It was on August 1st 1834 that Great Britain abolished slavery across the Caribbean — then referred to as the West Indies, with a total of 750,000 men, women and children set free. The aftermath of this left plantation owners struggling with labour shortages. To combat this, the owners turned to the Indian subcontinent, selecting a different group of individuals to exploit in their thirst for profit.
Three years after the abolishment of slavery, a sugar plantation owner in Guyana by the name of John Gladstone contacted the British government by letter, requesting permission to transport Indians to the West Indies as indentured servants. The letter explained that it would be “free labour” and Indians would have agency over whether they wished to work for him. The process would be formalised by signing a contract, binding the indentured servants to the plantations for up to 10 years at a time. The British government agreed upon Gladstone’s request, permitting him to recruit indentured labourers through his agents in India.
Gladstone’s agents were notoriously dishonest. The agents fabricated fantasies about the islands that Indians would be relocated to, the wages they would earn, and the type of work they would be contracted to do. The stamping of one’s finger — which was their form of a signature — onto paper was not the signing of a fair contract, but the signing away of their freedom, having been convinced under false pretences.
Before any ship was permitted to leave Madras or Kolkata a quota had to be met. For every 100 men, 40 women were also required. Convincing women to sign up was an onerous process due to various socio-economic factors, so recruiters were incentivised with higher wages. The acquisition of female signups was a lucrative business for agents, and as a result, women were often kidnapped and transported on ships bound for the West Indies, South Africa or Mauritius against their will.
On May 5th,1838 two ships by the names of Whitby and Hesperus (also known as Hill Coolies), arrived in Guyana. This would begin the era of indentureship not only in the West Indies but across various subcontinents across the globe. It would become the largest migration of the 19th century. This migration has been swept under the rug by the British as though this dark history in time never took place. The colonial powers have chosen to forget. However, we, the descendants will not forget.
We choose to remember and honour our ancestors who fought through these horrific conditions, endured trauma and survived so we could exist here today. We are an extension of them and their story is a thread, connecting us to the mysteries and many questions of a history that shall no longer be forgotten.
When indentured servants left the Indian subcontinent by ship and found its way moving deeper into the sea, that sea was referred to as Kali Pani. Meaning Black Water. Once crossed into it, one would lose its social respectability and caste.
On top of that - Indentured servitude lead to horrendous conditions, violence and sexual assault on plantations, enduring hardship and trauma. So much destruction came about. At the same time people’s lives were starting over. It was a time of creation. Life as they knew looked a lot different and they had to adapt and build upon a foundation in which its soil was not what they were used to. It took some time to finally build a life that felt good again and felt like home. They endured and they survived.
Kali Pani is more than what was lost, it’s about what was created and born in spite of it.
The beauty after the destruction.
“...many things were lost during that nautical passage, family, caste and religion, and yet many things were also found, chamars found brahmins, muslims found hindus, biharis found marathis, so that by the end of the voyage we were a nation of jahaji bhais, rowat gawat heelat dholat adat padat, all for one and one for all... ”
— Sudesh Mishra Indo-Fijian poet and academic