P. Capildeo July 2003.
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THE VOYAGE
By no means did all who registered to migrate embark on the voyage.
Comins notes in his report for 1894 that of the 26 707 registered to migrate
only 14 865 actually left for the colonies. Some people were rejected as
being medically unfit; others left of their own will. Some five per cent became
part of "the great floating element of Calcutta's population"*.Some 47 726
people from Uttar Pradesh would have made the voyage to Trinidad
between 1874 and 1917*.
On the day of the departure for Trinidad the Protector saw the immigrants
on to the ship. Tinker states: " Each emigrant was issued with a pass and
a `tin ticket` (an identification disc) was hung round the neck or strapped to
the arm. It was usual to get the coolies on board as early as possible; often
they were marched from depot to ship at 4 or 5 a.m.. It was an occasion of
bewilderment and some confusion, if also some of excitement."* Ramesar
gives an account of departure for the West Indies: " When the ship was
ready, immigrants donned their clothing for the voyage, were inspected
by the Surgeon - Superintendent, and given a cooked meal. Ruhomon
gives us a poignant description of the embarkation scene - the final
medical description at the ship's side, with the rows of emigrants drawn
up in a single file to face the Medical Inspector and the ship's Surgeon - Superintendent... the rejected recruits singled out and excluded
... Finally the people march aboard, single women first, families next,
single men last,"*
O.W. Warner, Trinidad's Emigration Agent, notes in the Sanderson Report
the reactions of labourers leaving for Trinidad: "If you see an emigrant ship
leaving Calcutta, and if you watch the coolies' faces as they go on that ship,
they are in fear and trembling the whole time. It is quite a mistaken idea that
they are cheering on going off, and so glad to go. A certain proportion of them,
those who have been before and know what the colony is, are delighted, and
you will see them cheering, but the ordinary coolie ...does not like it at all"* .
On 25th September 1894, Kapil departed India, his homeland, on the Hereford.
No doubt he must have been frightened. He was leaving his village in U.P., the only
home he had ever known, far behind. As in the depot he would have to live
in close proximity to total strangers from different walks of life whose
language, customs and beliefs would have been alien to him. He was
on a ship on the sea which he probably have never seen before, having been
raised in inland U.P.. No doubt he would recognise it from the scriptures,
the vast sea which must have perturbed him and filled him with awe.
That sea would take him far away to his new home.
The voyage to Trinidad was 11 000 miles long and lasted for an average of
100 days*. Ships usually departed within 24 hours of the immigrants embarking.
Ships left India in the autumn to avoid the Indian monsoon and the rainy
season in Trinidad, for fear of immigrants falling sick with malaria or other
diseases. The journey was perilous and arduous; the monotony of such a
long voyage was only punctuated by homesickness, disease and the
occasional suicide.
In the late 1800's steamships curtailed the length of the journey.
But in 1895 there were only six steam ships operating from Calcutta,
while twenty two were sailing ships.*
Life on the ship was a microcosm of life in colonial India, except for the fact
that caste was no longer recognised on the ship. Grierson quotes a returned
immigrant: "A ship is like the temple of Jagganath, where there are no caste
restrictions". This was to cause one of the first problems Kapil found on his
journey. Europeans were in charge, but Indians from different parts of India
would have reflected India's diversity in peoples and culture.
The Surgeon - Superintendent was the European officer in charge
of the ship. He was carefully selected for his medical qualifications and
experience of medical care on ships. Together with the captain of the ship
he made decisions about conditions and medical care on the ship.
Compounders assisted him in provision of medical care. He was also
in charge of the first mate and engineers, the latter being responsible
for distilling water. The Surgeon-Superintendent also had mundane
responsibilities such as ensuring that food was properly cooked and distributed
equally. He was required to make detailed recordings of daily life
on the ship from the daily cleaning to the conduct of the immigrants.
On the Hereford the Surgeon Superintendent complained that the ship's
fittings were worn out.
Improvements in immigrant health on board resulted from the efforts of the
Surgeon- Superintendent with regard to increased regulation of diet, the
size of the hold, cleaning and exercise. He was paid per head for each
immigrant who landed alive but would lose such payment if his service
was unsatisfactory. The Superintendent had to make inspections, insist on daily baths and the washing of laundry twice a week. There was a
prescribed diet and the immigrants were fed two meals a day. A hospital and
dispensary on the ship facilitated treatment of sick immigrants. Nevertheless
, there were occasional epidemics of measles and meningitis that affected
children particularly.
Another character on board the ship was the sirdar. He was an Indian officer
in charge of the distribution of rations and the cleanliness of the decks
occupied by his group which roughly consisted of twenty five people.
He was usually an immigrant who had made the voyage already, and knew
how life on the ship was ordered. It was the sirdar in charge of Kapil who
noticed he was refusing to eat because of beef being served in the food.
It was abhorrent for Kapil, a brahmin, to even countenance eating beef,
so Kapil did not eat for the first two days of the voyage. The sirdar ended
Kapil's fast by providing him daily with a ration of raw rice and potatoes
to cook.
Other characters on board included the Bandharries who were Indian
cooks usually of high caste " in deference to Hindu caste feelings". There
were topazes or sweepers in charge of cleaning. On steam ships the crew
were more Indian as opposed to the sail ships where the crew was more
European. On the steam ship there was an Indian captain, an Indian engineer
and Indian sailors or lascars. They were chosen in preference to
Europeans as they were better able to withstand the heat of the
steamer's furnaces. The serang or Indian boatswain usually picked
his own crew members.
Male immigrants like Kapil were responsible for the cleaning of the
decks and airing sleeping platforms - or boards raised above the level
of the deck that allowed the air to circulate. Single men were put in the
forward part of the ship separate from the couples and single women.
For each adult the compartment had to be twelve square feet on deck and
seventy two cubic feet below deck. In the early days immigrants slept upon
the deck but in later times this was replaced by bunk beds.
Opportunities for leisure and exercise were minimal. Immigrants dined on deck
and were encouraged to spend time on deck. Awnings were built for this
purpose. Ramesar quotes an immigrant who sailed in 1884 who stated that on
evenings it was the custom in good weather to assemble on deck or in the
dormitory below and participate in group singing with sitar and tabla*.
Occasionally, dancing, singing, wrestling and stick fighting were allowed until 8 p.m.. Smoking was only allowed on the part of
deck designated by the Captain. Opium, ganja and alcohol were prohibited.
Such rudimentary entertainments were all the immigrants had for distraction
from the monotony of such a long voyage.
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P. Capildeo July 2003.
The author asserts the right of copyright. It is a term of viewing this website
that the navigator will not reproduce in any manner or form information
contained within. By navigating this website the navigator is
deemed to have consented to this term.
Reproduction of the verbal or pictorial content of this website from any source
without permission from the author
infringes copyright law and will be prosecuted.
__________________________________________________________
*39 Tinker, page 139.
*40 Vertovec in Across the Dark Waters Ethnicity and Indian
Identity in the Caribbean, page 113.
*41 Tinker, page 143.
*42 Ramesar, page 25.
*43 Ibid
*44 Ibid
*45 Tinker, page 147.
*46 Ramesar, page 29.