1860 Heritage Centre hosts workshop for Overseas Citizen of India applications
Trace your roots
The workshop will be held tonight.
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IN A MOVE aimed at reconnecting the Indian diaspora in South Africa with their roots, the 1860 Heritage Centre will host a workshop on the application process for applying for your Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards tonight at the centre in Derby Street in the Durban CBD.
Last year, the Indian government announced an extension of OCI eligibility where descendants of Indian origin residing in South Africa could now apply for OCI status up to the seventh generation, an increase from the previous limit of four generations.
Selvan Naidoo, of the 1860 Heritage Centre in Derby Street, in the Durban CBD, said a team from the Indian consulate would be able from 6pm to answer questions on the application process.
Naidoo will also conduct a workshop, providing assistance in tracing your indentured roots, from 1860 to 1911.
"From colonialism through to apartheid, people of indentured ancestry living in South Africa were not able to trace their roots. Since the late 1990s, these descendants have been fortunate to have their ancestral records digitally available through the pioneering academic work of Professor Joy Brain and Professor Surendra Bhana," said Naidoo.
Remember to take along colonial era birth certificates, passes and death certificates if you wish to trace indentured ship numbers.
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"The 1860 Heritage Centre has embarked on a journey of assisting descendants in searching for their roots listed in the 384 ship lists archived at the Archives Repository in Durban (De Mazenod Road).
"152 184 Indian indentured workers came to South Africa between 1860 and 1911. Passenger number 1, listed as Davaram, who arrived on board the SS Truro in 1860, was the first passenger. The last passenger, Mr PN Murugasam, no. 152 184, came on board the Umlazi in 1911. This indentured number, sometimes called the colonial number, is used to trace one’s ancestral roots."
Naidoo said the centre was pleased by the new Consul General of India in Durban, Niteen Subhash Yeola’s commitment in connecting South Africans of Indian origin to India though the OCI process.
Remember to take along colonial era birth certificates, passes and death certificates if you wish to trace indentured ship numbers.
The OCI card allows South African citizens of Indian origin to enjoy lifelong, multi-purpose, multi-entry visa-free travel to India. It enables them to live, work, and study in India indefinitely, own non-agricultural property, and access services with parity to Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).