India’s Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Overseas Indian Affairs Minister Vayalar Ravi have been emphasising that the Indian Diaspora should include not only Non-Resident Indians and former Indian citizens, but also millions of people of Indian origin settled in Fiji, South Africa, the Caribbean and other countries.
“They are our lost children and we must welcome them and facilitate their efforts to trace their roots in India,” Dr Singh said at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas meeting in 2005.
We learnt from the Indo-Fijian community that many have able to trace their roots in India with the assistance of Federal and State Governments.
But a larger number of them have been able to do so on their own. Among them are Governor General Sir Anand Satyanand, Labour MP Dr Rajen Prasad, community leader Ahemad Bhamji, Indian Newslink Columnist Rajendra Prasad (who was later inspired to write his highly successful book, Tears in Paradise) and Anjinesh Kumar, whose story appears in this section.
While Indo-Fijians are aware that their ancestors arrived in Fiji 132 years ago, not knowing that they would lead a life of harassment, subjugation and inhuman working conditions. They endured (some of them committed suicide) the inhuman conditions, so that their ensuing generations would be successful and prosperous.
They were not wrong.
Indo-Fijians are among the most hardworking and enterprising people in the world. With diffidence, devotion and dedication as their attributes, they are never known to moan and groan about not being able to obtain employment.
Their spirit of adventure encourages them to seek gainful employment and if that fails, be self-employed. Thousands of Indo-Fijians are proud owners of large, medium and small enterprises throughout New Zealand.
They judiciously allocate their time for work, family, friends and the community and enjoy every moment of each of these; which is what makes them unique.
But beyond those smiles and merriment, there runs an inner scar that is reminiscent of a bitter and cruel past; an era in which their ancestors were forced to lead a life of mortification, and indignity; an era which is best forgotten and yet well remembered.
The Girmit period, which saw the first settlers set their feet on a strange land called Fiji on May 14, 1989, has entered its 132nd. We salute those settlers and their successive generations that suffered the worst insinuation that they endured; and their sons and daughters and the generations that followed- we salute them for their spirit of sacrifice.
We offer our sincere felicitations to the members of the larger Indo-Fijian family for their achievements thus far and hope that they will continue to prosper and give us opportunities to rejoice with them.
The Indian Newslink team
Read our Editorial, Homage to Indo-Fijian Ancestors
