FROM RAYAMPURAM TO RAKIRAKI
Many of my people have come in my life and many have departed but I have continued my journey with their kindness and blessing. I kept moving ahead with hope and faith and that made a lot of difference for me to begin writing the story of my life so that I could leave a living legacy behind for my loved ones. Where I terminate this successful journey I am confident that there would be many in my family who would love to continue to enlighten all those who are left behind.
In 1879, when the first four hundred and eighty one Indians from India were brought on the 'Leonidas', they were sent to cotton, coconut and sugar plantations. Fiji's first governor, Sir Arthur Gordon, in his determination to preserve Fijian chiefly organisation, custom, discipline and control but harassed by demands of Europeans for labourers, devised this plan to solve the difficulty.
The Colonial Sugar Refining Company, commencing work in Fiji soon after Cession, liked the Indians for their diligence. Indenture conditions were hard, but in 1916, when indenture ended not many wanted to return to India. Through hard work and thrift the people have progressed amazingly to their present state of prosperity.
As I said before, my father who was from a large family living in Rayampuram village in the district of Ariyalur of Tamil Nadu in India was the youngest member of the Goundar family. We were told that Rayampuram was a small village in the district of Ariyalur in Tamil Nadu. Truly Rayampuram is a village in Ariyalur Block in Ariyalur District of Tamil Nadu State, India. It is located 15 KM towards North from District headquarters Ariyalur about 11 KM from Ariyalur and 277 KM from State capital Chennai. My research revealed that Gandhi Nagar is one of the nearby villages to Rayampuram.
While enjoying the village life my father was befriended and then lured by one of the clever arkathis or recruiters of indentured labourers for the Indenture System with a promise that he would be offered a lucrative job and would be able to return with a pocket full of money to make his family happy. Since my father was a strong youth wanting to help the family with regular work and since he was in search of work he agreed to follow the recruiter who took him to the depot but disappeared after checking my father in at the depot of new indentured labourers.
By the time my father realized that he was dubiously extracted from his parents and other family members he was placed in a guarded camp with the group destined to work as indentured workers in Fiji. It was too late and impossible to return to his roots so he accepted whatever his future held for him. Later while in Fiji he was not able to get in touch with anyone from his family but longed to find his root that remained non- traceable.
The long journey on board SS Sutlej II began from Calcutta and when on the ship, my father found other friends, one of whom became my grandfather. He was Munsami Pillay who was already married in Tamil Nadu but he had to find a partner on the ship. She was known as Dhanbhagiyam who became my grandmother on their arrival in Fiji after my mother was born.
Munsami Pillay Dhanbhagiam
My Maternal Grandparents
Since my father was unmarried and looked the most eligible bachelor, it seemed to Munsami as if he too was in search of a partner for himself. However, his good friend Munsami Pillay began planning for him to get his own partner. There was an acute shortage of women and Munsami Pillay could not risk losing his wife to his friend so he promised that when a daughter was born to them they will be willing to let my father get married with their daughter. They settled with the gentleman’s promise and moved on. When my grandmother Dhanbhagium gave birth to my mother Almeluamma in Taveuni and then moved to Wailevu where my mother was married to my father as was their agreement.
SS Sutlej II
After the long, difficult, treacherous and eventful journey aboard SS Sutlej II they reached Fiji and after their usual quarantine in Nukulau Island they were placed to work in Taveuni that my father used to call Taponi. While they were working on the coconut plantation Dhanbhagiyum gave birth to a daughter they called Almeluamma who was then reserved as wife for my father as promised by his friend Munsami Pillay who later became his father in law and my maternal grandfather. Thus the family of Goundars began.
Life in Taveuni I am told was not an easy one for my ancestors because they had to work long hours with minimum rewards. Even the living conditions were atrocious and intolerable.
Coconut Plantation in Taveuni
However, when their contract finished they managed to go and do some farm work of their own on their land. They remained there for a few years before deciding to move on to Wailevi in Rakiraki because they were told of better life there. Whatever it was they were prepared to withstand everything and hoped for the best to come in the future for them and their family members. They had great faith in God and kept praying for their family members in Tamil Nadu for their peace and prosperity.
My parents Ayakannu and Alumeluamma Goundar
