Luchowa left India from the port of Calucutta in December 1872
as part of the system of indentured labour recruited to work in the sugarcane industry in Mauritius following the abolition
of slavery in 1834.. He was only 15 years of age. He travelled
, on a ship called the NIMROD, under the custody of his eldest brother
Karan fondly known as Karoo. Another brother Poonith known as Poontah also came with them and he was 8 years old. Their father in India was called TOORSEE and they lived in the quarter of Sumoye in the village of KAMALPUR, in PATNA, BIHAR.
The journey from the Port of Calcutta lasted around 4 to 6 weeks.and they reached Mauritius on 16th JANUARY 1873. They arrived at the Coolie Ghat, now called Apravasi Ghat at Port Louis. They stayed there for 5 days after being registered.Planters would go to the ghat to choose their workers, give them their Certificate of Engagement ,usually for 5 years, and pay their transportation costs, understood to be by oxcarts.
Luchowa and Poontah went to the ANCHE JONCHE Sugar Estate on 21st January 1873 near Vieux Grand Port and Maheboug.Conditions on the cane plantations were miserable and lives were hell.. Rapacious overseers and corrupt sirdars made life miserable, and the tasks assigned depended on the whims of the overseers or their extortionary tactics. They would work from dawn to dusk 6 days a week with a day off on Sunday. They lived in long sheds, partitioned into 10 ft x 7 ft cubicles, within which space three men, or a couple and their children, cooked and slept. BUT NOTE THAT Luchowa was engaged as a portal (pion/messenger/porter). It is unknown as to what happened to Karoo. Some say he died en route, and others , in quarantine at Bois Des Amourettes, the next village to Anse Jonche. Luchowa looked after his younger brother Poontah when Karoo died.
While they were at Anche Jonche they eventually befriended a cake seller who introduced Luchowa to one of the 2 daughters of Bhoyroo who were born in Mauritius. Luchowa married Fenin Bhoyroo and Poontah eventually married Fenin's sister, Jokooree Bhoyroo.
Once the five years of servitude were over, they would be given a certificate of residence. Only after another five years would they become eligible for a paid ticket back to India.
Poontah returned to India on 9th Serptember 1910 leaving 2 sons behind , (Ramotar , 17, and Seegobind in the care of Poontah's mother , Jokooree who was still alive then and lived as an extended family unit with the sons of Luchowa, Achaybur and Rajcoomar who were 25 and 23 respectively. Note that when Rajcoomar married Rookmeen, it was his aunt Jokooree who stepped into the role of the groom's mother.
Luchowa settled at Anse Jonche as a married and respectable family man and died on 21st April 1903.
The name Luchowa should be pronounced as Lutch..wa...The O is silent. You will see from the family tree some are Luchowas and some Suchowas...Basically when Luchowa registered his children's birth at the civil status office in the District of GrandPort he produced his registration card. The Colonial Officer confused the similarity between the letters L and S in manuscript and wrongfully inserted an S instead of an L. Some future generations, anxious that their children might not become their legal beneficiaries, ensured they inserted the letter S .
But whether the name is registered as Suchowa or not in some birth certificates ,they are all known as Luchowa except for those born in the United Kingdom who have chosen to follow their registered surname.
The name Luchowa is a derivative of the word Lutchwan or Lutchman. Lutchman was shortened to Lutch and with fondness in those days as was customary in some households and villages , the term "wa" was added to make it Lutchwa. His fmily surname which was not comonly used in those days was from the pastoral caste, Yadav.
Luchowa came from Bihar, the seat of the great King Ashoka of the Maurian Empire whose chakra (Wheel of Law) is emblemed in the centre of the Indian National Flag. The Guptas also ruled India from Bihar. it is a sacred land where Gautam Budha (Sidartha) attained Enlightenment (Nirvana) in Bodh Gaya and where the Jain religion of Mahabeer was born. It is also a sacred place for the Sikh religion as their tenth Guru.. Gobind Sigh was born there and its capital city Patna was honoured by the presence of Guru Dev Nanak and GuruTej Bahadur.
