A Diaspora Dreams series
6 of 6 published
Children of the Girmit
The Girmitiya diaspora, one country at a time — how the descendants of indenture built nations across the old plantation world.
Anchored at the Heritage desk.
About this series
Between 1834 and 1920, more than a million Indians were carried across the British Empire under indenture — the “girmit”, the agreement that gave a whole diaspora its name. They went to cut cane in colonies most Indians today could not place on a map: Mauritius, Trinidad, Guyana, Fiji, Suriname, South Africa.
This series tells their story one country at a time — who arrived, what they endured, and what their descendants became. It is the journalistic companion to our Girmitiya topic page and to GGLASC, the archive that traces these family lines back to the indenture ships.
The series
Mauritius — where indenture built a nation
Published · Read part 1 →
Trinidad — the Fatel Razack
Published · Read part 2 →
Guyana — the first crossing
Published · Read part 3 →
Fiji — the girmit and the coups
Published · Read part 4 →
Suriname — the Dutch Hindustanis
Published · Read part 5 →
South Africa — the Truro and Natal
Published · Read part 6 →
Other editorial series: See all →