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| Indenture Memorial in Kidderpore, Kolkata, upload.wikimedia.org |
Above image, Plaques in the indenture memorial, Kiddnapore, Kolkata, West Bengal . Image credit above and below:
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| he Indenture Memorial,Kidderpore, Kolkata,upload.wikimedia.org |
The Indenture memorial at the Kidderpore Depot, Garden Reach, along the banks of the Hoogly River that commemorates indentured workers from this area in the harsh colonial time did not come up overnight. It had been a long standing demand from the descendants of the migrants who are now settled in different parts of the world.
Those migrants long expressed their disappintment over 'the absence of any link in India that connects them to their ancestors;. "This is a forgotten part of Indian history. It was the migration that spread the Indian diaspora to different regions of t...to different regions of the world - from the Caribbean to South Africa to the Pacific region," according to Prof Martin Budhoos, a historian. Kolkata.
Various NGOs such as the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) and other PIO associations had lobbied the government for several years for a memorial to the indentured workers. At last the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, the West Bengal government and the Kolkata Port Trust, took serious efforts. As most of the depots and jetties were in the Garden Reach area. Fiji Islands, Suriname and British Guiana had their depots at Kidderpore. The Garden reach area was finally chosen for the proposed memorial. The commemorative plaques were placed on the Clock Tower at the Demerara Depot in a different location. The recruits for British Guiana were transported from the Demerara jetty. Demerara is the name of one of the regions of British Guiana, which has lent its name to the Demerara sugar.
A non-governmental organisation, the Global Indian Diaspora Heritage Society (GIDHS) was set up for a Museum project in order to place on record their ancestors - labourers who left the shores here during 19th and 20th centuries in the hope of seeking better livelihoods in far away lands. What they encountered was nothing but hardship, shattering their cherished dream. The memorial and plagues are to honor "their pioneering spirit, determination, resilience, endurance, perseverance and sacrifices amidst extremely harsh conditions. This post is based on:
Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/india/finally-memorial-honour-indias-indentured-2384138.
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