Suva, Fiji, May 16, 2020
A Fijian family marked the 141st anniversary of the arrival of Girmityas into the country with Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama at their home in Nakomoco Settlement in Wainibokasi.
The first batch of Girmityas, under the infamous, much-exploited, indentured labour system, arrived on May 14, 1879 from India.
The Girmit System ended on January 1, 2020.
The Lal Family
Ram Rup Lal and his wife Saraswati Lal, both 76-years old, could not contain their excitement when Mr Bainimarama visited them to hear their ancestral stories and life experiences.
The couple, who have two daughters and a son, were among a majority of Fijians of Indian origin, who are direct descendants of the Girmityas in Fiji.
Mr Lal’s grandfather came in a ship called Arno in 1904 from Gonda District in India’s North Indian State of Uttar Pradesh.
Mr Lal’s grandfather was nine-years old at that time and was accompanied by his uncle to Fiji and came to work as cane labourers.
Some years ago, Mr Lal had the opportunity to visit his grandfather’s birthplace in India.
In an effort to learn more about his family roots and culture, he spent five weeks in India.
Mrs Lal’s father arrived in Fiji when he was only two-years old. He came with his mother who found a safe haven in Girmit due to domestic violence that she faced in the family. Her grandmother was from Pachaiya, North India.
Treasured ornaments
The couple told Mr Bainimarama that in remembering their ancestors, some treasured ornaments and household items brought by the Girmityas are still safely kept by them.
They added that only a few of the second and third-generation Girmityas are still alive in Fiji and being among the few was a blessing for them.
Mr Bainimarama said every year on May 14, it is important for Fijians to pause to think about the gruelling trials that the Girmityas endured, and recognise the sense of hope that got them through their suffering.
“They were able to find refuge, and a sense of a better future. By chasing that light and realising that they could find refuge even in the most trying of times – they helped pave the way for the Fiji we know today,” he said.
Hard work and hope
He said that Girmityas supplied much of the hard labour it took to build Fiji’s early colonial economy, toiling in cane fields, building roads and laying the foundation of many of the towns and cities in which people live today
“But one of their greatest legacies was borne from the value they placed in education as the ultimate tool for change. Please, honour their legacy by remembering their struggles,” Mr Bainimarama said.
History of the Girmityas
May 14, 2020 marked 141 years since the first ship of indentured labourers landed in Fiji from British India.
In the four decades that followed, more than 60,000 more labourers, known as Girmityas, would make that same journey.
Girmityas were required to work in Fiji for a certain period of time under contractual agreements and after five years of Girmit, they were free to return to India at their own expense.
While 40% of Girmityas returned to India, those who stayed did so as they had established new kinship ties, and enhanced economic and social opportunities.
Most of the Girmityas settled on the lands as farmers and through hard work and sacrifice, they progressed further in life.