Bihar was also the place where in the district of Champaran Mahaatma Gandhi started his satyagraha (non-violent resistance ) movement which took on the British Empire.
The Village of Kamalpur
Kamalpur is a village near Hiramanpur some 45 km from Patna, and 23 km from Arrah. The scenery is
rural and beautiful and appears to have been untouched since the Indian diaspora
The fields are so green. The entire place is covered with rice plantation and palm trees. This place looks like God's paradise but with a tiny population, it would seem most of the villagers have emigrated to other parts of India and the world leaving behind those who could not make it.
Luchowa's descendants are proud to be Indian and to have been born into his heritage.
Whether some of them have internalised the British or European way of life in Europe there is no denying that ...dil hai Hindustani...(Hindustan is engraved in our heart). Even in Mauritius... the Indian way of life has been preserved and observed that it is
known as ..chotta Bharat... Little India. .
From Anche Jonche To Surinam, South of Mauritius
Luchowa had 1 daughter, Mutra Jootan's mother ,born in 1883 and 2 sons- Achaybur born in 1885, and Rajcoomar born in 1887. They all grew up at Anche Jonche.
Luchowa's daughter married into the Jootun family at La Rosa, RoseBelle, Mauritius. Mutra was one of two children , born in 1900 and he was the only one in his genaration who had seen his grandfather Luchowa and his grandmother Fenin. Note that Mutra was the first one in the family who lived till the age of 100. Muni, eldest daughter of Rajcoomar and Rookmeen Luchowa was the second centenarian who lived until March 2012.
Achaybur married into the Dabeedoyal family (Rajmoon's maternal grandfather's sister) at RoseBelle. Unfortunately, the marriage broke down while his wife was pregnant. A son called Sookdeo was born. Soon after, Achabur's estranged wife re-married into the Soogambur family (Haridat Soogambur's father's brother) at Pointe Aux Piments. The latter registered Sookdeo's birth and thus named him Sookdeo Soogambur.
Rajcoomar married Rookmeen, daughter of Runglall Heeramun around 1910. The latter himself was a resident of Britannia Sugar Estate and then moved to Surinam sometime after marrying Makia Boodhoo, daughter of Sirdar Boodhoo. Boodhoo used to live at Britannia too when he went to Mauritius from India, but moved to Surinam when he bought some sizeable plots of land there. These plots have now been inherited by the Heeramun family, Luchowa family and Poontah family. Note that Runglall's elder brother, Ragunath married the elder sister of Makia. Rookmeen herself was born at Britannia in 1894 although her home was at Surinam.
Luchowa himself did not manage to buy any land. Come to that, neither did Runglall Heeramun but Ragunath Heeramun eventually bought some afterwards as he was a sirdar. His wife died young and he remarrried with a son called Gopeelall born from this union.The LuchowaS Heeramuns, and Poontahs were known as Ghar Dhamde because they moved to the property of their father in law.
When Rajcoomar married Rookmeen, the latter had some form of culture shock when she moved to the marital home at Anche Jonche. She had a sheltered and comfortable way of life and lived in better conditions at Surinam. She felt homesick and found it painful and hard to settle at Anche Jonche. She persuaded Rajcoomar to return with her to live at Surinam which he declined. Rokmeen threatened to quit and indeed she returned to Surinam on her own. Rajcoomar was so much in love with her that he could not bear to be parted from her but he held out for a few weeks until he was broken-hearted. He swallowed whatever pride he had and went to Surinam to beg Rookmeen to return. Rookmeen would not budge but beacuse she too was in love with Rajcoomar, a handsome young man with good looks which his son Seepersdad inherited, she wanted the marriage to continue. But she imposed on him to live at Surinam. Rajcoomar had no options but to oblige and thus, he too ,like his father in law Runglall, became a ghar damad.Thenceforth, he worked as a labourer at the then nearby Terracine Sugar Estate. They lived happily together with eight children born (the youngest , Tiffia, born posthumously) .The Luchowas, thus, had set their new root at Surinam which became a forte for their children and grand children.
