Indo-Barbadian or Indo-Bajan, refers to Barbadians of Indian ancestry from the Indian subcontinent, including present-day Bangladesh and Pakistan. Currently, there is a 3,000-strong Indian community in Barbados.
History
Soon after, some more Bengalis arrived and they shared a house in Wellington Street, in the city. Some of them also lived in Milk Market and Tudor Street (upstairs Bata Shoe Shop) in Bridgetown. Most of these Bengalis married local Barbadian women and started families in Bridgetown. Today many well-known Barbadians are the grandchildren of these unions.
These Muslims started the itinerant trading process, which continues up to this day. In the early stages most of the trading was with poor Barbadians living in the country areas who found it difficult to get to Bridgetown to do their shopping. The traders would take the bus to get their wares to the people in the country. If there were no buses available they would walk long distances just to accommodate the customers. Over the years, these traders built up a relationship with Barbadians, which still remains of mutual benefit.
Following the Bengalis, Muslims from villages in Gujarat, West India arrived. It is reported that the first of the Gujarati Muslims came in 1929. These Muslims had set out for Brazil to cut timber but ended up in Guyana and stayed there for a while. In Guyana they learnt that there was money in coal trading with Barbados. They visited Bridgetown a couple of times by boat and then decided to make Barbados their home.
The Indo-Guyanese community in Barbados have introduced Indian dishes such as roti to Barbados.[2]
Demography
There are reports of a growing Indo-Bajan diaspora originating from Guyana and India. Mostly from southern India and other Indian states, Indo-Bajans are growing in size but smaller than the equivalent communities in Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana. Hinduism is one of Barbados' growing religions.
Notable people
- Avinash Persaud, Barbados-born British business executive of Indo-Trinidadian and Indo-Guyanese descent
See also
References
- ^ "19: Other Countries of Central and South America" (PDF). Report of the High Level Committee on the Indian Diaspora. New Delhi: Indian Council of World Affairs. 2001. pp. 230–231. OCLC 52929480 – via Wayback Machine.
- ^ Minahan, James (2013). "Barbadians". Ethnic Groups of the Americas: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 54. ISBN 978-1-61069-164-2. OCLC 829952553 – via Google Books preview.
- Bulbulia, Suleiman (2017-01-18). "The power of marketing". Barbados Today. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- Indian Diaspora in the Caribbean
- Racial Integration in Barbados
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