IN COMMEMORATION OF EAST INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH.

……….. and they brought in their “jahaji bundles” a culture that reshaped the society of Trinidad and Tobago and contributed to Trinbago’s ethnic mosaic.
Jahaji is an Indian word meaning shipmate, specifically those indentured servants who travelled from India to the Caribbean on the same ship. A jahaji bundle was the bundled possessions of some of our ancestors who embarked on a journey one hundred and seventy –seven years ago seeking a better way of life for themselves and their families.
The crossing of the perilous dark water or Kala Pani created an unbreakable bond of kinship , the brotherhood of the Jahajis In this brotherhood which blossomed on the Fatal Razak , all barriers of religion, caste and colour were put aside and new relationships flourished , forming a strong bond of kinship among those making the journey to face an uncertain future.
Knowing full well of the challenges that awaited them in an alien land and dressed in their dhoti, kurta, sari and laden with their family jewellery, they came bringing with them reminders of their motherland wrapped tightly in their small jahagi bundles. The "jahaji bundle" (four corners of a piece of cloth tied to make a carrier) could be described as a olden-day suitcase that held all the worldly possessions of an indentured immigrant labourer who travelled the high seas for three months to arrive in Trinidad from the port of Howrah in Calcutta in 1845.
From food to plants, to seeds, curry and spices and reminders of their religious beliefs they traveled with these in their jahaji bundles. In fact the agricultural landscape of Trinidad has been changed because of the seeds and cuttings of plants which indentured labourers brought in their "jahaji bundles." Despite their heavy sufferings during the indentureship period and years of perseverance, our ancestors have stamped their names on this land. Their legacy lives on. We salute the many contributions our ancestors have made to the development of Trinidad and Tobago.
Vintage Photo courtesy Scott Henderson shows two East Indian Indentured servants seated with their jahaji bundle at their feet and a child standing in the shadows of the doorway. (Source:  Virtual Museum of TT, May 7, 2022)