‘Girmitiyas’ kept the culture of India alive in their hearts in foreign lands Lekhi

New Delhi, Oct 18 (PTI) Bonded laborers from India, who were taken to work on plantations in Suriname, Fiji and elsewhere, kept the culture of their homeland “alive in their hearts” despite facing exploitation, Union Minister Meenakashi Lekhi said on Tuesday.
The Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture said this during an interaction with reporters at a gathering organized by her here ahead of Diwali. Union Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, ambassadors of many countries, senior diplomats and other officials from various missions also participated in this activity.
Various cultural performances were presented to the guests during the event organized in the green lawns of the Palika Services Officers Institute in Chanakyapuri.
The event started with Ramayana Chaupai which narrated the story of Lord Rama in the form of prose. It was followed by a ‘Ramleela’ which was thoroughly enjoyed by all the diplomats and briefed them on the significance and history behind Diwali — the festival of lights, the Ministry of Culture said.
“Ramleela” was followed by a beautiful rendition of “Sundar Subhumi” (Batohiya) written by Babu Raghubir Narayan in Bhojpuri in 1911. It depicted India as a heaven on earth and portrayed how Indians felt devotion to their motherland from foreign land. He also extols the virtues of Lord Rama, Goddess Sita and Lord Krishna in his texts.
During the performance of this song ‘Girmitiya’, several members of the diplomatic community, originally from Suriname, Fiji and Trinidad & Tobago — where the forced laborers were sent — joined the artist on stage by invitation, said a representative from the Lekhi Office. , adding that Diwali is also celebrated in these countries because of its cultural roots.
An English translation of the Bhojpuri lyrics of the song was also shared with the envoys and diplomats present on the occasion.
Later speaking to reporters, Lekhi said, “Diwali is a festival of light and speaks of conquering darkness.
“We presented our cultural ethos on stage as well as this song about ‘Girmitiyas’ which talks about bonded laborers and their lives. It was a dark period for them, but they kept the faith, kept alive the culture of their homeland. their hearts despite facing exploitation”.
“It only shows that if one has faith in Lord Ram, Goddess Sita or Lord Hanuman, he will not deviate from the right path.”
The ‘Diwali Utsav’ event was organized to give a glimpse of the grandeur of Diwali to ambassadors and other guests from foreign countries.
It saw representation from the missions of the UK, Australia, Finland, Romania, Singapore and India’s neighbors Bhutan and Nepal, among many others, said a representative from her office. PTI KND NSD
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