During the colonial era, there existed something known as the Fiji Blue Book — a directory that listed all government appointments in the islands.
This week’s Discovering Fiji story centres on a name recorded in the Fiji Blue Book of 1898 — an Indian woman listed as “Parbotti.” Her real name was Padam Kaur.
According to historical records and online archives, Parbotti was appointed as a female warder at the Suva Gaol on January 1, 1898, at a time when the prison consisted of a few small huts surrounded by a reed fence.
It is believed she worked there until 1901, a few years after the prison became a formal institution, taking over what was once a mental asylum — today known as St Giles Hospital.
Section 14 of the 1898 Fiji Blue Book was dedicated to the paid employees of the Prisons Department, and Parbotti was listed as one of only 12 salaried workers. She earned an annual wage of 12 pounds, a considerable sum for a woman — and particularly for one of Indian descent — at that time.
Arrival in Fiji – 1885According to Fiji: A Love Story (Memories of an Unconventional Diplomat), Kaur (later known as Parbotti) arrived in Fiji with her husband, Ram Chander, on June 27, 1885, aboard the SS Ganges.
The couple had travelled for more than three months from the Indian subcontinent. Out of those who set sail, 15 passengers perished during the 74-day voyage.
Their first steps on Fijian soil were taken on Nukulau Island, which served then as a quarantine and reception station for indentured labourers.
After medical checks, Kaur and Chander were assigned to work with a group of 35 men, 14 women, and three children. They were allotted to Charlie Chalmers of Penang Estate in Northern Viti Levu.
Life on Chalmers’ EstateThe couple travelled by barge to Rakiraki — as there were no roads in those days — and landed at Washington Wharf, Nanukuloa, where Chalmers and his sardars awaited them. The head sardar was a tall Rajput named Budhia, described as having a “bushy moustache.”
Under Budhia’s supervision, Kaur and Chander learned their daily routine: waking at 3:30 a.m. to bathe, cook, and eat before heading to the sugarcane fields. Their sardars would then assign them tasks for the day.
The couple lived at the end of one of the coolie lines — communal barracks provided for indentured workers. Each structure, roughly 10 by 7 feet, had a door but no windows. Inside were three bunks and a small fireplace for cooking; the floor was simply bare earth.
“It must have been an unwelcome sight, even for those who had known poverty in their homeland,” notes Fiji: A Love Story.
A Life of StruggleLife on Fiji’s plantations was harsh and unforgiving.
The work was grueling, and labourers often faced mistreatment — not only from European overseers but also from their own sardars, who were known to be “the worst exploiters of their countrymen.” Women, in particular, suffered cruel treatment.
However, Kaur and Chander fared better than many others, thanks to Budhia’s humane and fair nature — qualities rarely found among sardars of the time.
Workers were paid on Saturday afternoons. Kaur and Chander earned one shilling and nine pence per task, excluding rations and return passage to India.
On holidays, they took on extra work when available. Otherwise, the labourers would gather to wrestle, play music, sing, or take part in Ramayan recitations.
Over time, Chander and his fellow labourers acquired a taste for yaqona (kava), while Kaur kept their humble home neat and dignified.
She coated the earthen floor with a mixture of clay and cow dung, a custom she had learned in her home village of Jaingara, in the Agra district of Uttar Pradesh.
Parbotti’s First Child in FijiThree years after their arrival, on April 10, 1888, Kaur gave birth to a son.
Traditional Hindu birth ceremonies, such as the jatakarma (performed shortly after birth, sometimes before the umbilical cord is cut), were observed. A feast followed, and the baby was named Biri Singh.
However, colonial records later miswrote his name as Bere Singh, a version that endured.
During the indenture period, plantation life was often marred by jealousy and conflict among labourers. Yet Budhia’s leadership helped maintain peace at Penang Estate. Unfortunately, he was later transferred and replaced by Sardar Dost Mohammed, who was indifferent to Kaur and Chander.
Then, tragedy struck. In June 1890, just weeks before Chander’s contract was due to end, a fire broke out that destroyed part of the sugarcane field and completely burned down Sardar Mohammed’s house.
Chander and his close friend, Bhanchand, were accused of causing the blaze — even though both were asleep when the fire started.
This article was first published in The Sunday Times on July 10, 2022.
To be continued next week
