Deputy Prime Minister of Fiji, Prof. Biman Prasad, has urged the international community to formally recognise the history and struggles of indentured Indian labourers, or girmityas, by establishing an International Day on Girmit.
Speaking via Viber at the “Interdisciplinary Perspective on the Indian Diaspora: The Way Forward” conference at the University of Calcutta on 20 March, he called for global acknowledgment of their sacrifices and suffering.
“For nearly a century, over a million Indians were shipped out from this very port and other colonial ports, including over 60,000 to Fiji,” Prof. Prasad told a distinguished audience that included West Bengal Governor Dr C.V. Ananda Bose and leading Indian academics.
“Their stories were buried, hidden in broad daylight. Today, as their descendants, we must reclaim and preserve their histories.”
Describing the brutal conditions under which Indians were taken to British colonies, Prof. Prasad challenged the long-standing narrative that indenture was voluntary. “I have not heard of one account of our ancestors voluntarily signing up for indenture,” he said.
“Yet, this was the story that was sold to us. It was not until Mahatma Gandhi’s journey to South Africa that India began to understand the full inhumanity of this system.”
Prof. Prasad praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent commitment to preserving girmit history through research, film, and education but stressed the need for further action. “As with slavery, the time for an International Day on Girmit has arrived,” he said.
“I encourage countries represented here to collectively work on this proposal within the United Nations framework.”
Beyond historical recognition, he called on businesses and institutions that profited from the indenture system to confront their past.
“To those who benefited from this dark chapter of history, my message is simple: Know your history, because our history is yours too.”
Highlighting the strengthening relationship between Fiji and India under the current Fijian government, Prof. Prasad noted high-level engagements and collaborations in health, education, and trade. He also spoke of the spiritual resilience of girmityas, who found solace in the Ramayan amidst their suffering.
“I cannot convey to all of you how much Ramayan meant to our ancestors in their ‘coolie lines’, on the plantations, and across the farms of colonial Fiji,” he said.
“When the reality of slavery sunk in, most of our families had not much else but their scriptures to fall back on. Hindu girmityas looked to the Ramayan.”
In Lord Ram’s story, they saw a reflection of their own exile.
“The ‘kaala pani’ that they were forced to cross to reach Fiji became their own Ram seetu—a bridge they hoped to one day cross back. In my family’s case, this happened three generations later. I became the first in my family to make that return trip to India—a journey denied to my ancestors.”
For many girmityas, the Ramayan was their most cherished possession. “Colonial authorities made it next to impossible to bring Ramayan into the colony,” Prof. Prasad noted.
“We have all heard stories of Ramayan being seized and destroyed during the indentured period. This too is a part of our own history.”
Communities came together to preserve their faith. “Whole villages collectively safeguarded the Ramayan. Our Ramayan Mandalis rotated from home to home each week, providing solace and strength,” he said.
“Elder girmityas comforted the newly arrived, using lessons from the Ramayan about endurance and the eventual victory of righteousness. When no one seemed to stand with girmityas, they had Lord Ram in their lives.”
Every week, their grandparents reflected on Lord Ram’s struggles and drew strength from them.
“Every anna saved was used to build pathshalas for their children. Every brutality they suffered, they knew Lord Ram and Sita Mata had suffered far worse.”
A century later, their descendants have become full citizens of an independent Fiji, contributing to its governance and prosperity. “Our government has taken our relationship with India to the next level. In the last two years, 16 ministers from Fiji have visited India, and External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar visited Fiji. Our Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka met Prime Minister Modi in Papua New Guinea, bestowing Fiji’s highest honour upon him. Her Excellency the President of India also made a historic visit to Fiji in 2024,” he said, highlighting ongoing collaborations in health, education, and other sectors.
Reflecting on his personal connection to the girmit legacy, Prof. Prasad shared the emotional significance of addressing the conference. “I often think about my grandparents. In their last days, they would have looked beyond the shores of Dreketi—my district in Fiji—wondering about their brothers and sisters in Gonda, Uttar Pradesh, with whom they were denied contact,” he said.
“They went into their afterlife not knowing how their immediate family had fared. That sadness lives inside each of us to this day. We live with that as we must. That is our girmit.”
He concluded by expressing the honour he felt addressing the gathering.
“As one of Fiji’s leaders, I have been given this greatest of honour to provide opening remarks at this important conference. I do so on behalf of my grandparents and on behalf of all one million-plus girmityas—on behalf of all who were denied that journey back home in their lifetimes.”
Prof. Prasad’s speech, despite being delivered remotely, struck a deep chord with the audience, reinforcing the urgency of preserving and honouring the girmitya legacy on a global stage.
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