Today the world has 17 nations having women heads of state and Government (excluding

monarchs) .These countries are Australia ,Argentina ,Bangladesh ,Costa Rica, Croatia , Finland,
Germany, Iceland, India, Ireland, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Lithuania, Philippines, Slovakia ,Switzerland
,Trinidad and Tobago .

Its very encouraging and interesting to see the rise in the “women power” on global basis
.However ,to me and may be for many among the Indian populace ,the specific case of Trinidad &
Tobago has a very special significance .The name of their Prime Minister is Ms Kamla Prasad
Bissessar .

Let me go down the memory lane . I studied in Banaras ,which is on the boarder of UP Bihar and
Nepal . The city is known for Bishwanath Temple and Banaras Hindu University (BHU)beside a
trading town . In front of our School ,across the road ,there used to be a very big open field ,which
was called Police Maidan ..On the extreme end of this field there was multiple long barracks with
equally long and narrow Verandahs and low, tiled roofs. During my School days ,they seemed to
be abandoned and derelict .I used to get very curious .My father a professor in BHU who had a
problem to be called a professor , he always loved to be called a teacher was a store house of
general information.

My meal time interactions with him revealed that right from the English Colonial days ,human
trafficking was rampant in India and Africa .After the colonization of Guyana and the Caribbean
,Mauritius and Fiji islands by the English, it was found that the exploitation of the agricultural land
mainly for sugarcane cultivation owing to its compatibility was a profitable proposition in these
far-flung lands..But what about the required manpower ?These islands were either uninhabited or
local tribals were not aware of agriculture ..Some one probably rightly revealed that India, being the
largest sugarcane producer and having abundant agriculture manpower that was experienced and
cheap ,it would be beneficial to transport them to these remote lands .For this purpose ,a very well
planned method was adopted .United Province (as Uttar Pradesh used to be called during colonial
days) and Bihar were the major sugarcane producing states those days but the agricultural
labourers were highly exploited by rich zamindars .

The Britishers employed some greedy Indian agents ,who would go to the interior villages ,show
the carrot to the starving villagers ,promise them a land of plenty and comfortable life and bring
them along with their families to Banaras for employment .For each ‘catch’ the agents used to get
handsome commission .The dilapidated barracks mentioned earlier were recruiting centers Each
family used to be given a permit card wherein the ”destination “ used to be mentioned i.e.
Caribbean island ,Mauritius ,Fiji or Assam tea gardens .The poor illiterate people used to call
themselves “per-mi-tia labor and feel happy dreaming about their good fortune. Once the required
number of people for a particular destination was collected ,the group used to be taken to Kolkata
port and pushed like a herd into ships,after ships used to sail ,nobody cared about their food
,water or medicines .It took months to reach Guyana and the Caribbean islands through the Cape-
of-Good Hope .

Mauritius was slightly better but Fiji was no better .People meant for the tea gardens used to be
taken by “goods train” to Assam. Large number of dead bodies were used to be thrown in the ocean
.But what could the surviving poor and haggard do. Whatever number of people used to reach the
destination were given only a day or two to clear a piece of land and make a hut for them
.Thereafter started the never ending toil ,which has very simple rules VIZ work till the English
master wished ,no leaves under any circumstances,.no remuneration except two time food and no
retirement age . Bonded labourers of extreme nature .This were about 170-180 years back..the first
batch had landed on 5th May 1839 .These people could never return to India ,therefore settled there
and generations passed . They however didn’t sacrifice their culture and mother tongue ,the way
poor Negro slaves did .

That shows the deep conviction they had in their ethos .How sad ! Our country does not
consider this major incident worth mentioning in the School/College curriculum .However , one
good thing that happened was the upliftment of the subsequent generation in terms of
education ,modern way of living, monetary condition and women’s liberation .Many of the
descendants of the Indian slaves have done wonderfully well in various fields .VS Naipaul could
become the Nobel laureate in literature .Sir Seeoosagar Ramgoolam headed the first democratic
Government of Mauritius followed by his lawyer son Navin Ramgoolam . A female descendant of
an Indian bonded slave has been elected as the Prime Minister .What else could make us happier ?
It’s the redemption in the true sense.

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY …