A common heritage of pain

Nearly 150 years ago began an agonising saga of migration from the Bhojpur region of India. With Britain actively engaged in agriculture in colonies across the world, there was a great need for skilled labourers – a need that was largely filled by the impoverished people of what is today western Bihar and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, who were particularly skilled at growing sugarcane. In their efforts at controlling Indian life, the British had systematically destroyed many rural enterprises, in particular the colony's small-scale sugar and molasses industries. This dynamic had led to the creation of a large group of surplus labour in the region, which in turn was shipped off to work on plantations in Suriname, Mauritius and the Caribbean islands. Between 1873 and 1916, 64 shiploads of workers – more than 34,300 men and women – were 'recruited' to work as indentured labourers on sugar plantations in the far-off islands.

This was not an exodus that went unrecorded at the time. Indeed, newspapers and magazines such as Saraswati, Vishal Bharat and Pravasi were launched with the specific aim of educating the people about what was taking place, and many novels and short stories were written during the period around the theme of departure. Some of these dealt with the deep anxiety felt by wives and other relatives who had remained at home. The exodus also led to the emergence of a number of unique rituals and superstitions, and ancient goddesses, capable of fulfilling the wishes of deserted women, were rediscovered or invented. One of these was Sankata Devi, who had the power to protect faraway husbands and to ensure their safe return; her temple in Benaras became an important pilgrimage site during the peak period of colonial migration. What crime have I committed that you left the country and did not tell me your feelings before leaving?