The descendants of the British-Indian indentured labourers in Suriname are called Hindostanis (not Hindus or Hindustanis). They are not considerd a culturally-religious group, but an ethnic group consisting of Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Since 1947, this group in Suriname has been officially referred to as Hindostanis. Before that, the indentured labourers / immigrants and their descendants were called British-Indians or coolies.
At the time, the developments in India in connection with the country’s imminent independence prompted a discussion in Suriname. British-Indians would no longer be a suitable name and the group did not identify themselves as Indian. After all, they were already the second generation, born in Suriname. Obviously, coolie was not an option. Indeed, the Afro-Surinamese population was not referred to as “slaves”!
The choice for Hindostanis was a conscious one. Firstly, because this correctly relates to the original Hindi word Hindostan (name for India), which through linguistic developments later became Hindustan. Secondly, the developments in India on the eve of independence caused great concern. The contrast between Hindus and Muslims had taken on very unsavoury forms and a distinction was also made in ethnic terms: Hindus were Hindustani and Muslims were Pakistani. In Suriname, the descendants of the indentured labourers, who had always shown great solidarity with each other, did not feel like introducing this distinction by using the word Hindu or Hindustani.
Click on the picture and read more about the history of Hindostanis (Dutch).
