Searchlight Logo
special_image

    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
    • News
      • Front Page
      • News
      • Breaking News
      • Press Release
      • Features
      • Special Features
      • From the Courts
      • Sports
      • Regional / World
    • Opinions
      • Editorial
      • Our Readers’ Opinions
      • Bassy – Love Vine
      • Dr. Fraser- Point of View
      • R. Rose – Eye of the Needle
      • On Target
      • Dr Jozelle Miller
      • The World Around Us
      • Random Thoughts
    • Advice
      • Kitchen Corner
      • What’s on Fleek this week
      • Health Wise
      • Physician’s Weekly
      • Business Buzz
      • Hey Rosie!
      • Prime the pump
    • ePaper
    • Obituaries
      • In Memoriam / Acknowledgement
      • Tribute
    • Contact Us
      • Advertise With Us
      • Letters To The Editor
      • General Contact Information
      • Contact our Webmaster
    • About Us
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interactive Media Ltd
      • St. Vincent & the Grenadines
    • Subscribe
Our Readers' Opinions
March 30, 2007

Indentureship or Independence?

By Janis Deane 30.MAR.07

This year 2007, is a significant one for many reasons, especially for us here in the West Indies. It was in March 1877, 130 years ago, that the first International cricket test match took place with Australia beating England in their home country. For most persons of African heritage, brought to the Western Hemisphere, it marks 200 years of arrival to the region by the atrocious and vile act of slavery. For the persons of East Indian Ancestry, March 2007 marks 150 years of the First War of Indian Independence on the Indian Subcontinent. These are only a few of the things that we as a pluralistically cultural society can celebrate and cheer to.{{more}}

While the events mentioned above, are of great importance to all West Indian peoples, it should be recognized as a hallmark by persons of East Indian descent in this country, since most of the Indian Indentures who arrived from the Indian Subcontinent from 1861 and thereafter, came mainly from the North India region from places like Benares, Oudh and Uttar Pradesh, inter alia. It was precisely in this region that the struggle for Indian Independence started in 1857, approximately four years prior to their arrival to the West Indies. It would be safe to say that our ancestors had unequivocally direct and immediate experiences with the struggles of the First War of Indian Independence also known by the interesting and rather humorous misnomer as the “Sepoy Mutiny”.

A sepoy was referred to as an Indian from the Subcontinent: Bangladesh, Pakistan and Myanmar who was employed as a soldier to serve European power in his own country. In Northern India most of the soldiers in the Bengali Army were exclusively landowning Bhumihar, Brahmins and Rajputs and being from a high caste, they were spared some of the harsh treatment and penalty which other British soldiers endured elsewhere in India. They were given the utmost respect by the British and were strongly encouraged to practise their religion and culture.

During the years prior to 1857, coupled with the resistance to modernization for fear that the caste system would risk its status and be “polluted” with external influences, the sepoys, some of whom were farmers were also forced to shift from subsistence farming to commercial agriculture to produce such items as jute, indigo, coffee and tea mainly to export to the mother country, Britain. The low tariffs which the British maintained, seriously hurt them. This permitted the Indian market to be flooded with cheap imported clothing made from Indian cotton grown on Indian soil to be sent back from Britain to be procured by the same Indians who cultivated them.

As if these two adjustments were not enough to write home about, the Bengali infantry was deployed to Burma, as Britain tried to secure more neighboring land territories. Traversing the waters of the Bay of Bengal also called “Black Waters” (Kala Pani) implied that the sepoys would risk losing their caste. Whether the reason for this is that it is the estuary of the Ganges where everyone would wash themselves or other is not sure. This brings to focus a very interesting point. Was this a contributing factor why many Indians taken to the West then, and after refused to cross the ‘black waters’ of the Indian Ocean to return home after their contract expired for fear of losing their caste? Or was it due merely to the fact that a better future was deemed for them and their children? It is quite obvious that the deployment would have aroused unrest and this was only the tip of the iceberg.

Where there was once an established relationship between the British and the soldiers of the north, there was now indifference, mistrust and tension. What was once a relationship of provisionalism and spontaneity was now one of stagnation and defensiveness. Rumours to provoke the sepoys who were Hindus, spread by their then European counterparts and now rivals.

