Chapter : 1. The Making of a Global World
Indentured labour Migration from India
Indentured labour Migration from India : There were two-sided features of the nineteenth century world -
(i) Faster economic growth, higher incomes and technological advances in some areas.
(ii) The increasing poverty and exploitation of colonies.
An important form of exploitation in the nineteenth century was the practice of indentured labour. They were bonded labours who were on contract for a specific amount of wage and time and transferable to any countries. Most of the labours from India were from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Central India and certain districts of Tamil Nadu. They were mostly hired with a promise of a return passage after five years of service. It was abolished only in 1921 due to pressure by nationalists.
The main destinations of Indian indentured migrants were the Caribbean islands (mainly Trinidad, Guyana and Surinam) Mauritius and Fiji. Closer home, Tamil migrants went to Ceylon and Malaya. Indentured workers were also recruited for tea plantations in Assam. Recruitment was done by agents engaged by employers and paid a small commission.
Nineteenth-century indenture has been described as a 'new system of slavery'. On arrival at the plantations, labourers found conditions to be different from what they had imagined. Living and working conditions were harsh, and there were few legal rights.
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