Guadeloupe French seek PIO status

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a three-day visit to France on April 10, the Indian community in the French Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe has reiterated its demand to be officially recognized as people of Indian origin, in a bid to forge closer ties with the land of their forefathers.
The 54,000-strong community of Guadeloupe Indians had earlier approached the Congress government to be granted PIO (People of Indian Origin) status after a high-profile visit in 2011 to the islands by Vayalar Ravi, former Union Cabinet minister of Overseas Indian Affairs.But their request was never granted, mostly because of the complete absence of paperwork to prove their Indian heritage.
“We are the forgotten diaspora, and we urge the Indian government to set aside its rules and make us an exception, because of our special history,” said Michel Narayaninsamy, president of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) in Guadeloupe.
In a letter to be delivered to Modi during his Paris visit, Narayaninsamy, who represents more than 400 members actively seeking stronger ties with India, has urged the prime minister to “use this historic trip to France discover the problems of aspirations of this mostly Francophone Indian diaspora.”
Like most Indians in Guadeloupe, Narayaninsamy knows very little about his ancestors, except that they came to the French West Indies, mostly from south India (and some from Bengal and the north), between 1854 and 1889. France had set free its own slaves in 1848, and a fresh supply of indentured labour was needed to work in the sugar plantations. Travelling initially on five-year contracts negotiated by their British and French colonial masters, most of the 44,553 Indian labourers were treated worse than the slaves had been, and never allowed to return home –only 9,460 workers were repatriated between 1861 and 1906.
Besides providing a brief history, the letter provides details of the physical and mental torture and humiliation suffered by the Indian coolies. An estimated 25,000 died premature deaths, and those who dared rebel against their colonial masters were abandoned on remote islands. Urging Modi to grant OCI (Overseas Citizen of India) cards to what is unmistakably an Indian diaspora -- even in the absence of records which are thought to have been destroyed by the French to hide their wrong-doing, and later, by the Nazis when they occupied France -- the Guadeloupe Indians have also requested that a consulate be opened in the territory facilitate stronger trade and economic ties. “We can help the Indian government with its agenda to build stronger economic and trade ties with France,” said Donald Deloumeaux, a finance director and member of GOPIO.
With more than 30% unemployment in the territory, some Indian families are hoping that their children will rediscover the language, land and culture that earlier generations were forced to give up in the name of integrating well into French society. Barely anyone in Guadeloupe speaks Tamil or other Indian languages, even though this is home to a significant Tamil diaspora. In recent years, there is a growing trend to teach Indian languages, dance and religious customs to the younger generation. “Our parents and their parents before them, constantly warned us that we would be perceived as outsiders if we spoke our own language, “ said Francine Petapermal, a teacher of history and geography, and active GOPIO member. “We are French, but at the same time, we feel different,” she said. “When I am with Indians, I feel that they are like family.”
Modi has also been invited to inaugurate a memorial to the Indian labourers in the town of Capesterre Belle-Eau in mid-May. “It is our moral obligation to ensure that commemorate our ancestors who suffered so much in a foreign land,” says Narayaninsamy, who says the memorial will be funded by private donations of EURO 60,000 from the community. “We want to make sure their history is never forgotten, and we hope the Indian government will help us by recognizing this sad chapter of France’s history involving the people of India.”
It is not clear when Modi will make it to this far-flung French paradise straddling the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. But on April 10 (PLS CHECK DATE), the Indians of Guadeloupe will gather round a giant screen to watch his live broadcast to overseas Indians, delivered from the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris. The underground shopping mall has a capacity of 2,500, but Indian officials hope that many more people will listen in. While mainland France is home to 100,000 people of Indian origin, an estimated 400,000 live in France’s overseas territories thousands of miles away. These include the Reunion Islands and Mayotte in the heart of the Indian Ocean, Guadeloupe and Martinique in the Caribbean archipelago, and French Guiana, between Suriname and Brazil. Officials say the two-way broadcast will allow audiences in Paris to get a feel for the crowds they hope will be cheering from afar. The Guadeloupe Indians promise they will turn out in large numbers, hoping to be heard.
(The author is a freelance writer based in Paris)