The world lost a great mind at this time about four years ago. Professor Brij Vilash Lal, who passed away on December 25th 2021 at the age of 69, dedicated his life to the study of girmitya –the indentureship of Bhartiya migrant labourers as well as their descendants. He was a prolific writer, having published ten books and thirty edited volumes, including his magnum opus, The Encyclopedia of the Bhartiya Diaspora. His academic career saw him teach at numerous universities such as the Australian National University, the University of South Pacific at Suva, the University of Papua New Guinea, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and the University of Fiji. In recognition of his dedication and scholarship, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia during the Queen’s Birthday Honours (Australia) in 2015.
Perhaps the greatest recognition of his life’s work, though, came that very year (2015) when he was forced into exile and indefinitely prohibited from returning to Fiji. Consider how this is possibly the greatest achievement of intellectuals and activists for human rights and social justice that their very thoughts provoke political reaction to the extent of expulsion from their own country. Ironically, before that tragic act, he had been honoured by the Fiji Millennium Committee for his distinguished scholarship and dubbed one of the 70 greatest Fijians responsible for shaping 20th century Fiji. Only true geniuses are met with the kind of political expulsion experienced by Professor Brij Lal. The world and the Indian diaspora still mourn the loss of this great academic historian, political activist and public intellectual.
The following are excerpts of a ZOOM Public Meeting held on 16/01/2022 on the topic “History Professor Brij Lal: His Life and Legacies.” The Pan Indo-Caribbean Memorial Tribute was chaired by Shakira Mohommed and moderated by Shalima Mohammed, both from Trinidad.
It was hosted by the Indo-Caribbean Cultural Centre (ICC) in a joint collaboration with the Ameena Gafoor Institute (AGI), and the 1860 Heritage Centre in South Africa. There were five (5) speakers on the programme. Excerpts of their presentations are given below.
SELVAN NAIDOO said: “We will remain forever indebted to Professor Lal’s commitment, passion and tireless effort in documenting the history of our girmitya family. He remains in the hearts of scholars globally, and will forever be loved and cherished for his friendship and kindness by all whom he met. I am certain that the scholarly work of Professor Brij Lal will live on, and be built on, by the current and future generations of Girmityas, and diasporic researchers and communities globally.”
PROFESSOR DAVID DABYDEEN said: “Brij was exceptionally helpful to me, giving me advice, putting me in touch with fellow scholars, and helping to compile a bibliography on indentureship in Fiji. He was quite simply an exceptional human being; noble, generous, brave … he loved Fiji, he loved his family. Brij has gone, but his scholarship is imperishable.”
PROFESSOR DOUG MUNRO said: “He was staunch in his endorsement of contemporary history, arguing that for every disadvantage, for example, the unavailability of archival sources was more than compensated for by corresponding advantages such as being able to interview people, having your ear close to the ground and actually seeing history being created. As David said, his writings are imperishable, his writings on the recent history of Fiji … will eventually affect public discourse, and we may hope that it may even cause some other change, at least he hoped for that very much.”
PROFESSOR GOOLAM VAHED said: “I have always – even when we were separated by space and oceans – I have seen myself as an apprentice to him. … Whenever I thought of going in new directions, I would always approach him and find that he would encourage me to explore new avenues. Finally, in teaching me to think about the power – as indentured immigrants were supposedly powerless – he rescued me from the condescending way that is often typical of the academy. His power came precisely from his grace, and I think that is something that many would attest to and will remember him as a humble, but a very powerful individual.”
UMA DUPHELIA MESTHRIE said: “Brij really developed one-on-one relationships with all the authors of the book, and he took joy in the bonds of friendship. Much like in the poem by Sahir Ludhianvi in which he writes: ‘There are people who will be better than me, but tomorrow will anyone remember me? Why will they remember me?’ Brij left us words – thousands and thousands of them – that cannot be forgotten or erased. We will read and reread. Hamba Kahle [Farewell] Brij, my history brother.”
—By Dr. Kumar Mahabir & Shalima Mohammed, MBP
(This Press Release has been published as received)
