Tributes pour in as scholars in the field of indentureship or girmit studies mourn the passing of retired Prof Mohan Gautam who died on August 13. He wrote on indentureship and the Indian diaspora with many publications including on Guyanese, Surinamese, and Trinidadians and their diasporas in North America and Holland. He visited all three countries multiple times as well as engaged the diasporas in USA and Holland. His passion and devotion to girmits (Guyanese, Surinamese, Trinis) have echoed across those of us who knew of his works. He was a gifted writer and insightful thinker with few equals. He was a soft speaker, but he spoke eloquently to draw introspection and broad discussion especially about the Indo-Caribbean people and their neglect by the government of India.
Prof Gautam has left a legacy of knowledge on Indian migration (including secondary migration), indentureship, and diaspora that was powered by his profound commitment to academia and which virtually no other can match in terms of publications on the diversity of Indo-Caribbean experience globally. By acknowledging his enormous contributions to indentureship studies and on Indians in the diaspora, the stories of indentured laborers and their descendants (like Indo-Guyanese) will not be forgotten, and one will better understand the legacies or experiences of indentureship and the girmityas. His dedication of academics to girmit studies has been vital for a comprehensive understanding of the subject and of how Indians were found in so many countries since the 1800s including their migration from colonial indentured territories to the developed world.
Mr. Gautam came to University of Leiden (Holland) to teach. He pursued a PhD there and became a full professor, a distinguished and beloved educator and scholar. His steadfast mentorship, guidance, and friendship helped many students and budding scholars to pursue indentureship studies and to obtain PhDs.
His excellence in scholarship can be attributed to his grounding with indentured people from all over the globe including the Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius, Africa and the double migrants (descendants of indentured who settled in North America, Australia, New Zealand, UK, France, and Netherland). He engaged several Guyanese including Ashook Ramsaran and myself to understand the Guyanese experience in USA. His research included dozens of publications, and he presented papers at countless conferences several of which I was also a presenter on indentureship. He was present for the Conference commemorating the 150th anniversary of presence of Indians in Guyana that was organized in July 1988 at Columbia University by myself, Roop Persaud, Dr. Mahin Gosine, and others. he also attended other academic conferences I co-organized in Fiji, India, Trinidad, and America.
Dr Gautam and I met multiple times after in the Caribbean, New York, Holland, and India and spoke extensively as well on the phone about indentureship or girmit studies. We shared many views on indentureship although my background has been largely in international relations, economics, history, and sociology. Gautam was always supportive in my ideas for research.
He was very fond of descendants (Guyanese, Trinis, Surinamese, and others) of indentured laborers or girmityas. He praised girmityas for holding on to their ancestral culture (even in metropolitan centers) and appealed to the government of India to commit more resources on girmit studies as well as on the girmityas who have been serving as cultural Ambassadors of India.
Guyanese in America will miss him, his presence at conferences including one being planned for New York. I will remember our many chats. We all will very much miss Dr. Gautam’s legacy of academic service in girmit studies. He, like other recently departed scholars such as Profs Brij Lal and Brinsley Samaroo will continue to be an inspiration to everyone who studies migration and indentureship.
Yours truly,
Dr. Vishnu Bisram
