At the turn of the 20th century many of India’s poor decided to escape the harsh living conditions under which they found themselves. They amassed what they could from their meagre possessions, and took the long and sometimes hazardous journey across the Atlantic to the Caribbean in search of a new life.
Some found a home away from home in Barbados, the “Little England”.
In Bengal to Barbados Sabir Nakhuda traces the more than 100-year history of East Indians in Barbados. Bengal to Barbados looks at East Indian itinerant trading in Barbados, from its early small beginnings and eventual growth into many small and large scale businesses in Bridgetown. A dynamic East Indian business sector now makes a useful contribution to the national economy. More importantly, Bengal to Barbados highlights the opportunity itinerant trading provided for poor Barbadians to obtain clothing and other goods that they would not otherwise have been able to purchase.
Nakhuda is a leader in the Muslim and East Indian community in Barbados. His extensive and thorough research over 15 years has taken him to the Caribbean islands and to the villages in India from where the migrants came, as well as across the widespread local East Indian community.
Laced with humourous anecdotes and accounts of individual experiences Bengal to Barbados is delightful reading, reaching into the heart of East Indian life, religious beliefs, traditions and culture. It is recommended reading for students and scholars alike, and for all those interested in the history of East Indian migration to Barbados.
