What were some of the difficulties experienced by Indian Immigrants in the

Caribbean?

Accommodation/Housing on estate. Immigrants were generally housed

in very rough and poor barracks or ranges. They were often wooden
structures covered with galvanized iron and no ceiling and sometimes
a dirt floor. They were ill ventilated and there was much overcrowding
and poor maintenance. The barracks comprised a number of rooms of
about 10 ft by 14ft each, side by side each housing a family. Rooms
opened onto a narrow gallery or verandah. Rooms were often
separated by wooden partitions not reaching the roof so that it was
possible for an occupant of one room to stand on a box and look into or
climb into the adjoining room. Therefore these barracks like privacy.
Also very often there was an absence of latrines and provision of safe
drinking water. Drinking water was often trench or creek water.
Health conditions among Indians was generally poor. Diseases such

as malaria,typhoid, yellow fever, dysentery, hookworm and

ground itch were rampant among the Indian indentured servants.
Communicable diseases spread on account of improper waste
disposal, contaminated water and simply from the fact that they
lacked protection on their feet. British officials refuse to supply
them with shoes and though medical attention was supposed to
be provided regularly, this is not always so. There was also a high
infant mortality among the Indian immigrants and their diet was
poor. Free medical treatment was given however the quality of
service given is questionable since estate hospitals were
holdovers from the days of slavery when they were also used as
lockups.
Effective communication was also a problem since many could not
speak English so they would have had difficulty with instructions meted
out to them and in defending themselves against their masters when
they breached the contracts.
When Indian immigrants sought redress in courts against their
employers they found it expensive, complex and weighted against
them.
Indians were often discriminated against by white colonial masters and
there was also some tension with the blacks who saw them as
economic rivals.
Indians had to obey ordinances which favored the planters. They could
not for example drink liquor in estate housing or use disrespectful
language to or make insulting gestures to those in authority. It was also
illegal for them to congregate outside the plantation to discuss

grievances or to refuse reasonableorders. Breaking ordinances could

result in a fine or jail sentence.
They were also subject to punishment such as flogging.
Time spent in jail had to be made up to planter in the labourers free
time.
Low wages of on average 1s 6d for a man and 8d for women and
immigrants under age 16.
Their mobility was restricted. They could only leave estate with a

pass. In British Guiana indentured Indians are not allowed to go

further than 2 miles from their estate without a pass. They could
be apprehended without a warrant by the police, Immigration
Officer or their employer. Even those who had their freedom or
were no longer bonded were required to carry Certificates of
Exemption from Labour which they had to present to the
police when demanded.
The number of Indian women brought into the Caribbean was far
fewer than Indian men and often this resulted in rivalry among
Indian men for the few women and extra-marital affairs which
resulted in jealous men chopping their wives to death. The wife
chopping murders was a common practice particularly in British
Guiana and Trinidad.
Another problem the Indians faced was the task system of
labour. Planters initially paid labourers by the day that is a daily
wage. However, they exploited the Indians through the task
system where workers were paid according to the completion of
tasks. Sometimes the tasks given were unfair and impossible to
complete and so planters avoided paying the minimum wages
stated in the contract with the Indians.
The planters evaded paying the return passage to India for the
immigrants after their bond was over. They either provide a plot
of land to deter the Indians or sometimes the Indentured servant
was required to live in the Caribbean for at least the same
amount of time he had bonded himself for i.e. another five years)
before being eligible for repatriation to India.
There was a high level of illiteracy among Indians. This is
because Indian children were discriminated against in public
schools and many parents did not feel comfortable having to
send them. Also this is due to the fact that many parents feared
the conversion of their children to Christaianity.