Brief history of South Indians
The people of South India are generally recognised as Dravidians who live in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The largest population lives in (India – Tamil Nadu) 72 million, followed by Karnataka 61 million. Telugu is the most common language spoken among the Dravidian community. South India comprises 20 per cent of the estimated population of India of 1.4 billion as of 2024. The South India is also known as Peninsular India. The region has a tropical climate and depends on monsoons for rainfall, the most humid is the tropical monsoon climate characterised by moderate to high year-round temperatures and seasonally heavy rainfall above 2000 mm (79 in) per year. The tropical climate is experienced in a strip of south-western lowlands abutting the Malabar Coast, the Western Ghats, and the Lakshadweep islands (Chouhan 1992).
They speak many languages such as Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Tulu. According to some studies they have genetic links who migrated to India about 8000 years ago from modern-day Iran (Parpola 2015). The genetic links and DNA tests show that the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation was predominantly of Neolithic Zagros mountain farmers ancestry (98 per cent) and this ancestry component is linked to early Dravidians (Lazaridis 2016). The South Indians are light to dark-skinned people from the Southern States of India including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. They are called Madrassis for identification.
Girmitiya from South India in Fiji
Most of the girmitiya from the South came to Fiji between 1905 and 1916. However, from 1834 to 1920 the girmitiya had permit holders to return to India after working for five years, and their return passage was paid (The Hindu, 2011). Indenture was a system of contract under which individuals were recruited in their home countries (primarily India) to serve as migrant workers abroad, usually for a term of three to five years. “Girmit” means an “agreement” in English (Girmit History 2020). Most of these girmitiya were recruited from remote areas of Madras Presidency, the main areas being Malabar Hills (Palghat District), Coimbatore, North and South Arcot, Tanjore, Chingleput District and Vijayawada Districts. At the Port of Madras, some three million Indians were transported to former European colonies including those bound for Fiji, they departed from the same Port. The ships took almost 73 days while the steamers took 30 days to arrive in Fiji (FT, 14th May 2016). S.S. Ganges was the ship that departed from Bombay, Madras, and many others. A total of 42 ships made 87 voyages from the years 1879 to 1912. However, 15,114 or 25 per cent of the total indentured labourers were from Madras.
Recruitment of labourers
Kenneth L. Gillion an academic stated, that most of the emigrants were villagers, and recruitment was not necessarily done in the villages, the reason for this was that the recruiters were afraid to go there for fear of violence; because of this, emigrants were recruited in or near towns. The recruiter would station himself on the side of the road or near water collection places. He would also wait at fairs bazaars (Mela) and temples. Gillian explains where there was a crowd and where strangers and travellers were to be found, the recruiters would keep a watchful eye out for the destitute, bemused, or gullible villager. He would approach such a person and enquire about work. According to Gillian emigration was not mentioned at this stage, ending on the recruiter’s assessment of the intelligence and cleverness of the recruit. In many villages, the recruiter dared not show himself for fear of personal violence, and everywhere he was the prey of the police and court officials of the lower grades. The Indian peasant will not emigrate unless compelled by the stress of circumstances; he prefers to struggle in his native village, a victim of ever-present poverty varied by seasons of actual want. Travelling elsewhere, to an Indian villager, meant the risk of breaking caste rules, the emigrant would lose caste by crossing the Kala Pani or oceans. Gillion spoke to the older Immigrants in Fiji and received the impression that the overwhelming majority had left their homes for non-economic reasons, including family arguments, the desire for adventure, the deaths of parents, or the undertaking of a pilgrimage. Evidence however, suggests that economic pressure was a strong factor in Indian emigration during the earlier years of emigration. It is also reasonable to assume that during the later years of immigration economic pressure was less since there was a rapid economic expansion everywhere in India, wages were increased because of an increased demand for labour jobs and recruits were very scarce.
