UNHAPPY

Indians in South Africa: Perspectives from 1860 to the 21st Century, was launched last week and seeks to elucidate the role that Indians played in South Africa since the beginning of indenture to the present day.

The book, launched by the 1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation, Verulam, documents the narratives of people of Indian origin, their experiences, challenges and successes in South Africa.

It was produced in collaboration with the University of Kwazulu-natal’s international journal Alternation and is part of its African Scholarship Book Series, Volume 11.

The book is divided into five sections, namely Historical Issues on Indian Indenture; Women during/post Indenture; The Contemporary Period; Untold Stories/ Personal Stories; The 1860 Indentured Labourers Foundation, Verulam.

Among the contributors in the book are Ela Gandhi, Shanta Balgobind Singh, Jaisingh Surujbullee Singh, Brij Maharaj, Sultan Khan, Devi Moodley Rajab, Anand Jayrajh and Jayanathan Govender.

In the book, Balgobind Singh asks: “Why study Indians in South Africa and the history of generations past?”

First, she says, Indians in South

Africa played an integral part in the development of the country and its liberation from colonial and apartheid rule, and continued to contribute to the life of its people. Second, “History is the story of who we are, where we come from, what we have contributed to South Africa, and how it potentially reveals where we are headed. Studying history helps us understand how events in the past made things the way they are today. With lessons from the past, we not only learn about ourselves and how we came to be, but also develop the ability to avoid mistakes and map better paths and create better, more significant ways and means for our societies.

“Therefore, it is important that this knowledge is collated, written down, shared with the general public and preserved, so that our roots and early struggles are not forgotten and are understood as an integral part of the history of South Africa. It is also important to record the perseverance and resilience of our forefathers and foremothers against the adversities they faced for future generations to reflect on and appreciate years from now.”

The 312-page book costs R300 and is available from Roy Raghubir at royraghubir14@gmail.com or 073 490 756.