Maternal aunt ‘born on board’
FOR the Lutchman family of Merebank, the words “born on board” were the missing link to tracing their roots to India.
While sitting at his Punjab Circle home in 2013, octogenarian Lenny Lutchman was determined to find out more about his grandparents.
With only the knowledge of having a maternal aunt, Lutchmania Ramharak, born on one of the ships that transported Indian indentured labourers to South Africa, the 81-year-old and his family got to work.
It took them all of 40 minutes to go through four ship lists until they found his beloved aunt’s name.
“I have been interested in tracing my roots for a few years, but didn’t know how to get down to it,” said Lutchman.
“I told enlisted the help of my nieces and nephews as they are more clued up on these things, and with that idea planted in their minds, they went about trying to get information.”
His nephew, Ravi, got his hands on the lists of indentured labourers.
“I remember it like it was yesterday. When we saw Lutchmania’s name next to ‘ born on board’, we all jumped and screamed with excitement.
“I guess we didn’t think it would be as easy.
“Luckily, next to her name was her father, my maternal grandfather, Phalad Ramharack’s indenture number.
“When we searched the number, we found that he and his wife, Gendya Madho, who were both 25, arrived in the country with a two-year-old boy, Sookroo Ramharack, but we don’t know if he was their son.”
With a burning desire to find out more about his paternal side, Lutchman wanted to find his grandfather, Soman Lowton, whom his had Latchman Soman often spoke of.
“I still had my father’s identity document, which had my grandfather’s indenture number, but we could not trace my grandmother’s name or number. This could have meant he arrived as a bachelor and married here.”
He said his dad, Latchman, met and married his mom, Sukhia, and they lived at the Lower Illovo sugar cane plantation.
In 2015, Lutchman and his family visited the plantation in search of his parents’ home where he was born, and saw an abandoned field.
“One resident, who was older than me and who lived near what used to be my family home, remembered my parents.
He told me our home was demolished and the area was supposed to be redeveloped, but the plans fell through.”
Lutchman, a grandfather of two, believes it is important for people to trace their roots.
“You need to know where you come from to know where you are going.”