Scrolls & Leaves: World History Podcast
12: Evolution of Indian Blues - Bidesia
At the turn of the 20th century, the British took Indian indentured labourers to sugar plantations in Fiji. There, Indian women would sing “bidesia” -- laments for a lost homeland. In this Chatroom, acclaimed Fijian poet-philosopher Sudesh Mishra speaks of bidesia, and also about Fijian indigenous knowledge systems that place humans as part of the planetary assemblage.