From 1667 until 1954, Suriname was a Dutch colony. For ages, the Dutch profited greatly from the labor of the enslaved Afro-Surinamese people. Transatlantic slave trade brought their ancestors from Africa to South America between 1525 and 1867. Most Afro-Surinamese laborers were born into slavery and were the ‘property’ of the owner of the plantation they were born on. Life on the plantations was cruel and the Dutch were known for their harsh treatment of enslaved people than any other European colonial power. In 1862, the Dutch Parliament decided to abolish slavery on 1 July 1863. The plantation owners and the government feared that freed enslaved people would leave and that the plantations would be left without laborers. The Dutch government solved this problem by instituting a State Supervision of the freed enslaved which meant that all formerly enslaved people had to perform compulsory wage labor for ten years on a plantation of their choice. This is the reason why many historians recognize the year ‘1873’ as the year of the actual abolishment of slavery. A different form of slavery however pursued, namely the ‘indentured servitude’ in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. ‘Indentured servitude’ was a system of unfree labor to ensure that plantation owners and the colonial government had enough laborers to make a profit. In the years between 1853 and 1939, approximately 74,000 indentured laborers were transported to Suriname. Between 1873 and 1916, a total of 34,000 Hindustani indentured workers and a comparable number of Javanese of 33,000, arrived in Suriname between 1890 and 1939. While a small number of the indentured workers left Suriname after the end of their contract duration of five years, most of the indentured workers decided to stay in Suriname. Suriname was declared an independent republic on 25 November 1975. After independence, Surinamese people were given the choice of retaining Dutch nationality and many of them migrated and settled in the Netherlands, especially in the aftermath of the 1980 military coup and the ‘Decembermoorden’ (December murders) in 1982. Today, different ethnicities, religions, and cultures live in Suriname such as Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindustani, Creoles, Marrons, natives, Javanese, and Chinese.

This dholak belonged to my grandfather Harnarainsing Gunputsing. It is an instrument that originated in the Bhojpuri culture of North-Eastern India. British-Indian ‘indentured workers’ who migrated during the late 19th and early 20th century brought the dholak with them to Suriname. In Suriname, they would gather and make a distinct form of music called Baithak Gana in which Hindustani songs about the sorrows and worries in their lives and their suffering on the plantations are recited. The Baithak Gana music style holds much meaning in Surinamese-Hindustani culture.

My grandfather was born in 1924 on a plantation called Jagtlust, in the Commewijne district of Suriname. He had four brothers and a sister. They grew up in a typical Surinamese-Hindustani agricultural family, producing their own rice, vegetables, and fruit. The little income they had mainly came from producing and selling milk. While they were never famished because they grew their own food, climbing the social ladder was not easy for an impoverished Surinamese-Hindustani family like his. Throughout his life, my grandfather worked long hours of hard labour, had to hustle, and earned little money. As a milkman, he delivered milk jugs in the early hours of the morning. My grandfather once told me with much pride that he even delivered milk to Johan Ferrier, the governor of Suriname.

As a young boy, my grandfather would always listen to Baithak Gana. He quickly learned to play the dholak and joined multiple Baithak Gana bands, and in the 1940s and 1960s he performed at many Hindu weddings.

- Dayant

I inherited the dholak from my grandfather after he passed away in 2014. When I look at it, I am reminded of how much he suffered throughout his life. His story also symbolizes the work ethic of many descendants of Hindustani ‘indentured workers’. My grandfather saved everything he earned so that his children can receive education and climb the social ladder.

The dholak does not only symbolize the suffering of my grandfather’s generation but also embodies the discipline, austerity, and vision of his generation. My grandfather, and others like him, did not give up. Instead, they envisioned a better future for themselves and for their children. I will always remember that I am where I am today because of their hard work and endurance. Thanks to them, I grew up in prosperity and had the opportunity to develop myself. I now live the life that my grandfather imagined for his children and grandchildren; a healthy and stable life filled with prosperity. I stand on the shoulders of giants.

- Dayant