Heart-rending story of Thakur Bansi Chauhan in enslaved Fiji
Auckland, May 9, 2020
Karauli is a town in the stony and relatively dry Rajasthan, a State in North India.
This city sits close to Agra’s Taj Mahal and also close to Mathura and Vrindavan, Lord Krishna’s playing ground on the banks of the Yamuna River. It is also close to the border of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh states and the notorious Chambal Valley.
Thakur Bansi Chauhan
It is here that in early 1915, some ‘araakatis’ or recruiting agents for indentured labourers got hold of a young 19 year old Bansi, a Thakur (warrior/protector race) who was from the Mohalla of Phuto Kot where he had just had a row with his sister-in-law and had run away from home, fearing the wrath of his brother.
And the recruiters were on the watch out for such vulnerable people
Hence, he was easy meat for the araakatis. He was taken by road to Calcutta where he was placed at Depot Number 866 before departure to Fiji.
He was registered on April 23, 1915, checked by a doctor on May 14, 1915 and permitted to sail for Fiji on May 17, 1915. The ship was SS Ganges. He was made to believe that Fiji was just a few hundred kilometres away within India, and they were going there to clean, sift and pack sugar.
That was far from what they had to face back in Fiji.
He was not prepared for what he encountered, as has already been recorded in many other publications where the higher caste people were placed together with the lower or scheduled castes on the ships and atrocious conditions on the ship.
Emotional departure
The departure from India was very emotional. There were no parents, brothers, sisters and others to farewell them. It was a very lonely departure.
In the ship, Bansi and others were handed a shirt, cap and trousers that were normally given to people in jail. They were also handed “lota” or drinking cup and eating plate made of tin.
In the ship, they were allocated 1½ ft x 6 ft space and were given hard biscuits that were not even considered suitable for dogs.
It took over three months for the ship to reach Fiji via Singapore, Borneo and other parts that were not known to Bansi. In Fiji, they were subject to quarantine at Nukulau Island, and then taken by estate agents. They were selected by the Sahibs upon inspection, at an “auction” like was done with slaves in Africa.
Bansi was taken by a sahib called Wilkins who paid equivalent of Rs 200 or say, five pounds to immigration department for each coolie as ‘Girmityas’ (indentured labourers) on five year work bondage were referred.
Bansi with his shipmate, Jahaji Bhai Bholai was taken to an estate called Sigave in Ba.
Condition in Estate
Coolies were given a room 12 ft X 8 ft. If there was a married couple, then this room was given to them. In case of single men or women, three were supposed to stay in one.
This posed a great deal of problem for those who came from a country with very stratified caste system. Especially, where a Brahmin or Pundit (preacher) was supposed to stay with Chamaar (Scheduled lower caste). After some three months of similar forced assimilation on the vessel SS Ganges, Bansi to some extent started to mellow in his strong views about the caste system.
There were many hardships and atrocities committed by estate owners where penalties were imposed for a slightest excuse and money was deducted from the task performed.
Harsh life
Bansi and his group were supposed to wake up at 3 am, do their cooking and be in the farm at 5 am. Those women with children had to take them to the farm.
Each of them was given the task of cleaning and hoeing an area about 1200 ft long and 6 ft wide (370 m x 2 m). Those who were unable to complete this task had money deducted; the task was such that it was impossible to complete it on a daily basis.
Hence, only a meagre sum was received, barely enough to sustain even basic life.
The attitude of overseers left a great deal to be desired.
There were many cases of suicides where coolies were not able to bear the hardship and cruelty imposed by the overseers.
People were afraid to report them because they knew that they had to spend five years under that overseer, hence Bansi and others were forced to endure the hardship by the overseers who also sexually attacked and exploited the women in coolie lines.
There was little remedy in light of poor judicial system and lack of witnesses because of fear of overseers, and there were cases of violence and even fatalities.
The atrocities committed on Girmityas were widespread and continuous and it ended on January 1, 1920 when Girmit was ultimately terminated.
