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Diaspora: Meaning and Definition Derived from the Greek composite verb dia and speirein

meaningto spread, to scatter, or to disperse.

Acc. to Judith M. Brown the word diaspora can be used todenote groups of people with a common ethnicity; whohave left their original homeland for a prolonged periods oftime and often permanently; who retain a particular senseof cultural identity and often close kinship links with other

scattered members of their group, thus acknowledgingtheir shared physical and cultural origins; and whomaintain links with that homeland and sense of its role intheir present identity.

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Two Types of Diaspora Old Diaspora: Comprised of indentured labourers and

assisted labourers who were taken to different parts ofthe world like Mauritius, Fiji, Africa, Caribbean andLatin America during the colonial period.

New Diaspora: includes semi-literate, literate andprofessionally trained people who have migrated to

Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, and otherdeveloped countries of the world.

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Culture: Meaning and Definition Culture is that complex whole which includes

knowledge, art, moral, belief, laws, customs and othercapabilities acquired by a man as a member of thesociety.

Culture is all about what we wear, how we talk, how wewalk, what we eat, how we celebrate etc.

It is man made part of the environment.

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Universe of this presentation Mauritius, Caribbean, Fiji, Africa

Focus on the cultural aspects such as sings and

symbols of Hinduism, Islam, Language, Music andliterature.

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Indian Diaspora in Different PlacesMauritiuswas the first country where the Indians

migrated as indentured labourers. Here, indenturedimmigration began in 1834 when 75 tribals wereimported from Calcutta by Arbuthnot because of theabolition of slavery and requirement of cheap labour.453,000 Indian Labourers were imported up to 1917,when the indentured system was abolished.

In Fiji,during the tenure of 1879 to 1916, 60,945individuals were imported.

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Continued Indian indentured migration to Caribbeanstarted in

1845 and ceased in 1917. During this periodapproximately 400,000 Indians were migrated in the

different countries of the Caribbean Islands. Could not find the exact number of Indian Immigrants

in Africa but the number is not small but huge like theCaribbean Island.

Out of these indentured labourers some could returnat the end of their indenture but many could not go forvarious reasons and settled in their respective hostcountry.

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Cultural Aspects of Old

Indian Diaspora

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Culture in the form of Religious

Signs and Symbols of Hinduism Ramcharitmanas or Ramayana (written in Awadhi language)

Valmiki Ramayana, Sukh Sagar, Satyanarayan Ki Katha (somehand written copies also), Surya Puran, Indra Sabha etc.

Simple instructional texts on astrology and witch craft, manualson how to conduct marriage ceremonies, enchanting tales ofghosts and goblin, poems and stories of romance , heroism andadventures.

Hindu Festivals like Ram Navami, Krishna Janamashtami, Holi ,Deepawali, Shivratri etc.

In Mauritius Tamil ceremonies like fire walking and cavadee andgeneral Hindu festivals like Durga Puja also flourished duringthis time.

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Hindu Ceremonies Birth Ceremony: As soon as a child is born, a priest is called for the

name giving ceremony. Some people also give feast. When a child isborn in a Kabir Panth family, the baba and his disciples gathered andsing bhajans, after which the baba ties a small bell around the neck ofthe child and gives his blessings and leaves.

Thread wearing ceremony: This practice has largely been disappearedonly some people observe it. They, too, after some time throw it in theriver or hang it on a peg.

Marriage Ceremony: The marriage ceremonies in Fiji are same as theyare in India i.e. parents try to find a worthy partner for their childrenand invite a priest to officiate marriage. But the majority of themarriages were registered at the magistrate's office for a fee of fiveshillings.

Funeral Rites: it is performed by digging a hole and dumping the bodyin it. Some people invite priests for a feast. In some places, people readreligious texts and sing bhajans during the mourning period.

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Culture in the form of Religious

Signs and Symbols of Islam Approximately, 15% of the Indian indententured labourers

were Muslims. They subscribe to Indian cultural practices such as Niyaz

(prayer over food), Fatiha, Moulood (singing of qsaidas orUrdu songs) and Tazeem (prayer sending salutations to theProphet).

Festivals like Milad-un-Nabi (celebrating the Prophetsbirthday), Miraj (Observing the Prophets ascension toHeaven), Eid-ul-Fither.

Constant efforts to promote Urdu however there are somewhich doesnt consider Urdu as an integral part of Islamdue to its Indian origin. For them Arabic is the onlymedium of religious instructions.

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Continued Husayn (Grandson of Prophet) and Fatima (Granddaughter

of Prophet) are the most important religious symbols.

Hosay Festival, was introduced in Caribbean by the early

immigrants. Though it lost its religious significance (1884Hosay Riots in Trinidad and Tobago). People of variousreligious and cultural persuasion participate in the festivaland has modified its form.

Taziya and Muharram are also celebrated in Fiji andMauritius, where Hindus also participate in it , they makeofferings and join in the procession, beating drums andflagellating themselves

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Culture in the form of Religious

Signs and Symbols of Sikhism First Gurudwara came into existence in Kilindini

(Kenya) in 1898.

Festivals like Baisakhi, Gurupurbs. Sikh community divided into misls.

Majority of Sikhs belonged to Ramgarhia andAhluwalia misls

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Construction of New Cultural

Practices Bride Price

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Art and Architecture Hindu temples and Mosques : Temples of Hindu god

and goddesses and Mosques were built in almost everypart like Fiji, Mauritius, and Caribbean and mostprobably in Africa also. As it gives them moral strengthregarding their religion.

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Literature Emergence of Indian Newspapers like Koh-i-Noor

(1898), the East Indian Weekly (1928), the East IndianHerald (1919) and the East Indian Patriot (1921) whichwent long way in advocating for and encouragingcultural activities in Trinidad.

Short stories, non-fiction and letters to newspapers byIndians came in the early 1940s when SeepersadNaipaul, father of V.S. and Shiva Naipaul, published avolume of stories, The Adventures of Gurudeva andOther Stories.

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Music and Folk Songs In the new and largely inhospitable homeland, music came to

play a particularly important role in sustaining Indian cultureand ties to India itself.

Different forms of music womens informal singing, Hindu

Bhajans, antiphonal male Chowtals associated with Phagwa(Holi) festivals.(Caribbean) Some Folk songs manifests many social issues and problems of

the labourers: (Mauritius Song)Having heard the name of the island of the

Mauritius,We arrived here to find gold, to find gold.Instead we got beatings of bamboos,

Which peeled the skin off the back of the labourers,We became Kohlusbullock to extract cane sugar,Alas! We left our country to become coolies.

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Continued (Surinam)

What sins we have committed, Oh Lord,That thou has given us these miseries?Repenting in their hearts they called for mother and father,

Blaming their fate, their Karma or even the Lord Himself. (Fiji)

The six foot by eight foot CSR room,Is the source of all comforts for us,In it we keep our tools and hoe,

And also the grinding stone and the hearth,In it is also kept the firewood,It is our single and doubly storey palace,In which is mad our golden parapet.

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Language Bhojpuri in Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius (Bihar and Chhota

Nagpur Pleatue) Avadhi, Maghi, Maithali, Bengali Nepali and Telugu

(Trinidad) Tamil (Madras Presidency) Hindi was introduced by the Presbyterians Missionaries. Observers called it plantation Hindi. The speakers of Trinidad Bhojpuri themselves referred to it

as broken Hindi or bad Hindi; some referred to it aschamar Hindi (low caste Hindi) or gaoo bolee (villagespeech)

Hindus in Kenya and Uganda mostly being derived fromBombay and thus spoke Gujarati

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