Prema Remembers late Grandad
Apassionate Prema Chand was reminded of the great work her late grandfather, Bhadur, did when he arrived on the last ship of Girmitiyas to Fiji on November 11, 1916.
Ms Chand spoke to the Fiji Sun after the celebration of the Sutlej Girmit Remembrance Day at the Girmit Centre in Lautoka yesterday. She was also part of the Varoka Tavarau Naarisabha, Ba group that performed a drama depicting the event of when the indentured laborers arrived in 1916.
She said her grandfather came from Uttar Pradesh State in India to work on the sugarcane farms in Fiji.
“Our item is about those days during the indentured system when Indians came to Fiji to work on the sugarcane farm,” Ms Chand said. “This is a sad day for us. When we always bring it up we cry because we recall how the colonial masters were treating them badly.” The Minister for Local Government, Housing, Environment, and Infrastructure & Transport Parveen Bala who officiated as chief guest, said what made the event significant was the togetherness of the people to mark a special event.
“What makes this event significant is that until 2016 we have only come together to remember the milestone Girmit events in an annual manner,” he said.
“It is significant that we in Fiji mark this event annually to ensure that the lives we live today has a concrete and lasting connection to our Girmitiya past our shared Girmitiya history.
“Each year I’m amazed to learn new things about the Girmit era and I find that many aspects of the Girmitiyas lives and legacies continue to impact our daily lives.”
He said the Girmitiyas and their descendants played a central role in developing the modern Fijian economy.