The Girmitiyas ( FIJI)

YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION

 

SYRIA'S CHILDREN - OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

 

In 1884, the ship Syria set sail from Calcutta carrying indentured laborers and their families bound for a new life in Fiji. After forty days at sea, it struck Nasilai Reef in Tailevu – a tragedy that claimed lives, but also forged an unbreakable bond between Indian girmitiyas and Fijian communities.

This song honors the memory of those who made the journey, those who were lost to the waves, and those whose legacy lives on in the shared soil of Fiji. From the bustling docks of Calcutta to the shores of Nasilai, Syria’s Children tells a story of resilience, compassion, and two cultures woven together by the tide.

Special Thanks:

Descendants of Syria survivors and Fijian rescuers who shared their stories
The National Trust of Fiji for preserving historical records
All artists and crew who helped bring this tribute to life

 

LYRICS
"SYRIA'S CHILDREN"

 

Verse 1

Calcutta docks, 1884
Forty days beneath the sun
Rice in their bellies, hope in their hands
Names written down for a new land
Lascars hauling at the ropes
Children clinging to their folks
The Syria cut through blue and gray
Counting miles to where they’d stay

Chorus

Oh Nasilai reef, where the waves break hard
Where the Syria met the yard
Fijian hands pulled them from the foam
But some would find no shore to call home
Indian souls in Fijian sand
Every tide will understand
Syria’s children, lost and found
In this sacred ground

Verse 2

That May night, stars hid from view
The reef rose up like teeth of blue
Wood split open, cries took flight
Salt water swallowing the light
Some were tangled in the rigging
Some were carried by the bidding
Of the sea that gave and took away
In the dark of Nasilai Bay

Chorus

Oh Nasilai reef, where the waves break hard
Where the Syria met the yard
Fijian hands pulled them from the foam
But some would find no shore to call home
Indian souls in Fijian sand
Every tide will understand
Syria’s children, lost and found
In this sacred ground

Bridge

Villagers came with canoes and care
Wrapped the living in their hair
Laid the dead in Tailevu earth
Gave them peace for all their worth
Now the children run where stones still stand
Touch the markers with their hands
Two worlds woven in the tide
Side by side, side by side

Final Chorus

Oh Nasilai reef, where the waves break hard
We remember every name on the card
Fijian hearts, Indian bones
In every tide that rolls and moans
Syria’s children, lost and found
Forever in this sacred ground

 
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#SyriasChildren #Girmit #IndenturedLabor #Fiji #India #NasilaiReef #Tailevu #SyriaShip #1884 #Girmitiyas #FijianIndian #PacificHistory #IndianDiaspora #FijiHistory #Calcutta #Shipwreck #Tribute #CulturalHeritage #RememberThem #SacredGround