Authors Paul David, Ranjith Choonilall, Kiru Naidoo and Selvan Naidoo launched their collaborative book, ‘The Indian Africans’ at Marburg Secondary School last Saturday.

The lavishly illustrated 374 page book features photographs taken in the 1860s to 1911.
It was initially launched on November 16, to mark the 162nd anniversary of the first arrival of Indian indentured workers in colonial Natal aboard the SS Truro.

Anivesh Singh, a heritage publisher said what sets the book apart from other similar ones is that it illustrates for the very first time photographs taken on board indenture ships.

Indentured workers are no longer just a mass of anonymous data in the archives and curator of the 1860 Heritage Centre, Selvan Naidoo was able to secure the diaries, scrapbooks and photographs of Captain Max de Gruyter who commanded several voyages of the SS Umona between the Indian sub-continent and Port Natal.

“The findings were mind blowing as they enabled researchers to work on tying ship records to actual names and faces,” Naidoo added.

Attending the launch were educators, locals and activists from the Indian community.
Commenting on the book, Dr Balatheran Gounden said books which tell a history such as this should be in school and community libraries, as many youth do not know their history.

Author Kiru Naidoo agreed, also encouraging educators and the community to document historical events which are known to them, and to make a compilation of stories on those historical events.

Attendees purchased copies of the book autographed by Kiru Naidoo who also said it will be available online at www.madeindurban.co.za

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