The late K.P. Jayaswal was a distinguished lawyer, historian and intellectual of Bihar in the inter-war period and it is in the fitness of things that this Institute founded in his memory. should remember him every year on his birthday. I thank the Director of this Institute for inviting me to give this series of three lectures on this occasion.
I have selected a suitable theme on migration for the late Jayaswal was himself a migrant: he first emigrated from Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) to Banaras, Nalanda and Calcutta, then to London and ultimately settled down at Patna.
Migration in recent years has been attracting the attention of historians, sociologists and others. I myself published a book on Migration of Maithila Panditas in 1991. But the migration of unskilled labour from the Indian sub-continent has not received as much attention as the migration from the European countries.
My theme is a peculiar emigration of unskilled labour under the auspices of the colonial state under the indenture (semi-slavery) system from 1838 to 1917. In fact, indentured emigration to Mauritius started in 1834 and four years later it was extended to British Guiana (Guyana) in the Caribbean (South America). This was also extended to North-East India (Assam, Cachar, Sylhet and Duars) in the later half of the nineteenth century. I have published a book on this theme recently.
My interest in both these processes goes back to the early 1950s when I started my research work on the tribal unrest in Chotanagpur in the early 19th century. The 'Kols' or 'Dhangars' were associated with both the types of emigration, Colonial and Inland. They were pioneers from India in the sugar plantations of Mauritius and British Guiana. Later they were outnumbered by the people from the Gangetic plains.
While working for my Ph.D. degree in the London University I found a lot of material on this theme. Much later when I worked as a Professor in the University of the West Indies I came in direct touch with some of the descendants of the indentured labourers and looked into the colonial material on the theme in the India office Library and Public Record office in I ondon and the various Archives in the West Indies. On my return to India I worked in the National Archives, New Delhi, Bihar State Archives, Patna and the various libraries of Bihar.
It is but natural for living beings to go out temporarly or permanently in search of greener pastures or better opportunities. Even the animals hanker for better environment or favourable ambience. No wonder migration has always influenced world history and culture, bringing about political, social and economic changes.
Community characteristics such as regional location, size of population, rate of growth, etc., influenced the pattern of occupational mobility in 19th century India. Sometimes these and some other factors compelled the people to migrate to other places.2 Sometimes the character of the community was an important determinant for their migration. The Bhojpuri speaking people of West Bihar and U.P. and Santals and Dhangars of south Bihar had always been adventurous, leaving their homes and going to distant places for the improvement of their condition. The Bhojpuris had served in the East India company's army as 'Purabia Sepoys' and as darwans (watchman) in Calcutta and other urban centres.
During the first quarter of the ninteenth century the British East India Company's dominion in India was consolidated and so was British rule in British Guiana (area 83,000 square miles), Trinidad, 1,980 square miles, Jamaica, a part of the Greater Antilles, 4,421 square miles. The smaller islands are made up of the British islands of St. Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla, Antigua, Montserrat (this group is called the Leeward islands).
The Emancipation Act was passed in 1833 for the whole British Empire and as a result of the passing of the Charter Act of 1833 some planters of the British West Indies moved into the Gangetic plains of India.
From the middle of the second half of the nineteenth century the peasantry in Bengal experienced a decline in the standard of living due to certain interlocking geographical, political and economic reasons. The river systems of West Bengal continued their move eastwards, turning the whole area into the moribund delta.
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