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India Came West
The 13th of January was an ordinary day in India
When in 1838, the "SS Whitby" sailed with 249 immigrants
After 11 2 days she reached Georgetown, Guyana
With her first batch trying to fulfil their needs and wants
Not long after another, the "SS Hesperus" came
She sailed on the 19th January at much cost
With 165 Indians on board it was not the same
For 13 died on board and at sea two were lost
On the 30th of May in 1845 came the "SS Rozack'"
After 137 days she did not come to the main
For stormy weather caused her a serious set-back
With 225 souls she landed in Port of Spain
The last ship was the SS Ganges"
Which sailed in 1917 on 17th January
Thus ended coming of the jahajis
Strong kinship made on the journey
In 1917, 239,756 Indians were in Guyana
Many died with flu epidemic and disease
After 5 years many went back to India
To their respective provinces and cities
These pioneers came from Bengal and Behar
The North West provinces, Oudh and Orissa
From pretty Punjab and Uttar Pradesh so far
From cities like Madras, Bombay and Calcutta
After 5 years they were freed from their massahs
With free passages back to Mother India
Many were lured with false promises by harkatiyas
Of easy jobs in the islands and Guyana
They made homes in Guyana, Trinidad, Jamaica
St.Vincent, St. Lucia, Honduras, Guadeloupe
Martinique, even Venezuela and tiny Grenada
French Cayenne and also in the Dutch groupe
Their hopes and aspirations were shattered
By the treatment and racial molestations
From the estate owners as they were scattered
On the cocoa, corn and sugar plantations
The "massahs" handled them like cattle
And they met a worse humiliating fate
Living in long logies of mud and wattle
When they bad to face the magistrate
His rights were always met with denial
Any breach of indentureship contract
And he was charged and dubbed a criminal
For the massa was mean and exact
They came to save the dilapidated economy
When the Negro slaves got their emancipation
In turn they were oppressed into slavery
The reward for saving the English plantation
On top of all their problems
The Negroes made life very uneasy
They ridiculed and molested them
Calling them "Babu" and "coolie"
They mocked their Hindu religion
Called them pagans treated them as foes
Molesting the youths were common
So was the ridicule and abuse by Negroes
The Indians suffered traumatic attacks
They couldn't live in peace and couldn't win
Indians were forced to marry blacks
"Dougala" meant straighter hair and fairer skin
In many islands they lost their names and religion
And they were completely integrated
Only then they were more tolerated as kith and kin
And then they were readily accepted
No one was in the Fast Indians' niche
The plantation owners had the law on their side
For the magistrates were owned by the rich
And Indian. field workers were in for a long ride
The Negro later became a black Whitemen" completely
They lost their religion and were culture dead
Were bent on forcing the Indians into their society
Like them, only to become "Brown Whitemen" instead
Now the Indians are the wealthiest in
the Caribbean
In Guyana, Trinidad and Suriname they are the majority
The "Coolie Baboos" are educated, self-made and keen
And owned most of the businesses, land and property
The pioneers who came from Mother India
Had the stamina and guts to come West
Today the East Indians have a proud dharma
Still practised with vigour and zest.
Written by Norman Datt © 1999
