HYDERABAD: Durban, home to a large community of people of Indian origin offers an emotional ‘connect’ to any Indian, be it of any generation. Because we are always close to our history and those who have settled abroad are forever eager to trace their cultural lineage.
The Indian diaspora in South Africa is majorly concentrated in Durban and ‘Bunny Chow’ plays a very significant role in their life. An essential part of the social interaction, people meet for Bunny Chow and bond over: just as people around the world meet for coffee or we Indians over ‘chai-samosa’.
A humble cousin of ‘pav bhaji’ (sans its sinful calories), it is simple and practical but with an artistic appeal: the bread is scooped out and made into a well, where goes the curry of your choice. Bunny Chow has a history: shares the tough journey of the Indian indentured labour that migrated to South Africa more than 150 years ago.
It has been his constant companion through thick and thin and today, as the South African Indian progressed and prospered on foreign lands, the Bunny Chow has acquired a social status and become an integral part of that history and evolution. The migrant workers who came from India required a way of carrying their lunches to the field; the hollowed-out loaf of bread was a convenient way to transport their vegetarian curries. Meat-based fillings came later but it was the bread that substituted the traditional roti.
Another story is that during the apartheid regime, Indians were not allowed in certain shops and cafes and so the shop owners found a way of serving the people through back windows and it was an easy and effective way to serve the excluded people. Yet another opines that the origin of this hand-held dish was due to Indian golf caddies not being allowed to carry cutlery during apartheid. Minal Hazratwala (writer), has called the bun a metaphor for the first generation diaspora Indian, local from the outside but Indian at heart.
Kimala Ross, who works for Capetown Tourism is a fifth generation Indian whose ancestors came to South Africa from Tamil Nadu. She was a Naidoo before marrying a Scottish man. The name Naidoo (Naidu) is quite common in SA as the British registered them so, more for convenience than for authenticity. It never mattered to them, I suppose, how and what the migrants were called. Just as many names in India too have been distorted or rechristened to suit their alien tongues. She is a staunch Hindu, religiously follows the rituals, celebrates festivals, does puja every day and visits temples.
“I have never been to India, though it is on my bucket list”, she said fondly. “I cook Indian food like rice, curry, rotis and also do a lot of barbecues as we do in SA. I fast on Mondays, Fridays, eat almost everything except pork and beef (forbidden for Hindus), know a bit of Tamil, and use Tamil phrases. My husband, who is a Scot from the UK, follows the Hindu way of life and observes Hindu customs.”
Speaking of interracial marriages, she said, “South Africa is evolving, we were separated for a very long time, longer than most countries where racism was existing. Our history is still prevalent but the younger generations mix more; I think we have really come a long way since the 23 years that we have been free. We have really worked hard and there are a lot of cultural diversity conversations that are happening; we don’t want to see colour anymore”, she said resolutely.
The rain kept me away from the Moses Mabhida Stadium that offers a huge adrenaline rush with activities like bungee jumping, big swing etc. But I visited uShaka Marine World that boasts of activities like water sports, shark diving and dolphin shows. The most interesting was the themed restaurant of a shipwreck, where every element reminded me of a mariner’s life.
The restaurant has a huge fish swimming next to you, as though supervising your lunch. People can’t but keep admiring as they glide past, sometimes even stop eating to stare at them. As I climbed down to the depths of the ship, the huge variety of sea life that I got to see in the aquarium amazed me. It certainly was a humbling experience to know that I share this planet with so many delightful creatures, each equally important with its own purpose of life. I became contemplative.
The much loved Victoria Market gave me the most delightful shopping experience. Mainly filled with generations of Indian migrants, it offers a large variety of goods at reasonable prices: curios, artefacts, garments, jewellery, spices, food items, both catering to the Indian lifestyle and the adopted African life. The older generation of shopkeepers were nostalgic while the younger ones are fascinated with anything Indian.That evening, as I ate a Bunny Chow, I felt an emotional connect with the Indian South African who left the Indian shores eons ago.
(The author is a documentary filmmaker and travel writer; she blogs at vijayaprataptravelandbeyond.com)