Frank Naguran
Copyright Š 2014 Frank Naguran All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system without permission from the copyright holder. ISBN 978-1-928245-08-7 2nd Edition Published by BK Press, P.O.Box 47005, Greyville 4023, South Africa, Website: www.bkpress.co.za
Cover Photograph by Sageshin Naguran Author Photograph by Sally Blackman
To the memory of my father, the Late Naguran Murugan, in tribute to his profound faith in formal education of which he had none.
I dedicate this book to my dear wife Gonam, for her enduring faith in me.
v
CONTENTS Acknowledgements
ix
Foreword
xi
Introduction Prologue
xiii 1
Chapter One In the Beginning
11
Chapter Two Village by the Sea
17
Chapter Three Glimpses and Reminiscences
35
Chapter Four Our Struggle for Primary Education
47
Chapter Five The Turning Point
61
Chapter Six A New Life
64
Chapter Seven Work and Study
76
Chapter Eight Nought for My Comfort
89
Chapter Nine Our Political Struggle
92
Chapter Ten The Guru’s Struggle
99
Chapter Eleven Qualified Teacher at Last
111
Chapter Twelve Tertiary Education
121
Chapter Thirteen My High School Posting
130
Chapter Fourteen New Era in Indian Education
135
Chapter Fifteen Up the Promotional Ladder
139
Chapter Sixteen My Recollections as a Planner
144
Chapter Seventeen Committees and Commissions
149
Chapter Eighteen Grants, Awards and Recognitions
155
Chapter Nineteen The End of My Career
164
Chapter Twenty My Family
169
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I
am grateful to my sons, Ray and Sageshin, for successfully seeing through the publication of this book. Without their useful editorial comments, interest and encouragement I could not have written this
book. I must also make mention of my great sense of gratitude to my dear wife, Gonam, and my children, for their interest during the many months I spent writing my story. Some say that writing is one of the lonely things one does. I did not feel so in writing my story. I was surrounded by my loved ones throughout its progress. I want to thank all those who have assisted me in a number of ways. A special debt of gratitude is due to: Mr P. N. Done and Daddy Moodliar, for recognising the potential of my manuscript in its early stages. Mr Adrian Naidoo (Librarian), for reading the manuscript and offering useful comments and suggestions. It has been a great pleasure to be associated with Mr Aziz Hassim, award winning author of The Lotus People and Revenge of Kali. He not
Frank Naguran only wrote the Foreword to the book but was also full of encouragement and gave me his guidance and assistance. I must thank Mr H. B. Singh, former Superintendent of Education, for his insightful review of the book. The generous part-sponsorship by Crookes Bros Ltd and the spontaneous donation by Thiruvel Nadasen towards the publication of this book, are gratefully acknowledged.
FOREWORD
I
t has been said that the human spirit is indomitable - what the mind can conceive, it can achieve. Dr Naguran is the epitome of that adage.
He is a living example of the power of perseverance to overcome
insurmountable odds and emerge victorious. Without a formal education in his early years, with negligible financial resources and an inequitable system of learning, he was, nevertheless, determined to educate himself through private studies and correspondence courses to obtain no less than a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education. A feat of unparalleled proportion! He then went on to serve the community in the field of education - at the highest level. Dr Naguran aimed for the stars rather than the ground below him, convinced that whilst he may not actually reach those heights, he will come very close to getting there.
Frank Naguran His life is proof of his unfailing aim, and we can all draw hope from it and believe that all things are, indeed, possible. In this, the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Natal, this autobiography is most opportune and serves as a mirror of our commitment to excellence. As you turn the pages of this magnificent novel, be prepared to find yourself marvelling at Dr Naguran’s achievements. And if you find yourself asking ‘Is this possible?’ then you have taken the first step towards appreciating the magnitude of his commitment to excellence. Aziz Hassim Award winning author of THE LOTUS PEOPLE and REVENGE OF KALI
INTRODUCTION “How does one become a butterfly? ... You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar.� (Trina Paulus)
T
his is a story about chasing an impossible dream. It is a personal story of an ordinary man who, like so many in the Indian community, struggled to educate himself and rise above his poor
and restrictive environment. It is a simple story showing that, with ordinary talent and perseverance, all things are attainable. Although early in the story I indulge in fond memories of my childhood days, I go beyond myself to create a wider perspective of the human endeavour to withstand and overcome insurmountable obstacles. I refer here to the extreme suffering and deprivation that my indentured forebears had to endure. I am proud of being a descendant of such adventurous and hardworking people. To this day I do not know exactly what made my ancestors take the hazardous journey of indenture to Natal. In the absence of any record as to why they decided to undertake such a voyage to a far-off foreign land, I can only conjecture. However, literature pertaining to early Indian indenture to Natal suggests that a concatenation of historical and social circumstances
Frank Naguran were responsible for Indians emigrating from India. Perhaps the most important of these was Britain’s nineteenth century imperialism and its industrial revolution; the latter causing an expansionist policy which created the need for new markets for manufactured goods. Mechanisation was fast replacing manual labour. As a result, millions of people skilled in arts and crafts were made redundant and consequently were reduced to poverty in India. Moreover, British rule in general impoverished India. Ironically, it was this very British rule in India and the consequent subjugation and poverty, that created the opportunity for many Indians to escape their woes by emigrating to other countries. The emigration of Indians from India to serve as agricultural labourers in various parts of the British Empire began soon after the abolition of slavery in 1833. Many Indians, in order to escape hardship and poverty in the villages, sought new pastures in the British colonies. It is therefore possible that, as in the case of most of the Indian indenture, some of the above factors could have influenced my own ancestors to seek a better life in Natal. As a result of negotiations between the governments of Natal and British India, indentured Indians were first brought to this province in 1860, to develop the newly-established sugar industry. On 16 November 1860, the S.S.Truro from Madras, India, landed in Durban bringing the first batch of indentured labourers. This was followed ten days later by the S.S. Belvedere from Calcutta. Thereafter regular ship loads of Indian workers were brought to Natal until 1911. In their wake came the free or passenger Indians. They were traders and professional people, mainly Gujarati Hindus and Muslims from Gujarat in Western India. These immigrants were not bound by any agreements; they came at their own expense. By 1911, Indian immigration to Natal was prohibited by India. By the turn of the century, the Indian population in South Africa had become fairly representative of the several linguistic and religious groups that formed the population of India. These settlers brought with them their rich cultural heritage and traditions, which were to become the bedrock