school history fails to recognize and acknowledge this fact, which appears to have been stolen from successive Fiji Indian generations. 

Americans and Canadians honour their warriors on Thanksgiving Day, New Zealanders and Australians do this on ANZAC Day (Australia and New Zealand Army Corps), and New Zealanders and especially Maori do this on Waitangi Day. 

Leonidas, the first sail ship that brought indentured labourers (Girmitiyas) to Fiji on 14 May, 1879. Therefore 14 May 2019 is 140th anniversary of that first journey. We urge Fiji Indians to develop pride for those who sacrificed and suffered for us. The vision of Girmitiyas has given us this life of comfort away from their impoverished villages they left behind, with a dream of better future for the new generation. At least we owe this burden of gratitude to mark one day for them-and salute them for what we have now.

And what do Fiji Indians have? Why cannot we set aside at least one day in a year to think and honour those who sacrificed their lives and gave us this better life through their suffering, sacrifices – and vision? While the soldiers fought their wars in battlefields, Fiji Girmitiyas fought economic wars for the British on the killing cane-fields of Fiji.

It is for the sake of their history and rich heritage and legacy that Fiji Indians need to inculcate pride of the new generation in their history. We need to tell our children and grandchildren about the stories of Girmit so that they know where they have descended from and how full of suffering and sacrifices have been those Girmit journeys.

To realise this dream, a group of Fiji Indians in Auckland New Zealand, have taken steps to reconnect, reclaim and restore Indo-Fijian history. FIJI GIRMIT FOUNDATION OF NEW ZEALAND has been formed six years ago, among other things, to regularly organize commemoration of Girmit in New Zealand and also become an advocacy organisation representing interest of Fiji Indians in New Zealand.

And we have been regularly marking 14 May as Girmit Remembrance Day and enhancing this knowledge not only in New Zealand but in Fiji Indian Diaspora. Girmit Foundation is already gearing on to commemorate 140th Anniversary in Auckland on Friday 10 May, 2019. They have a Chief Guest who really brings to reality the theme that Girmitiyas were ordinary people who did extraordinary things in extraordinary circumstances. Through their suffering-and vision they have been able to leave behind a legacy they can be proud of – one of their sons honoured their memories by being appointed New Zealand’s Governor General.

Laborers in front of a sugar mill, getting ready for their back-breaking task of doing work for the CSR Company on very little pay and very difficult conditions. They endured so much for a better life for us - and we salute them for it. But how many of us really appreciate and remember them?

Yes, Sir Anand Satyanand will be our Chief Guest. A  New Zealander lawyer, judge and ombudsman, he became our country’s 19th Governor General for five years from 2006 until 2011.  On both sides of his family, his linkages are to Fiji and to India and he has continued to maintain them.  Both sets of his grandparents came from different parts of India (Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh) to Fiji under the Girmit system.  Sir Anand has always been proud to acknowledge this background. He is an excellent and eloquent speaker, and we are honoured to have a Girmiya grandson addressing us, who make all of us proud of the rich Girmit legacy.

Speakers, among others, would include New Zealand politicians. The evening’s programme will remember sacrifices, progress and vision of our forebears through oratory, poems, quiz, music and achievements of some Girmitiyas and their organisations. This will be a journey through memory lane which will provide exposure to a history that has been stolen from us, and remains yet to be told. 

The Trustees of Girmit Foundation have also ventured on a culture that is prevalent in NZ- the new generation, or Millennials, like NZ PM, taking the helm, and driver’s seat. Therefore in this spirit, the older Trustee have passed on the baton to younger  executive team.

The new youthful team is led by its youth Trustee, Krish Naidu, as President, assisted by Kirti Singh and Nikhil Kumar as Vice Presidents and Shiraaz Shah is Treasurer. Ashfaaq Khan is the Chairperson, with Anji Naidu as Marketing and Communications Officer. The youthful team has Krishneel Prasad as Secretary, Radhika Priya as his assistant, Param Rana and Morisha Ali are Advocacy and Community Liaison, Ashwant Sahay as executive member, and Radha Kanhai Reddy in the organising Committee. The trustee have full confident in this rejuvenated and youthful team.

We are aware that there are at least five other organisations in New Zealand who will commemorate this day. Fiji Indians in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane will also rise up to remember our Girmitiyas.

Fiji Girmit Foundation of New Zealand has been commemorating GIRMIT REMEMBRANCE DAY to honour 14 May, regularly. This is the banner for our event in 2015 in Auckland, when tragic sinking of Syria Ship was our main theme.

As our people in Fiji, Australia and New Zealand have taken lead, we Fiji Indians across the world especially those in Canada and USA, also need to commemorate the sacrifices of the pioneer generation with solemnity and sobriety on May 14, paying homage to those who laid their lives on the altar of sacrifice. I urge religious, social and cultural organizations to undertake this mission at the community level annually and also appeal to individual families to offer prayers and recitals in their homes in memory of those whose lives were tragically lost. 

Let us commemorate and celebrate their legacy and humanity. We call on all Fiji Indians, all children of Girmit to rise on 14 May to remember and appreciate the sacrifices of our girmitiyas, and reclaim our heritage and history.

We are what they wanted us to be. In   commemorating their memories, let us ignite that undying flame of desire and gratitude in our community, particularly in our children, that they are able to consciously and appreciatively inherit the legacy of the Girmitiyas – a legacy of struggle, endurance, resilience and achievement.

[About the Author: Thakur Ranjit Singh is a third generation Girmitiya son, a journalist, a blogger, a media commentator and former Publisher of Fiji’s Daily Post. He is A Founding Trustee of Fiji Girmit Foundation of New Zealand. He runs his blog site: FIJI PUNDIT, available at www.fijipundit.blogspot.co.nz]