Emigration to Fiji
It was reported that 60,965 passengers left India but only 60,553 arrived in Fiji. This included deaths on voyages because of sicknesses. Over 15,000 girmitiya arrived in Fiji, while 6000 were repatriated to India (FT, October 9, 2021). As they were selected to board the ship, many had to meet and stay together and socialise including Muslims, and Christians as never seen before. They realised that their shipmates or jahaji bhais’ were bound to unknown destinations and they had sea life in the confined space of a ship. The voyage compelled them to abandon the caste dominance that was frequently observed. Gradually, the caste system faded away and marriages were accepted by whom they chose. If the immigrant was under twelve years of age when he was introduced into the colony, he will be entitled to a free return passage if he claims it before he reaches 24 years of age and fulfils the other conditions as to residence. A child of an emigrant born within the colony will be entitled to a free return passage until he reaches the age of twelve, and must be accompanied on the voyage by his parents or guardian, as the concept of multiracialism concepts commenced with a new beginning in Fiji.
When they arrived in Fiji, most of them were taken for medical checks, and those sick were isolated at Nakulau Island, which was the centre for health checks for thousands of indentured labourers brought in by British rulers, and those sick were isolated for at least 40 days. There were many quarantine diseases that the people from Asia had been endemic. Some of the contagious diseases were malaria, cholera, typhoid, smallpox, plague, yellow fever, typhus, and relapsing fever. These sicknesses were life-threatening (WHO, 1970).
After clearances, labourers were subsequently employed on the sugarcane plantations or else repatriated to the Indian subcontinents. Most South Indians were allowed to be kept together as they could communicate with their comrades with ease. Together with many others from Northern Provinces, they were sent out to major districts in Fiji, including islands. Their accommodations with food rations up to six months were provided for males and families according to the scale prescribed by the government of Fiji. While the unmarried were placed in small rooms say 12 to 15 feet with few others. The employer is bound to provide also medical attention in time of sickness. The wage rates per day were one shilling (10 cents) for a male worker and 9 pence (9 cents) for a female worker. Their daily work began at 3am when they were awakened by the loud beating of empty drums. The children were allowed to run around the lines, there were no education privileges. As soon as they turned 12, they had to work in the plantations.
Work culture and treatment
Moreover, the field advisors of the Colonial Sugar Refining (CSR) company were mostly Australians, and they were familiar with the Hindi language with much experience gained from the earlier girmitiya from Uttar Pradesh (UP). In sugarcane plantations all the girmitiya had to work together in sugarcane farms, stables, sugar mills, and other assorted works as general labourers. According to (Mayer, 1961) some areas of concern documented as the Hindi language were given more prominence due to a large number of followers from the labourers who were already settled. However, the author in the Northern Division indicated the languages used by the South Indians were heckled due to a lack of understanding of their languages. It was like peas in a cup and shaken together having different sounds. Moreover, they had to work as part of the duties assigned and learn to use the common language Hindi. They decided to speak both languages with the children. Many married the local Fiji-born girls after settling in Fiji. The girmitiya were not given much recognition by CSR and the government of the day. The courts and police were not so keen to listen to many complaints from girmitiya on many areas of barbaric acts of violence to workers including harassment of females at the workplace. All these cold-hearted areas of concerns had to be alleviated, and many had committed suicides after voicing their concerns, having no fruitful outcomes anymore. The South Indians worked in isolation yet they had the determination to form a united group named Sangam. Letters of much suffering, harassment, and narcissistic characteristics of field overseers and others were beyond acceptance by all the girmitiya. The letters of much concern were written to the Government of India and Mahatma Gandhi. The government of India intervened and advised the Governor General in Fiji. On the other hand, Gandhi voiced his concerns in a ‘Second Round Table Conference’ in London on the topic “His Laws and His Lord” (The Hindu,1931). His sentiments were about Indians being taken to Fiji and other places packed in ships ‘like sardines’ and the level of ill-treatment beyond comprehension especially to South Indians. Concerns of such nature spread to other girmitiya and a collective support by the girmitiya led to allow Kuppuswami to intervene. He was based in Rakiraki and had a lot of ideas about Sangam in India. He was an ex-police officer before he came to Fiji as a girmitiya. He also realised the ill-treatment and miscarriage of justice imposed on all the labourers without any form of redress by authorities.