Too scared to return
In the case of those who arrived in the last few ships in 1915 and thereafter, (like Bansi) they did not serve Girmit for five years (see separate story on this website).
Bansi had a choice to go back to India but the stories floating in suggested that after crossing “Kala Pani” or the ocean, Bansi would be ostracised by his people back in Karauli.
Furthermore, in the five years, the kinship built with people of all castes was too strong to change Bansi’s mind not to return to India.
History also tells that the British frustrated the “free” laborers to go back to ensure that they continued as laborers at the sugar plantation to feed cane to sugar mills.
Bansi settled near sugar mill in Rarawai, where later, a golf course was built for Europeans who worked in CSR Company.
While at Sigave, Bansi had met a woman, a very fair Parsi (Persian heritage) Girmitya woman named Bhuri. They later married and settled in his farm at Rarawai on a scheme under which CSR Company gave its land to ‘free’ farmers to farm and supply cane to sugar mills in small allotments.
That place, in Rarawai Golflinks, Ba, remains the Bansi family home.
The extremely fair complexion of the family lady forebear, Bhuri is even evident is today’s great grandchildren who can be mistaken for Europeans.
Education on priority
One of the most important matters affecting new settlers at that time was education.
It was a policy of the British to keep the farmers in bondage and the best way of doing of this was to keep them uneducated and ignorant.
However, after their long suffering, the Girmityas realised the value of education and salvation through education. They swore that never again would anybody subject their children and new generation to the indignity that they went through because they were illiterate simpletons.
It is from such thoughts and views that various religious groupings decided to establish schools for their communities.
Schools established
That was how many schools were established. Among them were Rarawai Muslim School, Vaqia (Methodist) Indian School, Vunisamaloa Sangam School, DAV College, Khalsa College, Koronubu Indian School, Veisaru Indian School and many rural community and religious based schools throughout Fiji. These schools were started with a great deal of personal sacrifice and contributions. Some farmers gave their share of land, while others assigned certain tonnage (crop lien) to go towards the schools. Yet others toiled to build the school.
This was very unlike the schools set up by government for indigenous Fijians where the full contribution was from the colonial government.
It is because of this legacy that today, over 90% of Fiji’s students go to non-government schools and it is because of such vision that today’s third, fourth and fifth generation Girmityas are sought- after professionals and skilled people in Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and other parts of the world.
While it is a topic of its own, this also saw commencement, development and enhancement of a distinct Fiji Indian culture with a distinct language and unique formation of system and ways that formed into a distinct culture.
Two major milestones
May 14, 2020 will mark the 141st Anniversary of the first arrival of indentured labourers in Fiji and also the centenary of the actual termination of Girmit.
It is important to note that while generally things have improved for the descendants of Girmityas, equal rights as mooted via Salisbury dispatch is still some distance away because of the racist policies of the past Fijian governments, dominated by Chiefs for most of that time. Salisbury dispatch was a document, never implemented, but spoke of equal treatment and dignity of Indians.
The suffering that the Girmityas went through had begun in another form for those farmers who lost land because of expiring leases, instigated by ethno-nationalists after the coup. Therefore the pain and suffering may have lessened but it has not completely gone.
Gross inequalities
The other important aspect of colonisation in Fiji is that unlike other British colonies, the natives in Fiji were spared the suffering, genocide, ethnic cleansing and indignity that natives in other British Colonies, including Australia and New Zealand, went through in early colonisation.
In Fiji, the Girmityas were surrogates for the suffering of the natives.
While the Girmityas were scolded, punched, whipped, raped and forced to clear Fiji and build its economic base, the indigenous population was still kept in their natural habitat and environment of their villages to preserve their way of life.
They certainly cannot blame the Girmityas for this, as this was a ploy of Chiefs and the Colonialist to keep the “natives’ economically dependent on the Chiefs so that they could be easily controlled.
