Dear Editor,
I have seen at least 3 letters printed in the dailies on indentured immigrants/laborers and Girmitiyas. I am confused as to why there is a concern whether we use indentured immigrants/laborers or girmitiyas. Please permit me to add my two cents worth. Being an engineer by profession, I will be brief since I am not prone to be verbose as the writers of the prior letters.
A little background… “Girmitiya” is a Hindi word meaning “contracted native labour (during the British regime).” The term ‘Girmitiya” was never used in Guyana and the Caribbean. The main reason for this is that we were not lucky to be taught Hindi in schools in Guyana. The British wanted our education to be Westernized so we were taught Latin, French, and Spanish. So, we were stuck using the term “indentured immigrants/labourers”.
The first time I heard about the word “Girmitiya” was during my association with Fiji. In Fiji, the indentured immigrants/labourers were taught Hindi in schools and, as such, they could read, write, and speak Hindi. in fact, all Indo-Fijians speak a slight variant of Hindi that is referred to as Fiji-Hindi. All Indo-Fijians refer themselves as girmitiyas.
As a Guyanese who, over the years, have learned to read, write, and speak Hindi, it is easy for me to see that the use of “indentured immigrants/labourers” or “girmitiyas” is one of choice. They mean the exact, same thing!
Sincerely,
Seeraj Mattai, PhD
