Author: Manjari Mishra
Publication: The Times of India
Date: August 23, 2005
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1207678,curpg-1,fright-0,right-0.cms
Born and brought up in Holland,
40-year-old Chitra Gayadin plans to visit India some day. Gayadin's Bhojpuri
poems "Paira (The Straw Bed)" and "Tahare Bare Main Sochat Rahali (I Have
Been Thinking Of You)," written in Roman script, are a rage among the 1.5-lakh
community of second/third generation Dutch Hindustanis who have yet to
overcome the trauma of migration from eastern UP their ancestors faced
nearly 132 years ago.
They dress up and behave like typical
Dutch people but can also speak fluent Sarnami - a mix of predominantly
Bhojpuri, Awadhi and Brij with a generous sprinkling of Dutch words. In
fact, some of the words no more in usage in Poorvanchal still survive in
the Netherlands, claims Dr Badri Narain, cultural anthropologist from the
Govind Ballabh Pant Social Sciences Institute, Allahabad (GBPSSI).
GBPSSI collaborates with the Royal
Tropical Institute, Amsterdam and IMWO Paramribo, Surinam on a project
titled "Bidesia (The Foreigner)" that focusses on the dynamics of migration,
social development and cultural identity of the Bhojpuri region in these
three countries.
The community in Holland and Surinam
have both long ago abandoned the Indian caste system. They are instead
divided into two categories - "Jahazi Bhai" and "Depua Bhai", alluding
to the kinship developed by their ancestors during the sea journey to Surinam,
once a Dutch colony, or developed while working together in a depot.
Interestingly, folk songs sung in
Ballia or Basti by peasants during sowing or harvesting are still sung
in both the Netherlands and Surinam, though the harvesters may have replaced
the good old sickle.
Narain was surprised with the presence
of the earthen "chulha" despite the heavy dependence on microwave. The
best surviving tradition, he said, was "Dangal" - the wrestling bouts held
during Nag Panchami. Highly publicised by handbills and websites, tickets
of "Dangal" priced at 50 to 70 euros, sell like hot cakes, he told TOI
on Saturday.
Even the folklore or typical "Bidesia"
songs have been passed on from the migrant labourers, who were duped and
shipped by the Glib Commission agents. Sample two of the popular songs
translated roughly: "The train or the ship are co-wives and not my enemies.
My enemy is the money that has taken my husband to foreign shores." Or,
"I will make one grain of wheat last a year to ensure my husband does not
go away leaving me behind."
Narain points out, "The intense
emotional void and apprehension of these coolies in colonial plantations
is reflected in the songs and their descendants are still carrying the
cultural baggage."
The project is also being funded
by the Dutch ministries of foreign affairs, education and culture. The
output of the project will result in "three country reports" based on separate
research findings, next year.