Birth of Sangam in Fiji
The founder of Sangam in Fiji was Sadhu Kuppuswami (1890–1956), a girmitiya and religious leader who played a significant role in the cultural and religious development of the Indian community in Fiji. He was born in the village of Konnor, Tamil Nadu, India. He was literate in Tamil and Telugu and worked as a police officer in India. In 1912, he arrived in Fiji as an indentured labourer and served his five-year indenture in Tavua. Later, he joined the Melbourne Trust Company in Rakiraki as a two-horse ploughman. It was on 10th January 1926, when Sangam was born at Vaileka, Ra. Later in the same year, a large conference was held at Nadi. He was elected as the president of the newly formed body. The name was endorsed as Then India Sanmargum Ikiya Sangam (TISI) and Nadi was declared as the headquarter for TISI Sangam in Fiji in the meeting. It was recorded that Jumbhulingam Pillay was the official authority of the name suggested. Other pioneers included M.N. Naidu, Krishna Swami Naicker, Krishna Reddy, Unni Sirdar, Subba Naidu, and Madhavan Nair. Some of the keywords in the name TISIS are as follows; the word ‘Sanmarga’ means truth based on knowledge, right understanding, and love leading to happiness while, ‘Ikea’ denotes being united with a common thread such as language, religion, traditions and beliefs and ‘Sangam’ literally means “gathering, meeting, fraternity, academy”(Shulman 2016). Kuppuswami conceived the idea of a South Indian Organisation and worked, towards this goal with the help of Tamil language and many literate scholars he had known in India. According to the data published by TISI in 2002, Tamil was learned by 1738 students in 17 schools between grades 1-8 and Telugu by 255 students in 3 schools.
The reverend girmitiya gave up worldly pleasures, taking up the life of a sadhu (holy man). He was a devotee of Swami Vivekananda, Ramana Maha Rishi, Ramalinga Swamigal, and Rama Krishna Paramahamsa. He remained president until his lifetime, 1956. He had the vision to allow Dravidian cultures and traditions and adopt Hinduism so the girmitiya would spend time on devotion by also establishing different institutions/monasteries to impart such knowledge. He being a hermit/reclusive had renounced his materialistic life and had transformed many to be involved in Sangam as custodian towards the preservation of virtues of Sangam. During his active days, he did a lot of work teaching vernacular languages, conducting classes in open sheds, under trees, and building schools. He took assistance from the government, and businessmen to provide building materials, and furniture and even bought land for temples and schools. Sangam, Schools, and Temples sprang up in different villages and settlements. The CSR company assisted the Sangam by providing land to build schools and temples and having its field officers act as school managers.
After his demise in 1956, his effigies have been placed in the foreground in Temples and Sangam schools in Fiji. Sangam, Madras Maha Sangam was in existence formed in Suva by Verrappa Muthiah Pillay and had branches in Levuka, Suva, and Labasa, later this organisation merged with TISI Sangam in 1937. Late Sadhuji had been successful in meeting most of his objectives to develop Sangam to another level and help the girmitiya who were mostly illiterate to develop this country based on religious perceptions. Sangam and its community outlined in earnest obligations to develop schools and temples to foster South Indian languages, culture, and religion in all parts of Fiji. At present TISI Sangam controls 21 primary and five secondary colleges with innumerable temples and kindergartens spread throughout the country. In addition, a tertiary academic institution was commissioned in Labasa in 2005 known as Sangam College of Nursing (SCN). The SCN is a nationally recognized institution that will provide innovative programs in nursing and health care education and research to improve the health and wellbeing of all people.
