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Tears In Paradise: Suffering And Struggles Of Indians In Fiji, 1879-2004
A powerful book on Girmit in Fiji (1879-1919) that will leave the reader in awe, wonder and tears. Conditions were so horrific that Fiji had the highest rate of suicide in the world. The Girmitiyas bore the brutality of the Girmit with courage, resilience and fortitude and Tears in Paradise eloquently echoes their struggles, pain and suffering that will take the reader ask – “Was it really that brutal?” Yes, it was! The second part of the book (1920-2004) reflects on the contemporary history of Indo-Fijians, expounding on the theme “An Uncertain Future.”
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
About the author
Rajendra Prasad
1 book2 followersRajendra Prasad is a descendant of the Girmitiyas (Indian indentured labourers) that were recruited by the British (1879-1919) to work in the sugarcane plantations, including contemporary history of Fiji 1920-2004.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 2, 2026
This time tomorrow I’ll be in Fiji with my son-in-law, daughter and granddaughter. I can’t pretend I’m not looking forward to it. It would be very hard to overstate the joy by 8-month-old granddaughter has brought me. When my daughter suggested I might come with them to Fiji, I jumped at the chance to spend a week with them. Fifteen years ago, I went with my ex to New Zealand for the first time. When I got there, I asked one of the locals what was the best history of the place. My ex said to me when we were splitting up that one of the things she liked about me was my reading that history as we travelled around the North Island. In that spirit, I thought I should learn more about Fiji before I got there too. I’ve read two books, this one and one called a Short History. I won’t be reviewing the short one, mostly because I could hardly follow what it was telling me. It was far too short. Then yesterday, my daughter sent me an article published on SBS on how there are many people in Fiji who believe that they are the lost tribe of Israel. And this helps to explain why they tend to vote with Israel in the UN. All terribly bizarre – but I don’t pretend to understand religion.
This book has given me, perhaps, a distorted picture of the local Fijians, since it is written by someone who is Indo-Fijian. Again, it does not give a particularly clear picture of how the Fijians were treated under colonisation, something I’m hoping to be able to gain a better understanding of while I’m there. The British – as has been their wont everywhere they have been – ensured that they applied the principle of divide and conquer.
The book starts with the author’s return to India to try to track down his family there. I have to admit that I was about to give up on the book at this point. There is no question that it was a deeply moving experience for him – and I could see why he started the book here, as a member of a diaspora community that had mythologised their cultural homeland, and haven’t I been raised with similar stories of Australian ‘Irish’ having much the same experience. And perhaps that is why I found it a bit annoying. The homecoming reinforced the myth, I felt – and I’m never comfortable when that happens.
Oddly, neither book provides a definition of the word Coolie, despite using it extensively. The short history also doesn’t explain what indentured meant either – which is a much harder oversight to explain away. A Coolie is an Indian labourer, and indenture is essentially selling oneself into bondage for a fixed number of years. The kind of slavery you have when you aren’t entirely a slave. At one point in the book the author wonders if the Indians might have been better off being slaves, given their overseers would have then had more reason to ensure they were properly feed and housed if they were actual property. The treatment of indentured labourers was obscene. The fact that only 30% of those sent to Fiji were women also caused obvious problems, in fact, a reversal of the traditional dowery system, given the imbalance. The caste system also came under strain, since everyone was expected to work growing sugarcane.
There was also a keen desire to ensure the Indians were without leaders and education was denied them as well. The chapters detailing the harsh treatment they suffered and the way the legal system was so heavily stacked against them difficult to read. The problem faced by their overlookers was that they needed to be provided with sharp knives to cut the cane – and these were very effective weapons. When push came to shove, the murder of those who pushed too far became virtually inevitable. Although, the author makes the point that organised resistance was rarely achieved. There were strikes after the indenture period, but the Australian company that controlled the sugar industry in Fiji, CSR, was ruthless in its treatment of Indo-Fijians both during and after indenture. The author ends the book by mentioning a letter he wrote to the British for reparations for how the Indians had been treated – you’ll be surprised to learn the British ignored this request. The Indians had as much right to demand reparations from Australia, I’d have thought, given how badly CSR had treated them – from beatings to underpayment.
The separation of the Indian and Fijian communities is quite striking. Even the author seems surprised at this, given the shortage of Indian women during indenture. And this separation has had consequences throughout Fijian history. The various coups to ensure Fijian control of the political system being a clear manifestation of this. Treating the local Indians as second class citizens has been devastating for Fiji. It is estimated that 100,000 of the best educated Indo-Fijians left the islands in search of a better life – which they author says they mostly have found elsewhere, including the author himself. So many of the acts of the Fijians appear to have been the equivalent of cutting your nose off to spite your face.
