I've embarked on a deeply personal journey that has taken me across borders and through generations, aiming to connect my present with my past in Uttar Pradesh, India. This adventure has not only been about leveraging the power of advanced data analytics but also about the heartwarming process of weaving together my family's oral history. It's marked a significant milestone in my quest to uncover my roots. Along the way, I've gathered insights and developed strategies that I believe could benefit others on similar quests. So, I'm sharing the steps I took, in the hopes that my journey might light the path for others trying to trace their lineage and forge a deeper connection with their heritage.

Starting with Data

My journey began with an ambitious endeavor: creating the AI Girmit Ancestry Explorer. This project was born out of a need to meld the scattered pieces of girmitya boarding pass data with ship arrival records, crafting a tool that could illuminate the journeys of Fiji Indian Girmityas like never before. With the intention of connecting the dots that time had blurred, it was a journey into the unknown.

Weaving Family Lore into Data

The next phase of my quest was more intimate and, in many ways, more challenging. I needed to unearth the name of my great-grandfather, a first-generation Girmitya whose identity was crucial to unlocking our family's past. I turned to my dad, uncles, and aunties for clues, relying on their recollections to piece together a potential name. Despite the absence of a birth certificate for my grandfather that would have confirmed his father's name, our family discussions led to a consensus that felt right, resonating with the snippets of stories passed down through generations.

A Breakthrough with Technology

Armed with a name, I approached the AI Girmit Ancestry Explorer with a mix of anticipation and skepticism. To my astonishment, there it was—a record that seemed to match the name we had all agreed upon. It was a surreal moment, witnessing technology bridge the gap between today and a century ago, bringing us closer to an ancestor whose existence had become almost mythical.

The Hunt for the Boarding Pass

Anticipating the daunting task ahead, I braced myself for the challenge of locating my great-grandfather's boarding pass, knowing well that the original records were meticulously stored on microfilm in the National Archives of Fiji. However, fortune smiled upon me in an unexpected way.

I discovered that scans of these emigration records were accessible on the National Library of Australia's website, a repository that paid homage to the National Archives of Fiji as the custodian of these documents. These records, a testament to the journeys of over 60,000 Indians to Fiji, were now at my fingertips, thanks to the digitization efforts recognized by UNESCO's Memory of the World Register.

Connecting Dots Across Continents

With a boarding pass number gleaned from the AI Explorer, I navigated through the digital archives of the National Library of Australia and found a boarding pass that aligned with our family's consensus. If the details were accurate, my great-grandfather embarked on his journey to Fiji at the age of 19, aboard the SS Ganges, arriving on July 22, 1911, from Solana, Meerut Division, Uttar Pradesh.

The thrill of this discovery is hard to put into words. I am on the verge of formally establishing a link between my Fijian Indian heritage and India—a link that is not merely about names and dates but about reviving the stories of resilience and beginnings anew that my ancestors embodied.

Looking Ahead: Bridging Histories

My next steps involve reaching out to the Uttar Pradesh government to validate this discovery and officially recognize my ancestral ties to India. This journey is about more than uncovering the past; it's about honoring the legacy of those who paved the way for us, bridging the gap between generations and geographies.

Thank you for sharing in this deeply personal quest. Your support and interest fuel my continued exploration as we unravel the rich tapestry of our shared history. Here's to further discoveries, connections, and the stories that bind us across time and oceans.

Until we meet again,

Reggie