by Leela Ramdeen, Chair, CCSJ and Director, CREDI
On Saturday May 30, the nation observed the 170th Anniversary of Indians arriving in TT. While we celebrate diversity in our blessed twin-island Republic, we must acknowledge that we still have a long way to go to ensure that every creed/race in TT has an equal place.
In July my father, Balgobin Ramdeen, a third generation TT citizen of East Indian origin, will celebrate his 90th birthday. Sadly, my mother, Ruby, who died in 1995, will not be here to join our celebrations with him. To honour him, I share hereunder excerpts from his presentation to those gathered on Indian Arrival Day at TT’s High Commission in London in 2014:
“Altogether, between 1845 and 1917, there were 319 voyages by ship bringing 147,592 Indians from India to work as indentured labourers on sugarcane plantations owned by the British in TT. There were more men than women who came, and also a few children. Hindus (about 60%), Muslims (about 13%), Christians, Buddhists and persons of other faiths were among those who came. Indians were also brought to some other British colonies in our region and to other parts of the world.
On the way from India to Trinidad, which lasted about three months, the law required that the males on the ship be fed two ounces of rice and saltfish. It was an offence to give them less, but they were regularly given less and no penalty was imposed on those who transported them on the ship. On land, any violation of the terms of indentureship brought a heavy penalty or jail upon the immigrant but violations by the estate owners were not even frowned upon.
The bodies of those who died on the ship on the way over on what was termed the ‘Kalapani’, meaning Black Water, were unceremoniously thrown overboard. On arrival in TT, they were taken to Nelson Island, off Trinidad, and quarantined. Then they were allocated to the various estates throughout Trinidad.
Prior to the coming of the Indians, Chinese and Europeans from the poorer European countries were brought as indentured workers in the sugarcane plantations as replacement for the emancipated African slaves who had refused to continue to work on the plantations for a measly sum after emancipation. However, the Chinese and Europeans could not survive the rigours and heat of the plantations.
Indians did not arrive in Trinidad as empty vessels. They brought with them untold wealth in terms of their long, rich history that spans over 5,000 years, and aspects of their culture such as religions, languages, literature, music and musical instruments, dress, traditions, food/seeds, plants, fruits such as mangoes, guava, tamarind, ochro and seime, cloves, ginger, saffron, dhal, peppers, mustard, spices, ghee etc. The dhantal, a musical instrument, was developed in T&T.
The indenture contract was an exploitative one. The treatment of Indians under indentureship was inhumane. Life was not easy for the 75% or so who remained after indentureship or for the few who returned to India – some of whom returned to TT.
For many years Hindu and Muslim marriages were not recognised by the State in TT. This had adverse effects on the lives of wives and children as land owned by the men in their families went bona vacantia – to the State, when these men died.
Hindu marriages were not recognised as legal until May 13, 1946 (with the passage of the Hindu Marriage Act) – over 100 years after the arrival of the first indentured Indian labourers to TT; and Muslim marriages were similarly not recognised until December 1, 1964 (with the passage of the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act).
In the early years of indentureship, the law stated that one could only vote if one could read and write. For many years, until Bhadase Sagan Maraj started building schools, Indians were denied Adult suffrage since many were unable to read or write and could not register to vote. They only gained Adult suffrage in 1946.
From the seeds planted by our ancestors in our new homeland of TT have come – at home and abroad – lawyers, judges, doctors, nurses, teachers, accountants, architects, pharmacists, engineers, actors, Members of Parliament, a Nobel Prize winner for Literature and so on. Together with others who came to Trinidad and Tobago and those who were already living in Trinidad and Tobago as indigenous Amerindians, we have all laboured long and hard to make TT a better place. Today, like many nations, we face many challenges such as crime and violence, but we continue to work together to make TT the nation that we know it can be.”
God bless our nation!
