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Hindu
Prachar Kendra’s (TT) Shradhaanjali for Jahajee Martys, Sept. 2003
(Dedicated to the petitioner Sookoo whose disappearance is a mystery. So
we ask the question, “What happened to Sooko?”)
A list of the names of the Jahajee Martyrs, published
by the Kendra was distributed at a Shradhaanjali ceremony on Sunday, September
21, 2003. This prayer ceremony was dedicated to the Jahaajee Martyrs who died at
Balidaan Tolaa, Mon Repos, and San Fernando in 1884 in which Pandit Besram
Sewdath officiated. The list revealed that of 22 persons who were martyred of
which, four names were unknown, four were Muslims and fourteen were Hindus. Two
persons, Ramnath and Junglee were free men.
The twenty two men were represented by
flags; four white for the four martyrs whose names were unrecorded, four green
flags symbolising the four Muslims and 14 orange flags for fourteen Hindus.
Many tiny flags, green, white and orange also stood strewn across the
embankment as a symbol of approximately 125 who were severely wounded amongst
whom many who would have surely died or at least incapacitated and suffered for
life.
Here is the list: 01) Jaggernath, 02)
Gildhari, 03) Manoo, 04) Eman Khan, 05) Chadee, 06) Nabeebocus. 07) Dipchan, 08)
Moodit, 09) Ameerkhan, 10) Ramnath (free) 11) Junglee, 12) Chadar 13)
Abdool-Kunnia 14) Seetal, 15) Ramgolam, 16) Chowtonic, 17) Chotah, 18)
Sadarsingh, 19) Name Unknown 20) Name Unknown 21) Name Unknown 22) Name Unknown.
Some interesting details are; the records
revealed neither estate nor village of the four unknown names. Manoo who came
from Rambert Village, must have been a free man though he is not recorded as
free. According to the records the two free men who died; were Ramnath –
listed as from Philipine estate and Junglee from Nepulsultra village. Four
martyrs were from Cupar Grange estate and four from Petite Mourne estate. Three
were from Union Hall estate, two from Jordan Hill and one each from Bien Venue,
Philipine, Corinth and Tarouba.
A review of the names reveal that there were
no surnames except in the case of Eman Khan and perhaps Abdool Kunia. My guess
is that the surnames of Nabeebocus, Ameerkhan and Sadarsingh were carelessly
joined to their first names. The lack of surnames is intriguing because the
tradition of surnames was well entrenched in the Indian society. As a matter of
fact, the surname was a mark of their caste or religion, which was so much part
of the Indian community. One is left to wonder why their surname was not listed.
It may well be that the coolies were so
devalued in the eyes of the clerks that neither accuracy nor respect for the
names was important. One can see the origins of names which are familiar to us,
but which are really corrupt versions of the original names of indentured
labourers. Nabee Baksha became Nabeebocus. Giridhaaree
became Gildhari.
The scant respect to Indian names was
rampant even in India. The most ironic example is Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore is
a corrupted version of Thakoor. The irony is that, even though Rabindranath, a
freedom fighter discarded the title of the Noble Prize as a protest against
colonialism, his family continues to cherish the corruption of his name.
No wonder then one fifth of the names were
left as unknown. It also meant that no attempt was made to discover who they
were. Evident from the network of police then controlling the movement of the
labourers, it could not have been difficult to get relevant information from all
the barracks on the estates or the small free communities living in tiny
villages.
This also means that the Hindu or Islamic
ceremonies for disposal of the dead had never been performed for them. The
prayers offered by visiting Orisha religious leader Kori Bascombe Awo Ifa
Falajou and his host, Iya Shango Wumni Pat Mc Leod,
Rev Umaraw of the Presbyterian Church, Brother Noble Khan of the Islamic
and Pandit Surendranath Maharaj was long in waiting.
The event was well publicized. I was
specially looking forward to public figures in the field of politics and labour
would have seen the human, labour related and ethnic value of the event enough
to turn show up, especially those who thrive on the Indian constituencies. This
is of particular note that only a short distance away stood the office of OWTU.
Senator Sadiq Baksha is the only one who did not wait on formalities.
(This is an appeal for assistance in identifying families of the martyrs as well as the villages and estates. 665 4270, e mail : Raviji@carib-link.net)