I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable about going to Fiji – almost like travelling to apartheid South Africa. But, that said, I am keen to learn more about the place.
This book has given me, perhaps, a distorted picture of the local Fijians, since it is written by someone who is Indo-Fijian. Again, it does not give a particularly clear picture of how the Fijians were treated under colonisation, something I’m hoping to be able to gain a better understanding of while I’m there. The British – as has been their wont everywhere they have been – ensured that they applied the principle of divide and conquer.
The book starts with the author’s return to India to try to track down his family there. I have to admit that I was about to give up on the book at this point. There is no question that it was a deeply moving experience for him – and I could see why he started the book here, as a member of a diaspora community that had mythologised their cultural homeland, and haven’t I been raised with similar stories of Australian ‘Irish’ having much the same experience. And perhaps that is why I found it a bit annoying. The homecoming reinforced the myth, I felt – and I’m never comfortable when that happens.
Oddly, neither book provides a definition of the word Coolie, despite using it extensively. The short history also doesn’t explain what indentured meant either – which is a much harder oversight to explain away. A Coolie is an Indian labourer, and indenture is essentially selling oneself into bondage for a fixed number of years. The kind of slavery you have when you aren’t entirely a slave. At one point in the book the author wonders if the Indians might have been better off being slaves, given their overseers would have then had more reason to ensure they were properly feed and housed if they were actual property. The treatment of indentured labourers was obscene. The fact that only 30% of those sent to Fiji were women also caused obvious problems, in fact, a reversal of the traditional dowery system, given the imbalance. The caste system also came under strain, since everyone was expected to work growing sugarcane.
There was also a keen desire to ensure the Indians were without leaders and education was denied them as well. The chapters detailing the harsh treatment they suffered and the way the legal system was so heavily stacked against them difficult to read. The problem faced by their overlookers was that they needed to be provided with sharp knives to cut the cane – and these were very effective weapons. When push came to shove, the murder of those who pushed too far became virtually inevitable. Although, the author makes the point that organised resistance was rarely achieved. There were strikes after the indenture period, but the Australian company that controlled the sugar industry in Fiji, CSR, was ruthless in its treatment of Indo-Fijians both during and after indenture. The author ends the book by mentioning a letter he wrote to the British for reparations for how the Indians had been treated – you’ll be surprised to learn the British ignored this request. The Indians had as much right to demand reparations from Australia, I’d have thought, given how badly CSR had treated them – from beatings to underpayment.
The separation of the Indian and Fijian communities is quite striking. Even the author seems surprised at this, given the shortage of Indian women during indenture. And this separation has had consequences throughout Fijian history. The various coups to ensure Fijian control of the political system being a clear manifestation of this. Treating the local Indians as second class citizens has been devastating for Fiji. It is estimated that 100,000 of the best educated Indo-Fijians left the islands in search of a better life – which they author says they mostly have found elsewhere, including the author himself. So many of the acts of the Fijians appear to have been the equivalent of cutting your nose off to spite your face.
I’m feeling a bit uncomfortable about going to Fiji – almost like travelling to apartheid South Africa. But, that said, I am keen to learn more about the place.
January 8, 2017
It is rare to find books accounting the struggle of Indian immigrants to Fiji. This may be due to lack of recorded history that was not possible during the colonial era. An emotional account of the sufferance is worth focussing on with consideration why the immigrants being a mere cosmetic slavery. Tears In Paradise by Rajendra Prasad is about the Indenture period for the Indo - Fijians not only financially and economically but also in politics. Tears In Paradise is a great book for any person who would like to know about Indo - Fijians and about the history of Fiji. It is also great for any person who is moving to fiji and wants to know what history and government of Fiji before moving. This book should be read more as it spreads awareness about the environment in Fiji for Indo - Fijians in the past and in the present.
The emotion in Tears In Paradise is very intense, as the book talks about slavery, torture, racism, and poverty. The author writes about these subject throughout the book and in heavy details that will leave goosebumps on anyone who decides to read this book. In some sections of the book, the author writes about how the Indo - Fijians were tricked and kidnapped only to be used as slaves and labourers. In another section the author writes about the racism that the Indo - Fijians have to endure from the Fijians. Due to the considerable amount of scarring topics, it is recommended that a certain age group that is less than 14 years old should not be reading this as it could not only leave mental scars but it could also be quite difficult for this age group to comprehend and understand what the author is saying. The emotional aspect of this book is really what makes the readers understand the amount of pain and rage the Indo - Fijians must be going through and what really draws their attention.
