Calcutta Docks, Indentured Labour Migration and the Girmitya Experience: Stories from British Guyana (Part 1).

This article examines the dislocations in the agrarian societies of northern and eastern India during the nineteenth century, focusing on the exploitative colonial revenue system and its role in driving rural poverty and migration. It centers on the indentured labour system, which replaced slavery in British and other European colonies, highlighting the recruitment, experiences, and cultural identities of Indian indentured labourers, known as "girmityas," who migrated primarily from impoverished rural districts through ports like Calcutta. The article discusses diverse scholarly perspectives on indenture, ranging from views of it as a form of neo-slavery to interpretations emphasizing migrant agency and economic opportunity, while also addressing the complexities of labour recruitment, exploitation, and cultural survival in diaspora communities across colonies such as British Guyana and Fiji. It further explores the evolving historiography of indenture, noting a shift from imperial-centered narratives to those emphasizing the lived experiences and emotional economies of indentured migrants and their descendants.