Colonial Emigration from the Bengal Presidency and Kanpur to Kolkata: Labor Recruitment for the Sugar Colonies are two newly published historical studies which present a different perspective of Indian Indentureship to the Caribbean.
According to a press release, Associate Professor of History at York College Dr Basdeo Mangru edited and introduced the historical research of George A Grierson and Major D G Pitcher done in the 1880’s.
Incidentally, the two studies were recommended for a comprehensive analysis of the labour migration from the Northern India. Further, the release said, the books unearth issues not previously addressed in literature on the Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean. More than that, readers will find a wealth of information and statistical data that is insightful and informative, the release said.
Both Grierson and Pitcher were High Court Judges appointed by the then British Colonial Government in India to conduct studies relating to Indian migration to the sugar colonies in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
The studies cover issues such as the attitudes of the Indian villagers toward emigration and the varying socio-economic backgrounds of the emigrants.