Rajcoomar made good progress at Surinam. He wanted his cousin Ramotar, Poontah's son, to join him at Surinam. So, he arranged for Ramotar to marry Rookmeen's younger sister, Lackpateea and Romotar moved to Surinam too where the Pootah family, like the Luchowas and the Heeramuns, became the beneficiaries of Sirdar Boodhoo.
Rajcoomar Died at the age of 43 and Bhai Parsad Grew into a man at the age of 10.
Rajcoomar was a hard worker and valued family life. He and Rookmeen had 8 children but unfortunately one son, Narain, died at the age of 3 in 1927 and a daughter, Chando, who married into the Lagan Bholah's family at RoseBelle, died aged 19 in 1937 with no children.
Rookmeen was a beautiful young woman with a gest for life and excelled in singing and entertaining local indian women at wedding functions. Her skills were also remarkable in the fashion business that she became a fashion designer and made elegant and sophisticated garments for men , women and children.
Rajcoomar lived to see the marriage of his eldest daughter Muni but soon after on 21/09/1930 died following surgery for appendicitis in hospital. His wife, Rookmeen was about 9 months pregnant with their eighth child at the time. His death was devastating , leaving a young Rookmeen aged 36 with a large family to fend for themselves.
Parsad, who his mother, said was born as a janav (protecting mankind), had to leave school at the age of 10 to help look after the family with the help of his elder brother Pokun. Pokun was a shy and quiet 16 year old boy but with a good sense of humour and was nicknamed Bolom/Bonhomme (good old man).He adored his brother Parsad , recognised his leadership skills, and as an elder brother, had no difficulty or the slightest hesitation in coming to terms with Parsad taking the lead and basically becoming a figurehead for the family.
Parsad Married Rajmoon Nothoo on the 7th of March 1943
Rajmoon Etwareea Nothoo , was born at Pont Colville, Mauritius in 1926 in a prosperous family. Her father Sewak Dindoyal Nothoo was the son of Gangabeesoon Nothoo and Parbotee Nathia. Gangabeessoon was the son of Nothoo , immigrant number 128262 , who left India in September 1853
from the Port of Calcutta.. at the age of 34. He traveled on a ship called SIR WILLIAM GOMM and reached Mauritius on 19th OCTOBER 1853. His father in India was called Deepchand. They lived in the quarter of JOROOA, HARIHARPUR Village, MUZZAFARPUR, BIHAR. His medical record showed that he had a "large tumour at the front of his head" He died on 17.5.1880.
adapted from the official website of the district of Muzzafarpur:
"Muzaffarpur district, ‘The Land Of Leechi’ came to its existence in the 18th century and named afterMuzaffarKhan, an Amil(RevenueOfficer) under British Dynasty.Purbi Champaran and Sitamarhi districts on North, on the South Vaishali and Saran districts, on the East Darbhanga and Samastipur districts and on the West Saran and Gopalganj districts surround Muzaffarpur. Now it has won international encomiums for its delicious Shahi Leechi and China Leechi ."
Rajmoon's father, Sewak, was known for his business acumen and was well respected by the local neighbourhood and nearby villages in the south and south east region of Mauritius. He owned around 300 hectares of agricultural land which included part of the site of the current International Airport at Plaisance .He had to sell the latter by way of compulsory purchase order imposed by law by the then colonial government for the purpose of building the airport. He also had various businesses including a grocery shop, merchandising, transportation, and sugarcane. He provided a decent livelihood for local people and their families.
