Prime Minister Modi meets with the Indian community in Guyana.
Explainer: In Guyana, a Prime Minister, Prime Minister Modi, has arrived on his land after 56 years. Upon arrival in Guyana, President Mohammad Irfan Ali welcomed the Prime Minister with a hug. During this, Prime Minister Modi also met people from the Indian community, including contract workers. The indentured workers are basically natives of India, who during British rule went to various countries like Guyana, Trinidad Tobacco, Mauritius, Fiji and Suriname under contract. He was subsequently never able to return to India. But the countries they went to as workers now began to govern on the basis of their hard work. The ancestors of Guyana’s president, Mohammed Irfan Ali, were also indentured workers of Indian origin. Shall we now tell you who the hired workers are and how and why they arrive in these countries?
During British rule in India, when the practice of slavery ended in those countries, there were no workers left. In such a situation, workers were needed to do the work. These workers were then sent from India on five-year contracts to American, African and European countries during the 1834s. They could have come after 5 years. But due to lack of money to come, they were forced to settle there forever. Therefore, the history of contract labor is an important and tragic chapter for the Indian subcontinent.
How did Girmitiya get its name?
The British used the word “indentured labour” to refer to workers sent out of India. Sending Indian workers to other countries under contract used to be called contract. The word contract workers comes from the word “agreement”, as these workers were sent abroad after signing a contract. The history of indentured servants is deeply linked to British colonialism and slavery. When the British Empire firmly established colonial rule in India, it needed cheap, hardworking labor to work its lands. The heavy taxes and debts on the land of Indian farmers put them in extreme difficulties. In such a situation, the British government planned to send Indian workers to other colonies.
Indentured servants sent to these countries
Indian indentured servants were sent mainly to places such as Fiji, South Africa, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname and, during Mahatma Gandhi’s time, Zambia. Sugar, bananas, sugar and other crops were grown in these countries, and Indian workers were sent to help in the production of these crops. Contract terms and difficulties: Contract workers were sent to work under contract for 5 to 10 years. In this contract, workers received very limited wages and difficult working conditions in exchange for cheap labor. They often had to work in unknown countries, far from their families, and working conditions were often difficult and unhealthy.
faced slavery and oppression
Indentured workers had to work in conditions similar to those of slaves. Although they were not directly slaves, they had limited rights and freedoms. They had to face difficulties in terms of food, health services and other basic facilities. Despite this, many people adopted this way of life to support their families. When contract workers were sent abroad from India, it also had a profound impact on Indian society. Many people did it out of obligation and for some it emerged as a new opportunity.
The contract system ended in 1917.
The British abolished the indentured servitude system in 1917. Still, this system was a time of hardship and deep suffering for India’s working class under colonialism. Even today, the legacy of contract workers and their families lives on in many countries and their contributions are recognized. The struggle of contract workers is still remembered in many countries. In many countries such as Fiji, Trinidad, Guyana and Malaysia, a deep influence of Indian culture and community is seen. Indian ethnicity, religion, culture and language have an important contribution in the society there. The life struggle of an indentured servant inspires us that despite working in difficult conditions, new heights can be reached with our hard work and honesty. The story of their bravery and struggle is a source of inspiration even today.
