AN EPIC JOURNEY

East Indians from the Indian sub-continent, by the hundreds of thousands or perhaps millions, undertook an epic journey  when they migrated to various parts of the world between 1837 - 1917 as indentured labourers. For whatever reasons they decided to leave their motherland; be it - economic, political, domestic disputes or fleeing from poverty and hopelessness; they were promised by the British, who ruled India at the time, a much better life if they were to work on the sugar plantations owned by British sugar planters in Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa and the West Indies. Our forefathers, who were from India, were amongst those who decided to venture into the new world and were taken to the West Indies across the great 'kali paani' or black waters. Most likely our ancestors originated from the eastern Indian state of Bengal, although, some believe that they were from the western state of Gujarat. We know that they sailed from the Port of Calcutta, Bengal to the Island of Grenada in 1880.

Four brothers and one sister eventually settled in British Guiana. These folks must have arrived from India with their parent(s) since we know that at least one of the brothers "Sohan" may have been born in the West Indies. Sohan's youngest son, Kaash, believed he was born in Trinidad.

After arriving from India, our forefathers worked on one of the smaller islands of the Eastern Caribbean, most likely Grenada for some time. However, due to the decline of the sugar plantation business in the smaller Eastern Caribbean Islands they could not fulfill their five year term with the plantation owners in Grenada, nor could they return to their homeland because of the stipulations in their indentured labour contracts. So, they were compelled to complete their contracts in the more lucrative and larger plantations of the southern colonies of Trinidad and British Guiana. The older sister (name unknown) married to an indentured labourer in Grenada who was 'bound' for Trinidad. It is not known if she and her family settled in Trinidad or returned to India. The other members of the family; four brothers and a sister headed for British Guiana and arrived in 1886 on board a small ship called a sloop.

Upon their arrival in British Guiana in 1886/87 the brothers took up an indentureship at Vryheid's Lust ["Pankutta"] sugar estate, in East Coast Demerara. Soon after their arrival, the younger sister (name unknown) married and settled at Windsor Forest, Essequibo. The four brothers finished their indentureship contract in 1892 and could have repatriated to India. Instead, they bought properties at Dundee where they settled.