DURBAN FAMILY WHO TRACE THEIR ROOTS TO A VILLAGE IN TAMIL NADU OBSERVE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PASSING OF THEIR DAD – A SECOND GENERATION DESCENDANT OF INDENTURED LABOURERS

(Mr Kumarsen "Koma" Govender, who died 20 years ago at the age of 67) BY SUBRY GOVENDER

(FRONT ROW (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): NADRAJAN GOVENDER (BROTHER), ROSY GOVENDER (DAUGHTER-IN-LAW), DARSHANA GOVENDER (GRAND-DAUGHTER), VALERIE NAIR (DAUGHTER), LEILA THAVER (ELDEST DAUGHTER), SELVIE PATHER (DAUGHTER). (BACK ROW (fROM l TO R): REENA RAJPAL (GRAND-DAUGHTER), IVAN GOVENDER (SON) AND DENNIS THAVER (SON-IN-LAW)

(FAMILY MEMBERS RELEASING 20 BALLOONS WITH SPECIAL MESSAGES AS A TRIBUTE TO THEIR FATHER, GRAND-FATHER AND GREAT-GRAND-FATHER) A Durban family who trace their roots to a village in the North Arcott District of Tamil Nadu observed the 20th anniversary of the passing of their dad in a prayer function at a community hall in the city’s Unit 9, Chatsworth on Friday, December 16 (2016). Mr Kumarsen Govender, known as Koma, who died 20 years ago at the age of 67, was the eldest son of Mrs Muthuma Govender and her husband, Munsamy Frank Govender. Muthuma arrived in South Africa as a young girl along with her brothers, Munien and Munsamy, from the village of Damal in the early 1880s. They joined one of their aunties to work as indentured labourers on sugar estates in and around Durban. In the early days after completing their indentures, they settled in the Cato Manor area of Durban. In addition to Kumarsen, Muthuma and Munsamy Govender had five other children. They were Marimuthu, Nadarajan, Panjagan, Panja and Soba. Marimuthu died at the age of 54, Panjagan at 60; Panja at 70, and Soba at 70. The second son, Nadarajan, who is 77-years-old, is the only one who is around today.

(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT): IVAN GOVENDER, TREVOR GOVENDER, VEEJIE, SUSAN NAICKER, KILIAN (2), SHAWN AND NADRAJAN) Nadarajan was one of the senior members of the family who attended the memorial service along with other second, third, fourth and fifth generation descendants of their ancestors. The 20th memorial service was organised by Kumarsen’s children – Tony, Ivan, Mummy, Kogie, Valerie and Selvie. In a tribute to his father, Ivan Govender, recalled that his father worked very hard to ensure that all his children were cared for and that all of them attained a decent education.

(VASIE NAID00, KRISHNA GOVENDER, CHRISTY NAGIAH - CHILDREN OF KUMARSEN'S MOTHER'S BROTHER, MUNSAMY GOVENDER) They first lived in the Riverside area of Durban. “My father sacrificed his life for all of us and now we, his children, grand-children, and great-grand-children want to pay our tribute to him on his 20th death anniversary,” he told family members and friends who attended the service. After the function, Mr Govender told me that he now wanted to search for his roots and also to visit the village from where his grand-mother and her brothers had come from. Mr Nadarajan Govender, the brother of Kumarsen and the only surviving sibling, told me that he had visited Tamil Nadu about 10 years ago but did not succeed in visiting the village of his ancestors. “I now want to make another visit and to travel Damal Village. This is very important for our children, grand-children and future generations. We must learn about our heritage because if we don’t know our roots, then we are all lost,” he said. At the end of the service, the family members release 20 balloons, with special messages on each one, as a tribute to Mr Kumarsen Govender.