Education | Edu Correspondent

Dr. Shyam Nandan, Assistant Professor, Department of Hindi, Mahatma Gandhi Central University, will present his research paper at the World Hindi Conference to be held in Fiji. It may be noted that this time the 12th World Hindi Conference will be held from February 15 to February 17, 2023, at the Denarau Convention Center on Nandi Island, Fiji. Dr. Shyam Nandan had sent a research paper titled ‘Life-struggle of indentured laborers in Fiji’s Hindi poetry’ for presentation and reading in the World Hindi Conference, which has been accepted for presentation after evaluation. A permission letter for the acceptance of the research paper and its presentation cum reading in the conference has been sent by the Official Language Section of the Ministry of External Affairs.

Dr. Shyam Nandan has told in his research paper that the poor farmers and laborers of India were taken by the British under the conditionality system in their colonies by giving different types of inducements. These poor farmers-labourers who went abroad on a five-year contract under the indentured practice came to be called indentured servants. Mauritius, Suriname, Fiji, Trinidad-Tobago, Guyana, South Africa etc. are many countries where these indentured laborers were taken on contract for agricultural work. One of the main countries to which these indentured laborers were taken under the indenture system was Fiji, which is a group of different islands.

Leaving their country of origin and living in another country, the life of these migrants was plagued by various problems. These indentured laborers had to adjust themselves in relation to many dimensions like language, culture, social environment etc. This process of adjustment was extremely difficult and painful. These sufferings and struggles have been expressed by these indentured laborers and their descendants in their literature. In his research paper regarding the indentured laborers of Fiji, Dr. Shyam Nandan has concluded that today’s prosperity and beauty of Fiji has come from the sweat and blood of the indentured laborers. Several generations of indentured laborers have struggled relentlessly to get Fiji to this pinnacle of prosperity. He suffered tortures and sufferings but always tried to take Fiji forward and develop it. The struggling life of the indentured labourers, their sorrows, their sufferings, their tortures, their agony and their struggle, everything has been expressed with full truth and poignancy in Fiji’s Hindi poetry.

Dr. Shyam Nandan has so far published 04 chapters in various books, 18 research papers/articles in prestigious journals, 04 radio talks from different centers of All India Radio, 06 interviews in national and international journals and magazines. | Has participated and presented research papers in 25 national/international seminars/workshops. Dr. Shyam Nandan is a nominated member of the Hindi Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and also a member of various academic and administrative committees.