PM Celebrates Girmitiya Day with the Descendants of Indentured Labourers
As the nation on Thursday commemorated the 141st anniversary of the arrival of the Girmitiyas into the country, a family celebrated the special day with the Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at their home in Nakomoco Settlement in Wainibokasi.
Ram Rup Lal and his wife Saraswati Lal, both 76 years old, could not contain their excitement when the Head of Government took time out to visit them in the afternoon to hear their ancestral stories and life experiences of some seven decades ago.
The couple, who have two daughters and a son, were among the many Fijians of Indian descent who are direct descendants of the Girmitiyas in Fiji.
For Mr Lal, his grandfather came in a ship called Arno in 1904 from Gonda District in India. Mr Lal’s grandfather was nine- years old at that time and was accompanied by his uncle to Fiji and they came to work as cane labourers.
Some years ago, Mr Lal had the opportunity to visit his grandfather’s birthplace in Gonda District. In an effort to learn more about his family roots and culture, he spent five weeks in India.
For Mrs Lal, her father arrived in Fiji when he was only two years old. He came with his mother who found a safe haven in Girmit due to domestic violence she faced in the family.
Mrs. Lal’s grandmother was from Pachaiya, India.
The couple told the Prime Minister that in remembering their ancestors, some treasured ornaments and household items brought by the Girmitiyas are still safely kept by them.
They added that only a few of the second and third-generation Girmitiyas are still alive in Fiji and being among the few was a blessing for them.
They sincerely thanked the Prime Minister for taking time out from his very busy schedules to visit them – an exemplary act that demonstrated how Mr Bainimarama valued the sacrifices and commitment of the Girmitiyas to Fiji’s economy.
Mr Bainimarama said each year, on May 14, it was important for us to pause to think about the gruelling trials the Girmitiyas endured, and also to recognise the sense of hope that got them through their
Girmitiyas supplied much of the hard labour it took to build Fiji’s early colonial economy – toiling in cane fields, building roads and laying the foundation of many of the towns and cities we live in today. Voreqe Bainimarama Prime Minister