The comparison between Indian indentured laborers of the 19th and early 20th centuries and modern-day H-1B visa holders in the United States is complex, as these two groups operate under very different historical, economic, and social conditions. However, there are parallels as well as critical distinctions.
Here are some details of indentured labors from Bharat...
Girmit...
The term "Girmit" is derived from the word "agreement" and refers to the system of indentured labor under which Indian workers were recruited to work on plantations and other industries in British colonies during the 19th and early 20th centuries. These workers, known as "Girmityas", were primarily sent to places like Fiji, Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, South Africa, and other parts of the British Empire to fill the labor shortage after the abolition of slavery.
Girmit... ‘A document to deceive innocent people into slavery’
What made the indenture contract, often called ‘girmit’, so dangerous for the indentured?
The modern day H1B holders... do you understand it when you are forced to sign a bond agreement before your visa sponsoring company send you to USA? Girmit in the modern context...
the tradition is still going on...
Wake up... please.... the time is NOW...
The ‘girmit’ had the imprints of desperate people who had left due to dire situations back home. They were told they’d get food, lodging and medical facilities. They were also told that they’d get passage back to their countries after service for two to three years. But the contract didn’t say all this. They were never told they’d have to cultivate sugar, which they weren’t used to. No medical facilities or lodging was provided to the indentured, just some basic breakfast and dinner. The British used to say that ‘girmit’ distinguished slavery and indenture. But it was a document to deceive innocent people into slavery. It was a farce. Sometimes it was written in French, but usually in English. The people putting their thumb marks knew neither. In reality, the period of indenture would be 10 years, during which the indentured would be tied to the plantations in the Caribbean, Mauritius or Fiji. Even when they somehow got time off, they weren’t allowed to leave the plantation and were escorted throughout. In Fiji, they tried to put the indentured people and the slaves against each other. The browns were kept away from the
blacks, in an apartheid-esque system. They weren’t allowed to interact or intermarry and their children couldn’t go to the same schools. It was the typical British policy of divide and rule,
involving partitioning land and people.
The British had tried to get the Chinese, too.
The British had a misconception that Indians were meek and docile people, good at taking orders and asking no questions. They also believed that the Chinese were undisciplined opium addicts who weren’t hardworking. All this is documented.
In Mauritius, a tiny community of Chinese was recruited in the early stages of indenture and then stopped. Because the Chinese refused to go. But the Indians continued to go because of their dire economic circumstances and possibly to save money for their families back home. Plus, many of them died on the plantations, too. The British initially took only men. But later they changed it by having 60 women for every 40 men. Women weren’t willing to go in such numbers, and that’s when the kidnapping spree began.
So what was the general experience of the indentured like on the long voyages that took them from India to other British colonies?
It was a horrible experience. Many died on the way, often by contracting cholera. If you fell ill, there was a chance you’d be thrown overboard. The food that was given was inadequate. It was
canned food, the kind Indians weren’t used to. Plus, the spaces were small and tight and the conditions were unsanitary. However, as a result of their struggle, the indentured people also formed bonds on board. Caste, food and other barriers were cast aside as the survivors became each other’s jahaji bhais and jahaji behens.
Wake up... The Hindus of Bharat...
Open your eyes.... enough servility.... enough slavery...
Watch the following video... It's about Indian Indentured Laborers...
And now... read from an H1B holder (taken from Quora) - the feelings of a guest worker in USA...
Read.... Read...
1. Do not get used to American way of life or American attitude to life. You do not belong to their country, you are just a guest worker. Remember this every month, you will feel a little less bad if they ask you to leave.
2. That said, do not go super-cheap. Live a little.
3. Also, you are a guest worker. The word “guest” is as important as “worker”. Do not do things you would not expect guests to do.
4. DO NOT TRUST YOUR EMPLOYER. DO NOT TRUST THEIR LAWYERS.
5. Be aware of the laws that are designed to protect you. Be aware of the laws that were designed so that opportunist lawyers can sue employers. Just in case.
6. Related to #5, keep backup of all employer/client communications somewhere in the cloud. I have managed to avoid two different threats by citing old communication that could bring very unwelcome attention from department of labor (I never had to spell it explicitly to them).
7. Be ready to change your job. Just because you have fallen in love with your employer, your employer would not stop considering you a cost-center worthy of optimization. You, the foreigner exist in their office because their perfect business process operate in an imperfect world. Folks with MBA degree spend more money in figuring out ways to fire you than they spend in paying you and running your payroll. Why? It is a great mystery to me, even after 12 years.
8.Do not fall in love. In fact, if H1B is your target, finish the fall-in-love business in your home country. Doing courtship while staying on H1B is a nasty way to live your life. It also costs way too much. Also, do not fall in love with US citizen of any race. Divorce would be nasty and expensive. Have seen friends go through it.
9. Keep your skills updated. And keep hopping job. Demanding stability is a human thing but it is not for you, dear H1B holder. Better make peace with that.
10. Always look for cash (not stock options, chance of deportation is exceedingly higher when stock market goes down), negotiate well and never sacrifice more money in search for better title or promise for a faster green card processing. Not worth it.
11. If #1-#10 look cynical, adjust your mindset...
The grass on the other side always seems to be greener...
So.... please wake up...
