About GIRMITIYA

GIRMITIYA is a dedicated research project that anchors a pioneering project focused on the cultural history of Indian labour migration during British colonial rule. Conceived under the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)’s 2nd Call for Longitudinal Studies in Social and Human Sciences, this research initiative—entitled "ब्रिटिश औपनिवेशिक शासन के दौरान भारतीय श्रमिक प्रवास का सांस्कृतिक इतिहास" (A Cultural History of Indian Labour Migration During British Colonial Rule)—aims to revisit, recover, and reconnect the fragmented narratives of the girmitiya diaspora. The term girmitiya, rooted in the colonial mispronunciation of the word "agreement", refers to the millions of Indian indentured labourers who were transported by the British Empire between the 1830s and early 20th century to various colonies like Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad, Guyana, Suriname, and South Africa. Through archival investigation, oral histories, cultural mapping, and community outreach, the GIRMITIYA project not only reimagines the migration story as a shared cultural and historical heritage but also seeks to create digital and emotional bridges between the descendants of these labourers and their ancestral homeland.

At its core, the GIRMITIYA website serves as a dynamic digital platform for knowledge production, dissemination, and connection. It functions as both a scholarly resource and a community repository, offering access to rare historical documents, photographs, letters, shipping records, personal testimonies, cultural artefacts, and research articles. The project is deeply interdisciplinary in nature, intersecting history, anthropology, literature, migration studies, and postcolonial theory to foreground the lived experiences, struggles, and cultural resilience of girmitiya communities. What sets this initiative apart is its commitment to restoring familial linkages that were often erased or silenced due to displacement, language loss, and historical neglect. By mapping genealogical trails and enabling virtual reunions, the project aspires to heal generational wounds and inspire cultural pride among the global girmitiya descendants.

The main objective of this longitudinal research project is to reconnect the present with the past—specifically by linking the families of girmitiya migrants with their roots in India. This involves not just archival exploration but also a sustained engagement with oral traditions, songs, religious practices, festivals, and other cultural expressions that migrants carried with them and adapted in foreign lands. The website, thus, becomes a living archive—a space where memory, identity, and resistance converge. The project seeks to document the hybridity and transformation of Indian cultural identity across geographies and generations, offering insights into how these labour migrants forged new ways of belonging while preserving aspects of their heritage in dynamic, hybrid forms.

Furthermore, GIRMITIYA as a research platform encourages collaborative scholarship and community participation. Researchers, students, descendants of migrants, and heritage enthusiasts are invited to contribute, share, and engage with the content. In doing so, the website becomes more than a digital archive—it evolves into a cultural movement. By integrating maps, multimedia content, interviews, and interactive storytelling, it ensures that the migration narratives are accessible not only to academia but also to the public at large. In an era where questions of identity, displacement, and belonging dominate global discourse, the GIRMITIYA project offers a deeply human perspective rooted in historical truth and cultural continuity. It is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the girmitiyas and a vital step toward recognizing their enduring contributions to the world’s cultural fabric.