Sewak was related to Mutra Jootan by virtue of the marital union of the latter's niece in law with Sewak's eldest son Lall. And of course Mutra was Parsad's first cousin. Sewak also had a sister, Sookmeen, who married into the Junglee family at Solferino. Sookmeen's son Basdeo was married to Dhana, Parsad's sister. Therefore there was a distant family link between the Luchowas and the Nothoos. In 1942,-43 Sewak's father Gangabissoon died. It was a custom in those days and still is for relations, close and distant, to pay their respect and convey their condolences by attending the funeral ceremony. Parsad, being the figurehead of his family, attended. There he saw Rajmoon from a distance and instantly fell in love with her. Rajmoon's eyes also made contact with Parsad's and she too was attracted by him although they never spoke as it was taboo in those days for two young people from different sexes who did not know each other to engage in any form of conversation.
Parsad, after much persuasion and negotiation to receive his mother's approval and blessing, got his cousin Mutra to be the go between (agwa) and arrange the marriage. Thus, on the 7th of March 1943, on a sunday night, the nuptial ceremony was held at PontColville. Note that on the same date Parsad's elder brother Pokun also married at Riviere Du Post into the Jugoo/Ballah family. It was customary in those days to have two or more weddings in the same household for economic reasons. In the Nothoo household, there were 3 other weddings on that date, Rajmoon's sister Parbawtee's, and their cousins, Rooplall 's and the latter's sister's.
Voh Kheth Mein Milenga ... I will inherit this land...The Land That Belonged to Sirdar Boodhoo
Boodhoo was born In Bihar, India. He reached Mauritius around 21-22 January (or therabout )1866 with his wife Soomoreea on a ship called...John Masterman, ship number 1153..He was, then, 29 and his wife 26. His father in India was called Motee. They came from the quarter of Basawat in the village of Islampur, district of Patna, Bihar. Boodhoo died on 18th March1902 in Mauritius. Soomoreea's father in India was called Fokeera. Her death date is not known but is understood to have died between 1893-95.
Islampur is a charming hamlet situated on State Highway 4, about 42 km south of Patna in Bihar. It is located near the Mohana River and is around 15 km from Ekangarsarai. Hilsa, Ghosi and Kako are the nearby settlements. Th e nearest airport is at Patna. Bihar Sharif Railway Station and Jehanabad Railway Station serve Islampur. The State Highway 5 passes through Ekangarsarai, the nearest settlement to the north
Boodhoo's eldest daughter, Ragunath Heeramun's wife was born around 1867-8 and his younger daughter Makeea (the Luchowa's and Poontah's matriach) was born on 4th January 1869.
Trois Bras, Surinam, Mauritius is the quarter where the Luchowas, Heeramuns, and the Poontahs live. It has three directions.. to Souillac and Chemein Grenier on the main road (Royal Road/Route Royale ) and to the beach /Riambel/Pomponette/Riviere Des Gallets/Bel Ombre on the Coast Road.
The Luchowas live on both the Main road and the Coast Road, So do the Heeramuns. The poontahs live on the coast road, behind the Luchowas. As already mentionned earlier, Boodhoo's eldest daughter and his younger daughter Makeea married into the Heeramun's family,. The eldest daughter married Ragunath and Makeea, Rookmeen's mother, married Runglall. Runglall's two daughters , Rookmeen, and Lackpattea, married into the Luchowa and Poontah family.
Note that Boodhoo's wife Soomoreea died young and he re-married a cousin of the HURRY family at Surinam (Chacha Navin's wife's relatives).From this union another daughter called PhoolBasia (Nani/Dadi Rosehill) was born. She married into the Sanyasis at Rosehill hence the name Nani Rosehill.
Note also that Boodhoo as a Sirdar kept a Muslim woman and from this relationship a son was born. His name was Heeralall. He followed his mother's religion and his offsprings followed suit. They are known to live at Quinze Contents at Vacoas.
So, apart from Heeralall, the Luchowas, Heeramuns, and the Poontahs and Nani Rosehill all inherited the land which Boodhoo bought. The Luchowas are also the lucky one to inherit the land where Boodhoo built the Kalimata Mandir, now open to the public.