Ritual songs and folksongs of the Hindus of Surinam

[p. 168]

100 Modern v [Ansoe, 1967]
On Surinam Indian community (economic history)

kisa nį̄da so rahe ho hindustāna vāle
khandak mę gir paṛe ho ų̄ce nisāna vāle

tuma para gama kī ghaṭā hai chā̈ī, aba se khabaradāra raho bhā̈ī
kalakattā se bharatiya kara ke bheja diye saba bhā̈ī
lā̈i utāre surināma mę ḍipu mę bhāta khiyā̈i
paranāsī mę pahųce jā kar bakarā raporṭ sunā̈ī
sabbala kaṭalisa hātha mę le leyo¹ jangala kāṭau tū jā̈i
jangala kāṭe koko kāṭe kofī bhī tuṛavā̈ī
ciyų̄ṭī ciyųṭā kāṭana lāge hāya hāya cillā̈i

aba se...

pą̄ca barasa jaba giramiṭa kāṭa gaye kheta base taba jā̈i
agaṛama bagaṛama paidā kara ke gola mirica saba khā̈i
kauṛī kauṛī paisā joṛe joṛa dhare ghara mą̄hi
paisā lai ke kākā miriṇḍā kāgaj diyā thamā̈i
kantorau mę paisā nahį hai rovata ghara ko jā̈i
hāy dayā hama aise jana kī larakana ke deta paṛhā̈i

aba se...

1 Another version gives the name of the composer: aura sabalasingha kaṭalasa thāma lo jangala kāṭo jā̈i, ‘(says) Sabalsingh, (they ordered); 'hold a cutlass, go and cut the jungles’. Sabalsingh was a Punjabi immigrant who used to go around singing on various socio-political topics. Another version of the song gives the date as 1949. The episode is as follows. A notaris named Achmed Theodoor de Miranda opened a private banking house. His agent Karamat Ali went round and pursuaded a large number of Indians to bank their money with Miranda, who, in league with Karamat Ali, used the money for personal benefits. In 1949, Miranda's son who took over after his father's death, announced his insolvency with the result that much suffering accrued to the Indians who lost their money.

[p. 169]

C

I.

hātha joṛa kara vinaya karata hų suniye kāna lagā̈i

II.

bhūla cūka ko māfī karanā ho gaye bhajana banā̈i

 

aba se...

What (kind of) sleep are you sleeping, O people¹ of India?
You have fallen in a ditch, oh (people) of a high standard.

The cloud of sorrow is hovering over you; be alert from now.
All the brethren were recruited from Calcutta and sent (here) -
(They) were brought and made to disembark in Surinam; (they) were fed on rice in the Depot.²
They went and reached the estate³ (and the) white man (read out) an order (for them) to hear:
- Take shovels and cutlasses in the hands, go and cut the jungles.
(The immigrants) cut the jungles, cut cocoa and were made to pick⁴ coffee also.
Ants and insects⁵ began to bite (them and they) cried ‘oh, oh’.

Be alert from now...

When they completed the five years (period) of the contract,⁶ then they went to settle down on (their own) fields.

1 Or, people from India.

2 The temporary shelters where the immigrants were kept before embarking on board at Calcutta and where they had to await appointment to the estates upon arriving in Surinam were called Depots.

3 Parnāsī, a Neger Engels word perhaps from plantage, plantation.

4 Lit., the coffee was ‘made to be picked’.

5 Small (fem.) ants and large (masc.) ants.

6 Girmiṭ, the Indianised form of ‘agreement’. After working five years at the estates the immigrants had the freedom to return to India or to accept the grant of farm land, which was usually a piece of jungle to be cleared and then used for cultivation.

[p. 170]

IX.

After they had produced anything anyhow, the black pepper ate it all.¹

X.

Farthing by farthing² (they) saved (some) money; having saved (they) placed (it) in a (banking) house.

XI.

Uncle Miranda³ took the money and handed (them a piece of) paper.

XII.

(When they wanted the money back they were told:) there is no money in the office. They come back home crying.

XIII.

Oh, (let there be) on us the pity of some such person who may educate (our) children.⁴

 

Be alert from now...

Clasping (my) hands I make (this) appeal; listen with attentive ears.
(You must) forgive the mistakes and slips (which) have taken place in composing this song.

Be alert from now...

1 ‘After the Indians produced various crops with great difficulty, the Negroes enjoyed the fruits thereof’: this is the general sense of the line. ‘Gol mirc’ (black pepper) is one of the terms used by Indians for the Negroes, because of their curly hair.

2 Kauṛī, a sea shell, orginally used as the smallest currency.

3 Indianised form: Miriṇḍā.

4 It was felt that the Indians were cheated because they were not literate enough to understand the banking and the papers and receipts etc. Also, the money lost had been saved by many with the intention of educating their children and these hopes were now shattered.