This week we had another zoom call to check up on eachothers progress and address any questions we had. We wernt sure what type of referencing to use, as UCD and UWI mainly use two different types, so we planned to ask our lecturers during the next class to see which one theyd prefer us use throughout out project. We all agree that meeting up weekly on zoom is helping the project run smoothly and in a timely manner, giving us time to complete our goals and add any ideas or changes we deem necessry along the way. Even though it is not mentioned in The Swinging Bridge, we decided to include Mauritius because, when talking about indentured labour, it is one of the most important locations. It was the first location that Indian indentured labourers were brought over from India by the British, to work on the plantations. It is a very important to acknowledge Mauritius, and in fact, the Aapravasi Ghat has been declared a world heritage site. This week was quite quiet in terms of challenges or queries as we are just working on the tasks we were assingned last week. We all agree to meet up again next week through zoom and do a pracitse run of our presentation to the class. We aloctae someone to share their screen during the presentation, and allocate someone to email the finished project to our lecturers at the end of the month.
What is Kala Pani ? ''काला पानी'' ( Kala pani ) translates literally as 'black water'. A hindi phrase, it refers to the taboo practice of crossing the seas and leaving India, prohibited in the Manusmriti (The Laws of Manu), a prominent legal, religious and moral Hindu text. Kala Pani was specifically banned as it was 'associated with contamination and cultural defilement' [Mehta], usually meaning a breakdown in the caste system present in Indian society throughout history. Kala Pani and Transoceanic crossings Today, the term Kala Pani is used to refer specifically to the crossings made by indentured labourers originating in India, with many ending up in the Carribean. As described in Ramabai Espinet's The Swinging Bridge , those considered as occupying a lower rung in the caste (in this example, widows, or rands ) were often the people who undertook the Kala Pani and became indentured labourers. As a result, there are many communities of descendan...
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