Indentured Labour Migration from India
This section explores the complex issue of indentured labor migration from India during the 19th century. As the global economy experienced rapid changes, many Indian laborers, especially from eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu, found themselves increasingly impoverished due to declining cottage industries and rising land rents. Many turned to indentured labor as a means of survival, attracted by false promises from recruiters about better living conditions and opportunities abroad.
The major destinations for these laborers included Caribbean islands like Trinidad, Guyana, and Surinam, as well as territories like Mauritius and Fiji. The recruiters often misled potential migrants about the nature of their work and living conditions, sometimes employing coercive tactics to secure laborers.
Upon arrival, indentured workers encountered harsh realities: difficult working conditions, limited rights, and exploitation. Despite the challenges, they formed communities, contributing to the cultural landscapes of their new homes, blending their traditions with local practices.
The section concludes by noting how the system of indentured labor was viewed as akin to slavery and how opposition to this practice grew in India, leading to its eventual abolition in 1921, though the legacy of the indentured laborers endures, particularly in the cultural identities of communities in the Caribbean and elsewhere.