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On May 5th 1838, the very year of final slave emancipation in the British West Indies, a small batch of 396 Indian immigrants popularly known as the ‘Gladstone Coolies’ landed in British Guiana (Guyana) from Calcutta. This was the beginning of the indenture system which was to continue for over three-quarters of a century and whose essential features were very reminiscent of slavery. Within a decade Indian immigration was largely responsible for changing the fortunes of the sugar industry, the mainstay of the economy, from the predicted ‘ruin’ to prosperity.

Having been recruited and registered, the emigrant was taken to the depot where he immediately began the process of ‘seasoning’ for the long, monotonous voyage to the West Indies. At embarkation certain precautions were taken to ensure health and safety en route. Social intercourse between crew and emigrant women as well as the carrying of firearms or inflammable material was strictly prohibited. Besides the officers and crew, each emigrant vessel was provided with compounders, interpreters and topazes. The compounders dispensed medicine and often acted as interpreters; the topazes or sweepers ensured that the deck and water closets were kept clean.
On arrival in British Guiana the indentured worker quickly came under the regularity and discipline of the plantation system. The plantation under slavery has been described as an economic unit producing agricultural commodities for export. It employed a relatively large body of unskilled labour and had a rigidly stratified social structure based on occupational status and divided along race and colour lines. Decision- making was centralised, orders emanating from the master were issued to the slaves through the driver (headman). With emancipation the social structure was somewhat adjusted but the basic feature of plantation society remained similar to that of slavery. In fact, many of the characteristics survived well into the twentieth century.

From the 1860s to the abolition of indenture in 1917, Indians comprised the hulk of the immigrant work force. They were indentured for five years but were required to serve for ten before being entitled to a free return passage to India.Between 1838 and 1917, almost 240,000 East Indian indentured workers were brought to British Guiana. The indentured workers had the right to be repatriated at the end of their contracts, but as of 1890, most of the East Indian indentured workers had chosen to settle in British Guiana.
Although the great majority of the East Indian immigrant workers were from northern India, there were variations among them in caste and religion but on the colonial plantations they were housed together and placed in work gangs without consideration of caste.
The process of assimilation has made the culture of the modern Indo-Guyanese more homogeneous than that of their caste-conscious immigrant ancestors.

Indentureship Timeline1837 – John Gladstone suggests East Indian indentured labour as a solution to the drifting of Africans from the plantations to the towns. Permission is granted to bring ‘Coolies’ for his two plantations.
1838 – The first indentured labourers drawn from the hill areas of South India arrive in Guiana. 156 East Indians arrive from Calcutta on the “Hesperus”. They are under indenture for a five year period, and for the first part, they are housed and given rations, but are not paid. Great mistreatment of the labourers results in prosecution of some of the planters.
1843 – The end of the first period of indenture. Many of the labourers return to India.
The 1840′s – England suspends the indentured labourer system. Immigrant labour from India, Portugal (mainly Madeira) and China is permitted, under Government control.

For the most part i think they behave well, they come to drink and party and have some fun.  They shouldnt behave like they living in heaven and your life in the caribbean is hell.  I was a nationalist since i was a little boy, i remember a missionary takin a picture of a naked skin boy and giving him 5 cents. i detested that act because i knew that pic would be in some foreign magazine labelling Guyana as a backwater type of place.

Tourism is a form of imperialism. People go to resorts but dont venture out the see the real country. Most caribbean countries sell their soul for the all american dollar. Why in this age the need for conversion?  You want to be a real missionary then build homes, plant farms, build schools, dig wells. Why does charity have to bond people to a  particular dogma. Charity is charity there should be no strings attached when you give.
Empires owe reparations for the billons they stole and yet only invested a pittance. England ruled Guyana a 150 years stole the gold, diamonds, bauxite Then had the gall to enslave east indians on sugar plantations. How the hell can something as sweet as sugar cause so much misery?
East indians, Berbice and Guyana must be repatriated with the billions that was stolen from the indentured slaves.

the caribbean will never be a nation because they are independent countries.  The only thing that keeps the caribbean united is THE WEST INDIES CRICKET TEAM.

i sleep late and wake up early. 

i hope a few others posters join this thread and give you their perspective. 
I truly believe in reparations but its all horded in swiss banks.

i dont live in Guyana but i spend hours upon hours reading about the caribbean. Its a lost society searching to find itself.  A caribbean man is probably an extinct moniker.  Most are waiting on western unions, barrels rather than planting the abundance of land, self help projects waiting for green cards.