 |
| Indenture labor, India and profits colonial India |
 |
| British expansionism.giddayfromtheuk.blogspot.com |
Following the abolition of slavery in 1833 and the "apprenticeship" phase, many former slaves abandoned plantation work, leaving British colonies in need of cheap labor to sustain their agricultural economies, particularly in the sugar-cane industry. Shortage of labor made the British turn first to Chinese labor but then focussed on India. Cunning as they were, they ingeniously established what was called an indentured labor system to fill the void left by emancipated Africans who went through hell under the colonial Europeans.
.jpg) |
| Indentare labor, india, British colonialism. youtube.com |
 |
| Indian workers and British colony. .bbc.com |
Above images: The Indian indenture system was a sort of indentured servitude, invented by British Bobs. More than 1.6 million workers from British India were shipped to work on the sugar cotton plantations owned by the European colonies, as a substitute for slave labor from Africa, In the early 19th century through the efforts of British Politician Wilberforce slavery was banned. Emigrants were shipped from Calcutta port in 1836 and from Madras port in 1837 under certain regulation imposed by the English company.
The Indenture System and Its Exploitation of Indian Workers
The indentured labor system, exploitation in a subtle way as bad as slavery was. It involved five-year contracts that bound Indian workers to plantations in colonies such as British Guiana, Trinidad, and Fiji. Though labeled a legal contract, this system closely mirrored slavery.
Lord Stanley, Secretary of State for the British Colonies, oversaw the first arrivals in British Guiana in 1836, and as historian Hugh Tinker described, conditions for Indian laborers were brutal. Indians were often confined to the plantations, paid a meager wage, and endured long hours with harsh punishments for any breach of contract, such as imprisonment or fines.The historian mentioned, 'the decaying remains of immigrants were frequently discovered in cane fields.....' If laborers did not work, they were not either paid or fed and simply left on the field to be starved to death'.
Despite laws that Parliament claimed that Labor Acts would protect, exploitation of indentured laborers, plantation owners continued without a break. Workers faced near-enslavement, being treated as expendable laborers rather than as human beings. For example, a report from Magistrate Charles Anderson highlighted the cruelty and neglect, citing cases where laborers were starved or left to die if they failed to work, serving as a grim warning to others. But the European colonists became very rich at the the swat and blood of workers from other countries
Recruitment and Deception in India
In India, recruiters, many of questionable repute, capitalized on economic hardship to lure workers with false promises. They specifically targeted impoverished regions like Bihar and Oudh, exploiting local laborers, often deceiving them about the terms and destination of the journey. New recruits were not informed about the four-month sea voyage or their exact destination.
The Broader Impact and Resistance
The influx of indentured laborers shaped plantation economies and kept profits flowing to British financiers, while British colonial policies imposed heavy taxes on Indian products, making local economies in India even more fragile. By the late 19th century, activists, including Mahatma Gandhi, began challenging the abuses suffered by Indian laborers abroad. Gandhi's efforts, alongside pressure from the Indian government, ultimately led to the end of the indenture system in 1917.
This system, responsible for the migration of approximately 2.5 million Indians, exemplified the brutal, extractive practices of British colonialism, subjecting millions to harsh conditions and perpetuating economic and social divisions long after the end of traditional slavery. But the European colonists and owners became very rich
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_indenture_system
https://yourstory.com/2017/12/indentured-labourers-india
Fryer, P., Black People in the British Empire, London and Colorado, 1988
.jpeg)