Missionaries/teachers from India to support cultural and spiritual education Indians in Fiji
In the early forties and fifties and thereafter saints, teachers, scholars and priests came to Fiji to teach formal education as well spiritual, on importance of worship, especially from Ramakrishna Ashrama. Among them were Swami Avinashananda, Swami Rudrananda 1939. These clergy men expanded the activities of TISI Sangam by building Sangam Ashram in Nadi. Others include freehold land at Savusavu 130 acres (53ha) and Madhuvani, Rakiraki (1037 acres). The Sangam Sarada Printing Press, which started, on 15 August 1948, to cope with the educational needs of the community at large. Publications like Sangam in Tamil, Pacific Review in English, Jagriti in Hindi, and Na Pacifica in Fijian were published and circulated to give coverages to vent the voices of the Indian community as a whole. Swami Rudrananda was fondly called “Sarkkarisami” by people as he was principally working for the betterment of sugarcane workers (Vijayaram 2014). The topics include purification, divinisation, consecration, invocation of the Lord, offerings to the deity, and self–surrender (Shree Ramakrishna Ashrama, 2007). These topics did much consolation to girmitiya as they solaced from extreme vibrations from the forces of Field Overseers. Well-educated teachers like Ganeshwar Rao and Rama Krishnan teach Telegu and Tamil respectively. Rama Krishnan was the first ever graduate teacher to be posted to Nadi Sangam School as its headteacher and Ganeshwar Rao worked with him as his assistant. Well-committed teacher, Rama Krishnan formed the youth wing known as the Then India Valibar Sangam (TIV Sangam) and introduced the Inter-District Competition in Soccer, athletics, and introduced Music and Art to encourage the development of South Indian language and culture. Thereafter many teachers came to Fiji including a Brahman teacher from Madras Bhaskaran Iyer, who was a principal at Nadi Sangam School taught also at Xavier College, Ba, and retired. He also set up his ashram or hermitage in Yalalevu, Ba.
Formation of mother wing
There were many sadhus, religious leaders, and hermits came from India from time to time to advise the organisation to be more inclusive and involve others such as Mothers groups, and younger persons within the ambit of Sangam. On the advice of Swami Avinashananda from Ram Krishna Mission in India, his noble concept was accepted in managing the temple at Nadi Sangam School in 1937. The hostel was built to accommodate poor children from rural areas away from Nadi Sangam School. Then India Sanmarga Maathar Sangam (TISMS), launched the very simple and modest charitable task of Pidi Arisi, (a morsel of rice) which every South Indian householder was required to set aside each day for charity before commencing their household cooking. From henceforth the mother wing has been supporting Sangam in every program in schools, temples pooja, and festivals organised by the main body (TISI).
The mothers’ wings have their membership and manage their respective districts as assigned, they have been assigned, integral roles in managing Sangam affairs in areas especially, in education, cultural programs, folklore, South Indian cuisines as well as in pooja festivals.
TIV Sangam
As reinforced by Swami Rudrananda and later by the teacher Rama Krishnan, they wanted the concept of youth wings as Then India Valibar Sangam (TIV) to work hand in hand with the main body TISI Sangam. The robust young members could be involved in sports, attending work at schools, temples, and other activities assigned by the district-authorised body. Almost all districts currently have the TIMS and TIVS on hand to support assigned tasks and work with the main Sangam body. During the annual conventions, the district teams also bring glory in sports, cultural dances, and cooking cultural cuisines. The female bodies in Fiji are given all the respect and even treated like goddess Shakti. They perform tasks at the temples and in schools at all the events.
Ahdhra Sangam in Fiji (DAS)
It must not be forgotten about the contributions of Dakshina Andra Sangam of Fiji from time immemorial. The TISI Sangam was dominated by the more numerous Tamils and concern by the minority Telugus about the promotion of their language led to the formation of their own Sangam organisation Under the leadership of Veeranna, the Dakshina India Andhra Sangam of Fiji was formed on 20 April 1941 at the Gallau Temple in Ra. The organisation has schools in Lautoka, Tavua, Ba, and Rakiraki. With limited members, the organisation is also working parallel with TISI in many areas of sports, culture, and education. The organisation also has its annual convention at the district upon request. It has its headquarters at Lautoka. It may be convenient to mention that the Former Chief Justice of Fiji Hon. Justice Kamal Kumar was the President until his demise late last year.
