This EXPLORE Fiji series, in partnership with its Legacy Cultural Partner the Fiji Museum, brings Fijian heritage to life. Meet the people, hear their stories, and see artefacts, including the chakki, that share the Girmit experience.
In Suva this October, a story that began 155 years ago will find a new chapter.
On October 27, 2025, Nutkhut, a London-based, UK arts and performance company, and the Fiji Museum will sign a Memorandum of Understanding, marking a “new Girmit” that celebrates creativity, connection, and cultural memory.
The agreement launches The Girmit Experience, an immersive seven-minute animated film that invites audiences to step into the world of the Girmityas, the first Indian indentured labourers brought to Fiji between 1870 and 1920. Through 360° animation, soundscapes, and oral histories, the work captures not only the hardship of that journey but also the courage, humour, and hope that defined it.
“When our great-grandparents signed their Girmit agreements, they stepped into the unknown,” says Ajay Chhabra, co-artistic director of Nutkhut. “They carried with them both fear and hope, the struggle of isolation, distance, and dislocation, alongside the possibility of building new lives. This is not just a Girmit story. It is a Fijian story.”
For Ajay, who has family roots in Fiji, the upcoming signing holds deep personal meaning. “My great-grandparents’ journey to Fiji was filled with uncertainty, struggle, and extraordinary resilience. Returning to Suva to sign this agreement feels like closing a circle,” he says. “It is an honour to work with the Fiji Museum to ensure these stories are not lost, but shared, not just as history, but as living memories that can inspire future generations.”
The Story Lives On
The Girmit Experience will be permanently hosted at the Fiji Museum in the heart of Thurston Gardens in the Fijian capital, offering visitors an immersive window into the past. The story does not end there. The MoU between Nutkhut and the Museum extends beyond film. It is a commitment to ongoing cultural exchange, education, and creative collaboration.
Ajay confirms that digital access is part of the vision. “The MoU includes plans to make The Girmit Experience accessible digitally, ensuring audiences outside Fiji can engage with the story. While the immersive experience will premiere at the Fiji Museum, we envision a future where schools, communities, and diaspora audiences worldwide can connect through online and digital platforms.”
The commitment to preserving and sharing Indo-Fijian heritage has deep roots. In the 1950s, Ajay’s great-grandparents, Lali and Sita Maharaj, who arrived in Fiji with minimal possessions, donated land in Suva to the Marist Brothers School and the Port Authority of Fiji, reflecting their dedication to Fiji’s development and the establishment of significant institutions. Today, the Fiji Museum continues this legacy, holding artefacts such as a traditional flour grinder (chakki) donated by Sita Maharaj, which preserve and honour the cultural heritage of the Indo-Fijian community.
Creative Programming
Beyond the film, a rich line-up of creative programming is being developed. “We are planning a series of projects, performances, and talks drawing from the Girmit Collection but also exploring wider themes of migration, identity, and resilience,” Ajay explains. “Highlights will include interactive workshops, panel discussions with historians and artists, live performances inspired by oral histories, and collaborative art installations that reflect the experiences of the Girmityas and their descendants.”
The Annual Girmit Award
Among the MoU’s future commitments is the creation of the Girmit Award, an initiative to inspire young people to engage with history and heritage. “The award will be open to all youth in Fiji who demonstrate a passion for heritage, creativity, and museums,” Ajay shares. “While connections to Girmityas or heritage projects are valued, our goal is to encourage participation from a broad range of young people who wish to engage with Fijian history and culture.”
The award reflects the project’s broader purpose: to keep memory alive through innovation and imagination. By linking traditional storytelling with technology and community participation, Nutkhut and the Fiji Museum are helping redefine how cultural heritage is shared and sustained.
Global Resonance
Nutkhut’s approach is deeply inclusive, embracing the broader Indo-Fijian diaspora. “We are committed to engaging the diaspora in storytelling and future programming,” Ajay says. “Through participatory initiatives, online platforms, and community collaborations, we aim to capture diverse perspectives and ensure these stories resonate across generations, both in Fiji and abroad.”
This connection is what makes the Girmit legacy not just a local story but a global one. The experience of leaving one’s homeland, facing uncertainty, and building anew continues to shape Fijian life today, from students and professionals overseas to communities finding new ways to keep their heritage alive.
A New Chapter Begins
For the Fiji Museum, the partnership strengthens its role as a cultural anchor for the nation. For Nutkhut, it is both a homecoming and a new beginning. For audiences, it offers an extraordinary opportunity to experience Fiji’s history through sight, sound, and emotion.
As Ajay reflects, “Just as the first Girmit agreements reshaped Fiji forever, this new Girmit ensures those stories are never forgotten, and that visitors from Fiji and across the world can experience them in compelling, magical, and deeply personal ways.”
When the MoU is signed later this October, it will mark more than an institutional partnership. It will mark a moment of return, remembrance, and renewal, a bridge between generations, and a celebration of the enduring spirit that continues to shape the Fijian story.
Story curated by EXPLORE Fiji in celebration of Fijian heritage. Images courtesy of Nutkhut.
Visit the Fiji Museum at 2 Cakobau Road in Suva to explore Fiji’s rich history, view artefacts, and experience interactive exhibits that bring the past to life.
Explore more of Fiji: www.explorefijionline.com
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