Girmit celebrations float parade last year [File Photo]

This year will mark the 145th year since the arrival of the ‘Girmityas’ in Fiji, and celebrations will be underway in Suva, Labasa, and Lautoka.

Organizers, led by Assistant Minister for Women, Children, and Social Protection Shashi Kiran, highlight Lautoka’s significance, rooted in its historical ties to the sugar industry. ¤

This year’s event emphasizes reflection on the hardships endured by the indentured labourers, with the Minister stressing the importance of honouring their contributions to Fiji’s independence and nation-building.

“And while it was a very sad event—the entire girmit, the pain, and the slavery that they went through—the descendants have made it good wherever they have settled. Many had settled here. Some people are diaspora and have travelled to other parts of the world.”

Kiran also states that sports competitions will also feature in the festivities, which will be organized by the Sanatan Dharam of Fiji, which will bring religious bodies such as the TISI Sangam, the Fiji Muslim League, the Gujarati community, and the Sikh community together.

A fourth-generation descendant of an indentured labourer, Sarojini Asha, calls for more public awareness of the Girmityas’ history.

The Girmit Day commemoration will give people the opportunity to pause and reflect on the struggles that Girimitaya’s faced and the work that they did, not only towards independence but also nation-building.