Dravidian style temple in Nadi
The Sangams in Fiji are proud to see the hallmark of the one of largest temples in the southern hemisphere the Shiva Subramani Temple in Nadi. It was realised that a new and bigger national temple was needed, and a move to acquire a new site began in earnest. The foundation for a new temple was laid at the old site in 1976 during the Golden Jubilee Celebrations by His Excellency the High Commissioner for the Government of India in Fiji. In 1983 new lease was acquired for the Crown land and the reconstruction program began with the Bhoomi Pooja in January 1984, followed by the inauguration of building work by the late deputy prime minister, in April 1984. The construction work moved another step forward in 1986 when the work of pile driving was completed under the chairmanship of Hon. Jai Ram Reddy. The actual construction work began in earnest after a pause of some five years under a new Reconstruction Committee led by Narayan Reddy as the chairman. The temple was built in the best traditions of ancient Dravidian Indian Temple architecture as well as the principles of sacred architecture of the Vastu Vedic tradition. The consecration ceremonies of the new national temple were held on July 15, 1994. Two eminent priests or Rishis from Hawaii came to inaugurate and bless the grand opening with Vedic mantras from Dravidian holy books. These saints have their headquarters in Hawaii.
Problems of Sangams in Fiji
Mother tongue was given priority over other subjects in the schools, and the South Indian languages and culture flourished throughout the country for several decades till the Sangam celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1951. Because of changes in the education system in Fiji and the introduction of new examinations in primary schools, the emphasis gradually shifted from vernacular to creative subjects to mere academic pursuits. Preparing students for the examination became the hallmark for the teachers, and keen competition developed as to which school got the largest number of passes became the theme for parents, management, and teachers alike. This shift in trend became the cause of the gradual decline of the South Indian languages as they were not examination subjects. It is regretted that the vernacular languages spoken widely by the ancestors have been completely lost and no one wishes to speak or use in any function informally. The other area of concern is that the food choices of South Indians have been completely changed. However, some food traditional cuisines may be cooked on special occasions. The author of this article has had an opportunity to study for my PhD on Changes to Food Habits among the South Indians in Fiji. The younger generations showed areas of interest, but due to intermarriages and urbanisation, the trend is declining.
Conclusion
The Sangam is ever grateful to the founder, other pioneers, former executives/ present of TISI Sangam (all afflicted bodies), the donors of land, priests, members of schools, and temples, and financial supporters. It is indeed a great honour for all the Sangam members and others to pay tributes to the government from past years to present, professionals such as lawyers (like AD Patel, SM Koya, MV Pillay, Charles Gordon, Jai Ram Reddy, and DS Naidu. We also give a round of applause to the former presidents of TISIs, TIMs, and TIVs Fiji-wide and many others who are not living in Fiji but support the TISI Sangam by participating annually in the conventions. Sincere recognition of former presidents of TISI Sangam including YP, Reddy, Sada S. Naicker, and current president, P.K. Bala, Ganeshwa Rao, as well as Amraiya Naidu, and Damendra Goundar. Apologies for others not mentioned! The South Indians who came to Fiji as girmitiya had been neglected for many years like many others, however, after many sacrifices, Fiji has been made a paradise in the Pacific. Many South Indians are contributing to businesses, employed in private and public sectors. Several are academics, doctors, lawyers, and other professionals. They have forged relationships with other communities, by way of marriages, adopting other religions and cultures. Hence a new Fiji has been created with rich mixtures of multiracialism, and multicultural, and from a homogeneous to a heterogonous society. A proud moment for South Indians to celebrate Fiji Girmit Day with all Fijians.
• Keshwa Nand Krishna is a retired lecturer at the Fiji National University. The views expressed in this article belongs to the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.
