Urgent need to preserve Girmit history through curriculum, museums and digital records – Dr Ganesh Chand

Unfortunately, so far nothing has been done to preserve the memories of the Girmitiyas and there is a need to introduce it in the school curriculum, to establish museums to preserve the artifacts of that era and to have a comprehensive database for Girmitiyas.

This has been highlighted by Global Girmit Institute Chair Dr Ganesh Chand who says lack of action to acknowledge and preserve the past was what led to the formation of the institute in 2017.

He says they have been proposing to various governments and leaders on ways to preserve and to acknowledge the history of Girmit and only recently has the new government been able to acknowledge that by recognizing a day in the year as Girmit Day and this is remarkable.

While speaking to fijivillage News, Dr Chand says a lot needs to be done to preserve Girmit history as it is part of history which cannot be denied.

While highlighting this year’s Girmit Day theme of “Preserving the Past, Envisioning the Future”, he says Girmit history has to come into the curriculum in both primary and secondary schools and museums need to established to preserve artifacts and how life was in the past.

Dr Chand says despite budget allocation, and an announcement in 2018 for a Girmit Museum project, so far, nothing has been done.

The researcher further says people continue to face challenges in tracing their ancestral roots due to the lack of accessible information, as most historical records are only available at the National Archives in Suva. Dr Chand says they have launched a digital archive – girmitdata.org – which now hosts digitised copies of the original indenture passes.

However, he says much more work is needed to verify and clean the database, which contains over 60,000 handwritten arrival cards of Girmitiyas, each with 15 to 18 pieces of personal information.

Dr Chand says another area that requires focus is tracking those who returned to India, those who moved to other countries such as Mauritius or the Caribbean, and those who stayed in Fiji and where they served under the indenture system.

He says the National Archives holds valuable records of these placements, but digitalisation is essential to make them accessible to the public.

Dr Chand stresses that this work is vital not just for preserving the legacy of the Girmit era, but also for empowering descendants to connect with their past and better understand their identity.

Girmit commemoration events will take place from Saturday to Monday at Subrail Park in Labasa.

Indian Minister of State for External Affairs of India Pabitra Margherita will be part of the events on Monday.

The public holiday for Girmit is on Monday, 12th May.