The Global Indian Diaspora Conference 2025, organized by the National Council for Indian Culture (NCIC) of Trinidad and Tobago, concluded last week with groundbreaking research presentations, cultural celebrations, and a renewed call to acknowledge the atrocities faced by Indian indentured laborers across the world. Held in conjunction with the 180th anniversary of Indian Arrival Day in Trinidad, the conference saw scholars, historians, and activists from India, the Caribbean, and beyond gather to discuss the legacy of the Girmityas—Indian laborers transported under the colonial indentured system.
Unveiling The Forgotten Genocide: Tamil Girmityas In Guadeloupe
One of the most striking presentations came from Advocate B. Jagannath and M. Kumaresan of Tamil Nadu, whose research paper exposed the horrific conditions endured by Tamil Girmityas in the French colony of Guadeloupe between 1845 and 1900. Drawing from archival records in India, France, and the Caribbean, their work revealed:
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Systematic Brutality: Over 42,000 Tamil laborers were transported to Guadeloupe, with nearly 35,000 perishing due to forced labor, starvation, and disease—a death toll the researchers argue constitutes genocide.
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Forced Christianization: The French colonial administration systematically erased Tamil Hindu identity, banning the language and coercing conversions to Christianity.
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Henry Sidambaram: The Guadeloupe Gandhi: The paper highlighted Henry Sidambaram, a Tamil activist who spent 27 years imprisoned fighting for voting rights. His relentless democratic resistance eventually forced France to grant citizenship to Tamil descendants—a victory against colonial oppression.
Invoking former President APJ Abdul Kalam and PM Narendra Modi’s references to the ancient Tamil poet Kaniyan Poongundranar (“Yadhum Oore, Yavarum Kelir“—”Every place is my home, all people are my kin”), Jagannath and Kumaresan emphasized how the Tamil diaspora preserved their culture despite colonial erasure.
Smashing Colonial Narratives
The presentation challenged the “controlled media blackout” on Guadeloupe’s history, where mainstream narratives often glorify colonialism while ignoring its atrocities. The researchers accused left-leaning historians of whitewashing these crimes, ensuring that the suffering of Tamil laborers remained obscured.
“This was not just exploitation—it was genocide, for the first time in an international forum, we have exposed the French colonial machine’s brutality against Tamil Hindus. The world must acknowledge this,” declared the authors.
A Call for Justice And Remembrance
The conference ended with a resolve to push for official recognition of the Tamil Girmitya genocide, urging France to follow its apologies for other colonial crimes (e.g., Algeria). Scholars hope this research will inspire further investigations into indentured labor atrocities worldwide.
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