#bhojpuri indentured labour

[thozhar]

Bhojpuri Folk Song on Indentured Migration

[timeywobblyshit]

This points to the societal remembrance of a long memory-holed caste based system, the system of indian indentured labour. If you look at the societies of Fiji and Mauritius, ask yourself why one of the languages spoken there in Bhojpuri, when most of india itself doesn't recognise it as one. Ask yourself why the Surinamese society has such a deep conflict between the governments extremely pro-eu position and the indigenous tribes opposition to it. Here are some links about indentured labour that help shed light on these problems -

This book is available on the standard piracy websites

[galleryyuhself]

              G     A    L     L    E    R    Y    Y    U    H    S     E    L     F

                                      GRAND MOVIE PREMIERE

                 From the Facebook page of Richard S Rampersad

It is with great euphoria I officially announce the release of AAGMAN in which I am humbled to have had a role in. It takes place on November 27th 2022 at the Southern Academy for the Performing Arts. The first of its kind here in Trinidad, this feature film is based on the personal lives of a particular group of East Indian Indentured Labourers and features original Hindustani and Bhojpuri musical compositions. TICKETS COST $200.00For more information contact Varuna at 399-3161.

[rajnikumbh]

Bhojpuri Music: A Folk Tradition

Bhojpuri and Me  Language is close to many people’s heart. Now its somewhat unfortunate that the language that I am talking is something that I can’t speak myself at this point. And I have seen as a kid that my parents never forced to speak the language though they conversed in the language themselves. English is a foreign language but for reasons that is out of the context of this article became…

[djfloops]

Bhojpuri and Chutney Music

Bhojpuri and Chutney Music

Long ago, in traditional India society, women groups sang erotic songs at wedding and “sohars,” special songs at childbirth. These bhojpuri folk songs were lewd and suggestive and provided a way to hand down traditions and customs to later generations.

Chutney music is a bhojpuri offspring. It was brought from the bhojpuri region in North India to Trinidad by indentured labourers. Arguably,…

[thozhar]

Gulf migration is not just a major phenomenon in Kerala; north Indian states also see massive migration to the Gulf. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar accounted for the biggest share (30% and 15%) of all Indian workers migrating to GCC1 countries in 2016-17 (Khan 2023)—a trend which continues today. Remittances from the Gulf have brought about significant growth in Bihar’s economy (Khan 2023)—as part of a migrant’s family, I have observed a tangible shift in the quality of life, education, houses, and so on, in Siwan. In Bihar, three districts—Siwan, Gopalganj, and Chapra—send the majority of Gulf migrants from the state, mostly for manual labor (Khan 2023). Bihar also sees internal migration of daily wagers to Delhi, Bombay, and other parts of India. Gulf migration from India’s northern regions, like elsewhere in India, began after the oil boom in the 1970s. Before this time, migration was limited to a few places such as Assam, Calcutta, Bokaro, and Barauni—my own grandfather worked in the Bokaro steel factory.

Despite the role of Gulf migration and internal migration in north Indian regions, we see a representational void in popular culture. Bollywood films on migration largely use rural settings, focussing on people who work in the USA, Europe, or Canada. The narratives centre these migrants’ love for the land and use dialogue such as ‘mitti ki khusbu‘ (fragrance of homeland). Few Bollywood films, like Dor and Silvat, portray internal migration and Gulf migration. While Bollywood films frequently centre diasporic experiences such as Gujaratis in the USA and Punjabis in Canada, they fail in portraying Bihari migrants, be they indentured labourers in the diaspora, daily wagers in Bengal, or Gulf migrants. The regional Bhojpuri film industry fares no better in this regard. ‘A good chunk of the budget is spent on songs since Bhojpuri songs have an even larger viewership that goes beyond the Bhojpuri-speaking public’, notes Ahmed (2022), marking a context where there is little purchase for Gulf migration to be used as a reference to narrate human stories of longing, sacrifice, and family.

One reason for this biased representation of migration is that we see ‘migration’ as a monolith. In academic discourse, too, migration is often depicted as a commonplace phenomenon, but I believe it is crucial to make nuanced distinctions in the usage of the terms ‘migration’ and ‘migrant’. The term ‘migration’ is a broad umbrella term that may oversimplify the diverse experiences within this category. My specific concern is about Gulf migrants, as their migration often occurs under challenging circumstances. For individuals from my region, heading to the Gulf is typically a last resort. This kind of migration leads to many difficulties, especially when it distances migrants from their family for much of their lifetime. The term ‘migration’, therefore, inadequately captures the profound differences between, for instance, migrating to the USA for educational purposes and migrating to the Gulf for labour jobs. Bihar has a rich history of migration, dating back to the era of indentured labor known as girmitiya. Following the abolition of slavery in 1883, colonial powers engaged in the recruitment of laborers for their other colonies through agreements (Jha 2019). Girmitiya distinguishes itself from the migration. People who are going to the Arabian Gulf as blue-collar labourers are also called ‘Gulf migrants’—a term that erases how their conditions are very close to slavery. This is why, as a son who rarely saw his father, I prefer to call myself a ‘victim of migration’ rather than just a ‘part of migration’. It is this sense of victimhood and lack of control over one’s life that I saw missing in Bollywood and Bhojpuri cinema.

— Watching 'Malabari Films' in Bihar: Gulf Migration and Transregional Connections