One such rumour entailed one of the moves toward modernization which the British desperately wanted for the efficacy of their infantry. The transition from the almost obsolete and inaccurate flintlock rifle for a Enfield percussion rifle was certainly considered a step to progress and improvement in the arms maneuvers. Just like any novel instrument that comes on the market to replace an outdated one, there is always some engineering flaw that leaves room for the next person that comes along to make better. The loading procedure for the new guns did not change. Just like the previous, it required that the greased paper covering the cartridges be bit off while pouring and stuffing the gunpowder into the rifle’s muzzle.

The rumour mischievously spread that the rifle was greased with lard made from either pork or beef fat also known as tallow. This was seen as an offense to both the Muslims and the Hindus since the former did not eat pork and the latter beef. Although they were later informed that the grease was replaced with bees wax or mutton, it made no difference to the already agitated, angered and deceived sepoys. They made no hesitation in setting fire to the barracks of the British Army in the north around January 1857. Two months later, on March 29, the first rebellion took place when one sepoy soldier, Mangal Panday fired at the Lt. Baugh with a sword missing him and hitting his horse. Panday was said to have fired back, pulling the trigger with his toe. Those in the south also found out and were only too quick to support those of the north.

It was only four years after the first war of Independence that Indians, ancestors of many residing in our region, were unfortunately kidnapped from their families and their villages to work as indentured labourers in the remaining British territories in the West Indies. The speaker of the Lok Sabha office of India, Somnath Chatterjee, in a speech to honour those of 1857 and to commemorate 150 years of Indian struggle for Independence, purported that “Not only did these martyrs give up their lives for the sake of the country’s freedom but also left a message for the future generations- a message of sacrifice, courage of conviction, a strong belief in the ultimate victory of the people in their war against oppression…” May these words resonate with all those who still struggle for mental and physical independence and may we earnestly and solemnly learn from our past!

  • FacebookComments
  • ALSO IN THE NEWS
    12 left homeless in mid-day fire at Richland Park
    Front Page
    12 left homeless in mid-day fire at Richland Park
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    A fire that destroyed a multi-family complex in Richland Park over the weekend has left at least 12 people homeless, including a 23-year-old mother of...
    PM responds to US military strike on small boat off Venezuela
    Front Page
    PM responds to US military strike on small boat off Venezuela
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves has responded to reports by the United States administration that its military had carried out the bombing of a boa...
    Building material disappear from the Mary Hutchinson Primary School
    Front Page
    Building material disappear from the Mary Hutchinson Primary School
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Police investigators on Union Island are said to be looking into the “disappearance” of building materials that were sent to the Southern Grenadine Is...
    What’s new at Fitz Hughes Government School?
    Front Page
    What’s new at Fitz Hughes Government School?
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    by Grace Francis After sharing a small space for over a year, children and teachers at the Fitz Hughes Early Childhood Centre went into brand new prem...
    MRI-6 donates over $70,000 for school meals for vulnerable students
    Front Page
    MRI-6 donates over $70,000 for school meals for vulnerable students
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Several secondary schools and special needs institutions across St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) have received $5,000 donations towards meals for s...
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    News
    Minister of Information Technology  emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    News
    Minister of Information Technology emphasises the importance of Cybersecurity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Robust cybersecurity must be at the heart of the digital transformation that is currently taking place in St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) says Min...
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    News
    Entities team up to boost disaster communication capacity
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Climate Change Resilience Network (CCRN) in collaboration with the Youlou Radio Movement (YRM) recently embarked on a disaster preparedness initia...
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    News
    Ministry of Health to get more dialysis machines
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The Ministry of Health, Wellness and the Environment, is to obtain three more Heamodialysis machines as part of the revolution in the healthcare secto...
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    News
    PM Gonsalves heads delegation to Ethiopia
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, is leading a delegation to the East African country of Ethiopia; the delegation left the state on Wednesday, Septe...
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    News
    New Port to be opened on October 24- PM Gonsalves
    Webmaster 
    September 5, 2025
    The modern port in Kingstown is expected to be handed over to the government just before this country celebrates its 46th anniversary of political ind...

    E-EDITION
    ePaper
    google_play
    app_store
    Subscribe Now
    • Interactive Media Ltd. • P.O. Box 152 • Kingstown • St. Vincent and the Grenadines • Phone: 784-456-1558 © Copyright Interactive Media Ltd.. All rights reserved.
    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok