In the nineteenth century, Ram Lakhan, a landless labourer from a small village, put his thumb impression on a contract and sailed from an Indian port to Mauritius, where he spent years cutting cane. More than a century later his great-grandson Vikram, a teacher in Port Louis, visits relatives in Pune. He finds that most of his cousins now work in an automobile plant, an insurance company and a mobile phone store, while only one uncle still tills the family land.
Which of the following is correct about the regular sailings that took workers like Ram Lakhan from India to Mauritius after 1834?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → They carried people of various religions, gender, classes and castes
Option (1) They carried people of various religions, gender, classes and castes — Correct. From 1834 till 1920 ships left Indian ports on a regular basis carrying people of various religions, gender, classes and castes. They were bound for plantations in Mauritius, the same journey Ram Lakhan made.
Option (2) For many decades their recruiting ground was centred in the Madras Presidency — Incorrect. For many decades the recruiting ground was centred in Bihar, in districts such as Patna, Gaya, Saran and Champaran. The Madras Presidency puts it in the wrong region.
Option (3) They carried mainly artisans displaced from the old court towns — Incorrect. The ships carried people of many classes and castes, so no single group such as displaced artisans made up most of them. Ram Lakhan himself was a landless labourer.
Option (4) They carried workers bound to a plantation for a minimum of two years — Incorrect. The workers were bound to work for a minimum of five years on a plantation in Mauritius. Two years cuts the real term short.
NCERT (2026-27): “1.1 Understanding Colonialism … |