Unfortunately, Fiji Indians are blamed for this backwardness of the indigenous population.
The Girmityas are accused of being disloyal to Fiji for refusing to join the army.
However, history should realise that while the Fijian soldiers were ducking Japanese bullets in jungles of Solomon Islands, Indians kept the economy of Fiji running, so that when the Fijian soldiers returned to their homeland, they would return to an economically flourishing country rather than a bankrupt one. History should salute the Indians who were the economic soldiers fighting for Fiji in the global market. (This will be a subject of a separate article).
Unfortunately, the history of Fiji and the indigenous population fails to acknowledge this important historical fact. That is perhaps the biggest tragedy for the descendants of the Girmityas in Fiji, as there is absence of teaching of Girmit history in Fiji schools.
The Bansi Clan today
Bansi raised his family at Rarawai Golf links, Ba and passed away in 1978.
He had six sons and four daughters. All his children have passed away, but have left a legacy, spread around the world in England, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.
It is through his second eldest son, Hans Raj Singh, that he had his grandson, Thakur Ranjit Singh, (author of this article), who was able to recollect and piece together the difficulties and problems on Girmit through this article.
Through Bansi’s fourth son, Budh Ram Singh, whose son Satendra Singh was a Member of Parliament representing Fiji Labour Party in Ba East Indian Communal Seat in 1990s.
Through Bansi’s eldest daughter and son-in-law, the late Gauri Shankar of Wailailai Ba, we had one of the most gifted legal sons of Fiji.
Ganga Prasad Shankar, (GP Shankar), a grandchild of Bansi (Naati) started as a simple Court Clerk in Ba and had been a renowned lawyer of Ba, commonly known as GP or GP Shankar, who studies in Middle Temple, England.
More than 30 of Bansi’s grandchildren now live Vancouver, Kitimat, Surrey, Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Sacramento, Modesto, Portland, Sydney, Brisbane Melbourne, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and London.
Professionals around the world
This reflects the movement capability and mobility of generations of Girmitya descendants.
They are all successful, hardworking and loyal – the attributes passed on by experience suffered during Girmit-and vision they held for the future generation.
His grandchildren include mechanics, doctors, lawyers, law-enforcement officers, teachers, land-developers, surveyors, health-workers, pharmacists, horticulturalists, farmers, among others, and journalist and blogger, like yours truly, the author of this article.
This is legacy of Girmityas, who were ordinary people who did extraordinary things in extraordinary circumstances. In the 141 years of their legacy, they have scattered their heritage in most corners of the world through their obsession with educating their descendants.
This signifies the continuous progress of the off-springs of Girmityas and the salvation they saw in higher education. The silent oath that they took on their suffering was that they will never again allow their descendants to be subjected to the same level of indignity, inhumanity, exploitation and cruelty that they went through in Girmit. And through migration and vision for higher education, this is being slowly achieved.
The only hope is that the new generation, which is the beneficiary of the suffering, sacrifices and vision of the Girmityas remember what they have been bequeathed by these simple labourers.
A Parting Gift
This article is dedicated by the children of Girmit of the 35,000 Bansi and Bholai who decided to settle back in Fiji and transformed Fiji from a cannibalistic tribalism and jungle to a flourishing democratic country and economic giant which is referred to as crown jewel of Pacific.
And indeed those who helped in this achievement remain forgotten and unacknowledged, not even a public holiday to honour Girmit Day.
While the history and Fiji government fail to recognise or acknowledge this, they could not take away the legacy and heritage Girmityas passed on to their successive generations who shine throughout the world today.
This article was meant as a wreath on the graves of Girmityas, Shradhanjali ke doh phool to whom the whole of Fiji owes its gratitude. This also was an attempt to correct Fiji’s history which missed to fill the blank pages with Girmit tales.
Thakur Ranjit Singh is a third generation descendant of Girmitya. He is a journalist and runs his own blog, called, ‘Fiji Pundit.’ He lives in Auckland.
