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ON TO THE DEPOT
Once persuaded by the recruiters to enter the contract recruits were
taken to sub depots administered by the sub agents. Here they were
subjected to a medical examination. If the results were satisfactory the
recruits were registered by a Registering Officer. And so Kapil was registered
at the Benares sub-depot on the 7th August 1894 as Kopil*, a member of the
Johattri caste (a porter caste) and a labourer*. Kapil would have misrepresented
his caste and occupation on the instructions of the recruiter. If he had revealed
his true caste of Brahmin and occupation as pundit he would have been
rejected as unsuitable for agricultural labour.
The Registering Officer had to ensure that the recruit was willing to emigrate
and understood the terms of the contract. The contract outlined the recruit's
name, sex, village, occupation, caste and father's name. Conditions of labour
such as wages and conditions for a return passage to India were printed on the back.
For Agra and Avadh the contract was printed in Urdu* and one wonders
whether Kapil would have been able to read Urdu or whether the contract was
translated or even read aloud to him.
The contracts were misleading. They made no mention of the Immigration Laws
that the recruit would be subject to once domiciled in Trinidad. The Immigration
Laws can be likened to a penal code; providing for corporal punishment of the
disobedient Indian indentured labourer. The planters relied on the fact that once
on the soil of Trinidad, the Indians would be subject to colonial law and
jurisdiction. So wool was pulled over the eyes of the indentured labourer;
there was no need to mention the harsh Immigration Laws in the contract.
Had the immigrants known the truth, many of them would have been deterred
from migration.
The indentured were then sent to a depot in Calcutta or Madras and medically
examined again and questioned by the provincial Protector of the Emigrants.
A Protector of Emigrants was appointed by the Governor General of India in
each port of embarkation. From 1889 to 1897 Surgeon - Major D.W.D Comins
was Protector for the port of Calcutta with others substituting at intervals.
He was in charge of recruitment and the despatch of indentured labour from
India*. His role was to select ships; visit ships and ensure that the immigrants
were leaving voluntarily. But from 1864 the latter responsibility was passed to
the local magistrate. The Protector instead had to visit the depot once a week
and examine it and the recruits. A series of questions was put to the recruit
such as whether he was aware of which country he was going to; the method
of passage; the length of the journey; food on the journey; that there was only
one cooking place for Hindus; that opium and ganja were forbidden. Each
immigrant had to declare his willingness to emigrate. He also had to state
whether he understood what he had been told*. The Protector would warn that
those who refused to work in the colonies were starving now in India. But then
in contradictory fashion he had to state that the immigrant could leave the
depot and return home when he pleased*. Yet if the immigrant chose to desert
or refused to embark, imprisonment or a fine at double the cost incurred or
both could be imposed. And then there would be the cost of the journey home
to consider. Ramesar asserts that the immigrants were often discharged
without being fined. It seems, nevertheless, that for each liberty granted
there was a corresponding restriction or law to ensure that freedom of choice
never wholly belonged to the recruit.
Kapil persevered and was sent to the Calcutta depot within days of his registration.
He remained there until 25th September 1894 - the date of embarkation, as
was customary.
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P. Capildeo July 2003.
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*24 His name was misspelled by a Bengali clerk - see De Verteuil,
Eight East Indian Immigrants, page 114.
*25 Ibid page 117.
*26 Ramesar, page 11.
*27 See Brereton, in "Calcutta to Caroni".
*28 Weller, page 12.
*29 Ibid, page 17.