This book is about our ancestors who were brought to Fiji as indentured labourers in the early 1900's.  

A story of my girmiteer ancestors: Book 2

Our ancestors boarded the steamship S.S Chenab III on August 1, 1916 for their onward journey to Fiji. This was the steamer’s third voyage to the country. Hence, it was identified by the number three. On this voyage, there was a total of 882 girmiteers destined for Fiji. 

After completing their girmit, our ancestors moved from Olosara to a place called Tilivalevu that was about 10 kilometres away.&nbsp;They started growing sugar cane but also explored other farming options.

He replied to the interviewer by saying: "Are you kidding me?"

The girmiteers were always under pressure and reminded of their obligations. Their white masters would say "Get on with your work...This is your agreement."

In the spring of 1911, aaja, aaji and their son Gajadhar packed their jholi dandha (megre belongings) and took their first steps towards Fiji. Like our other ancestors, they did not know where they were going. But Fiji, wherever it was; offered hope and a new opportunity.

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This is the story of Badlu and Sirtajia. The children in the family called them aaja and aaji.

They diversified their farming practices and went into goat farming. They very successful in this venture and at one time were raising a few hundred goats.

Like all girmiteers, our ancestors were quarantined at Nukulau Island and medically examined before they gained their clearances to lineup for their prospective buyers from the plantations. They had to clean themselves with disinfectants before their examinations. Once they were "clean" they were paraded. Our ancestors were bought by the CSR estate owners in Olosara, Sigatoka and off they went to conquer the unseen and the unknown world in front of them.

After travelling nearly 12,770km on the high seas, aajua and aajiya arrived in Fiji – almost a month later on 18 August 1911. This was their first and last overseas trip. Like all other girmiteers, after the ships docked at the Suva Port, they were put on barges that were towed to Nukulau – a small island off the island of Viti Levu and not far from the City of Suva . This was used as a quarantine station for the emigrating indentured labourers. Like the trade of slaves, the girmiteers were bought by the plantation owners on the basis of their needs.

This story is about our aajima's paternal grandparents. For us, they were our great grandparents. They came from the state of Uttar Pradesh which in those days was known as the United Provinces.

In Calcutta, medical examinations were conducted by male doctors. They had to ensure that they were "free from all bodily and mental disease" and that they have been "vaccinated since engaging to emigrate". It was signed off by the depot surgeon and countersigned by the surgeon superintendent on their emigration passes. Their son Gajadhar was issued with his own emigration pass.

The village offered minimal opportunities for work. Working as a labourer on farms was an option for aaja but the work was seasonal. Many of the farms were owned by rich zamindars (land owners) and some were very cruel who did not treat the labourers humanely.

Image source: <a href="https://monovisions.com/calcutta-india-1890s-vintage-historic-bw-photos/">https://monovisions.com/calcutta-india-1890s-vintage-historic-bw-photos/</a>

Once they moved out of their hamlets, they were very quickly exposed to the world that was around them. Experiencing the rapidly changing scenery would have been mind-blowing. We wonder how they would have felt when they went in for a quick dip in one of the ghats in Calcutta.

For many villagers, our ancestors decision to travel to a far flung place in search of work would have been confusing. Traditionally, the village community barely ventured out of their traditional boundaries.  

Later in his life, Gajadhar one of our ancestors who came to Fiji as a young boy ended being the last remaining girmiteer who was a male. At the age of nearly 100, he participated in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxl4q_jfDPI&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;fbclid=IwAR2xvzUKtUxgAFGe2yCw5cjUNXEmF7bfWijxu9yExlNIWFrLfYIfvRtPq6U">BBC interview</a> where the interviewer starts by asking him: "So was life hard for you under indenture?"

Aaja, aaji and their son Gajadhar needed to get the town of Gorakhpur. Getting on a train was the best way to get there. They were lucky. There was a railway service that was close to where they were living.

Gorakhpur to Calcutta - Google My Maps

Like all other girmiteers, once they were registered they became entrapped. In some respects they were like caged animals waiting to be loaded on rail cars and transported to Calcutta which was about 2000 kilometres from Gorakhpur.  

Like our other girmiteer ancestors, aaja and aaji headed for Fiji in search of work and a better life. They were accompanied in this life changing venture by one of their sons; Gajadhar who was nine years old at the time.

A story of my girmiteer ancestors - Book 2

Our ancestors came from a thana called Uska. Thanas are police stations that are dotted throughout the country. Each thana is assigned a number of hamlets which are expected to maintain law and order. Hamlets are smaller than villages with a population of a couple of hundred at most. Our ancestors came from a hamlet called Kalla Khore.

The SS Chenab III arrived in Fiji on September 1, 1916. Our ancestors were in the second last group of indentured labourers. They were the 86th group of girmiteers. SS Sutlej V was the next and the 87th steamer to bring indentured labourers to Fiji. It was also the last one, marking the end of the labour trade. Between 1879 and 1916, a recorded 60,965 Indians, predominately from the poorer states of India were recruited to work on sugar cane plantations in Fiji.

To read more books and for more information visit the SEE Digital Library website (<a href="https://theseeproject.org/">https://seelibrary.org/</a>).

This link provides some information on the Girmiteers and their pass numbers: <a href="http://archivesfiji.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Indian-Immigration-Pass-list.pdf">http://archivesfiji.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Indian-Immigration-Pass-list.pdf</a>

As the family grew, our ancestors lived in different places. Our ancestors Badlu and Sirtajia's final residence was in Kulukulu - a landmark known for its famous sand-hills. Their son, Gajadhar lived with his family in Rakirakilevu. Both these places were not far from each other. Interestingly they were not far from Olosara either - the place where they started their Girmit!

"We used to cook and eat in a hurry - how can you eat anything so early in the morning?"

"We would pack roti in the bag to eat in the fields."

"We used to work all day. At 3 o'clock n the morning, the man would come on horseback and wake us up."

"He would shout... "Get up, get up. It's light now and time for work.""

The township of Gorakhpur was about 60 kilometres south of where they lived. It was a commercial centre which also served as a hub to register those who were considered suitable by unscrupulous British agents to sign their five year contract or Girmit.

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