Between 1838 and 1917, over one million Indian immigrants were taken from villages of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu, for indentured labourership. These included Hindus across castes and Muslims as well. They were often called Girmityas after the term, girmit, which was the Indian way of pronouncing the word, agreement. More pejoratively, they were called Coolies. The immigrants, however, often did not know that they were migrating to a different country. “Some thought they were leaving Calcutta and going to Madras or Mauritius,” said Vinay Harrichan, 24, host and producer of The Cutlass podcast, which focuses on the history and experiences of the Indo-Caribbean community. “They thought they would be able to bring back riches and gold for their families and that they were going away for only a few years,” he adds. This deception was intentionally fueled by the recruiters who brought these villagers to Calcutta. Some were even kidnapped and forced to go against their will.
Garima Garg, ‘A Voyage Less Ordinary’, India/भारत