The writing style in Tears In Paradise is very unique, as it separates the direct quotes from other books or people, from the rest of the story. The direct quotes are separated into different paragraphs and the words are bolded. This writing style is uncommon to see in books, hence why it is very unique. It also accelerates the interest in book and it enhances the writing style in the book. Furthermore, the writing is very detailed and persuasive in the way that it gets the readers to feel pity for the Indo - Fijians and it really makes the readers think about there opinion about the story. The details of exactly what takes place in the story and the amount of evidence provided for each event, really does excel one's emotion and it really does excel the greatness of the writing style used in this book.
Overall, Tears in Paradise was very fascinating as well as heart wrenching at the same time. It is a great book that should be read by anyone who is interested in reading it. In conclusion, Tears in Paradise is an amazing and rare book.
The emotion in Tears In Paradise is very intense, as the book talks about slavery, torture, racism, and poverty. The author writes about these subject throughout the book and in heavy details that will leave goosebumps on anyone who decides to read this book. In some sections of the book, the author writes about how the Indo - Fijians were tricked and kidnapped only to be used as slaves and labourers. In another section the author writes about the racism that the Indo - Fijians have to endure from the Fijians. Due to the considerable amount of scarring topics, it is recommended that a certain age group that is less than 14 years old should not be reading this as it could not only leave mental scars but it could also be quite difficult for this age group to comprehend and understand what the author is saying. The emotional aspect of this book is really what makes the readers understand the amount of pain and rage the Indo - Fijians must be going through and what really draws their attention.
The writing style in Tears In Paradise is very unique, as it separates the direct quotes from other books or people, from the rest of the story. The direct quotes are separated into different paragraphs and the words are bolded. This writing style is uncommon to see in books, hence why it is very unique. It also accelerates the interest in book and it enhances the writing style in the book. Furthermore, the writing is very detailed and persuasive in the way that it gets the readers to feel pity for the Indo - Fijians and it really makes the readers think about there opinion about the story. The details of exactly what takes place in the story and the amount of evidence provided for each event, really does excel one's emotion and it really does excel the greatness of the writing style used in this book.
Overall, Tears in Paradise was very fascinating as well as heart wrenching at the same time. It is a great book that should be read by anyone who is interested in reading it. In conclusion, Tears in Paradise is an amazing and rare book.
April 10, 2023
This the the type of book that is hard to review. Initially my biggest issue with is was the race essentialism, which interestingly was applied to celebrate the character of the Indian people, but of course this type of argument always has an ugly foundation which was confirmed by the author's inability to totally hide his negative feelings about certain castes, nationalities, and Indigenous Pacific Islanders. These attitudes are shared by all of the Indo-Fijians I have spoken to at length here, except for one. So, on the other hand, this is a way more truthful account than if the author tried to PC everything which I suppose I appreciate? I also thought the framing the narrative around the strength of the oppressed instead of the actions of the oppressors was great, just wish he hadn't constantly been saying stuff like “Few other races could match the way the Indians bore the indenture system” including the Fijians, Japanese, Solomon Islanders, Chinese etc who rioted or didn't want to work.
The other issue I had while reading but did completely resolve was that many (many!) anecdotes are recounted that all prove the same points. It felt repetitive, almost like reading court proceedings. I stopped being a little bitch and realised that these are stories that really do need to be shared, all of them available. England tricked and pretty much enslaved 1,000,000 Indians after slavery was officially abolished, and there was nearly no oversight in these far away colonies or anyone to tell these stories to for years. There is still very little public awareness about this system outside of Indian diasporic communities, and Prasad is the only one to document many of these stories.
The other issue I had while reading but did completely resolve was that many (many!) anecdotes are recounted that all prove the same points. It felt repetitive, almost like reading court proceedings. I stopped being a little bitch and realised that these are stories that really do need to be shared, all of them available. England tricked and pretty much enslaved 1,000,000 Indians after slavery was officially abolished, and there was nearly no oversight in these far away colonies or anyone to tell these stories to for years. There is still very little public awareness about this system outside of Indian diasporic communities, and Prasad is the only one to document many of these stories.
July 8, 2018
This is a fascinating book about the Indian experience in Fiji. It is well-written, and thankfully does not get too bogged down in details that you lose the power of the narrative. And that narrative is powerful. I had absolutely no knowledge of the people and history this book describes, so I feel like a richer person having read it. If a book does that for me, I say it was worth the read.
February 5, 2008
This is the first book I read introducing the history of Indians in Fiji. It has been very useful in helping me to understand the culture of Indo-Fijians and the source of political conflicts between them and Fijians, but disturbing as well since it is non-fiction and contains: violence, slavery, unfairness, misunderstandings, deception, and real enemies who get away scott-free. The personal journey in the first half of the book was great; the second half was much more about the larger picture, politics, and today, so it was not as fun to read.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews