By Louise Sapphira
Nilima speaks about the harsh conditions migrants experience but also highlights the impact of people coming together to create positive change in their stories.
Finding a new home can be daunting; it takes courage to face the uncertainty. In Nilima Rao’s two historical mystery novels, A Disappearance in Fiji and A Shipwreck in Fiji, Nilima explores the sense of place and how people shape the era they inhabit. Nilima, a Fijian Indian Australian, describes her work as ‘set in the early 1900s in Fiji, which is when Indians were being taken to Fiji to work in the sugarcane plantations as indentured labourers.’ Within this narrative, she takes her audience on a journey of fighting crime. But the reader feels something else from the novels. Friendship, companionship, and the discovery that justice is possible, when connections among people are made, by fighting for others. This is explored through the protagonist, Sergeant Akal Singh, who navigates a policing career in Fiji in 1914. When I met with Nilima, we discussed how all these elements came together to become what is soon to be a three-book series.
Nilima speaks about growing up in Australia, including knowing little about the history of the indentured labourers in Fiji. But she always knew there was something in this history that would lead to writing a novel. From this idea, Nilima started researching. She says, ‘The more I learned about the contracts that the Indians went to Fiji under, and how exploitative they were, and the harsh conditions they lived under, the more I wanted to write a novel that would bring that to life.’ Especially for people like herself from Fiji with Indian heritage, but also for tourists who travel to Fiji and read her books on the beach, discovering the history of this beautiful country. She knows this dream is coming true because her readership often gives feedback about how they are learning about this history for the first time.
The research process included exploring libraries, historical landmarks, articles, and travels to India and Fiji. For the first book, it became a journey of discovery. Nilima had previously visited India, but when researching A Disappearance in Fiji, she also travelled to Fiji and spent time at the National Archives, the University of Fiji Library, and researched her own family history at Births, Deaths, and Marriages. She speaks about her great-grandparents of Indian heritage who went to Fiji. Challenges were faced because, ‘Everywhere I looked…people’s names were spelled differently, or there’d been an adoption and somebody’s name had changed.’ Her Grandfather’s name had been changed to David when he was living in a Methodist orphanage. Nilima travelled to the orphanage to discover his original name, but the records had been lost in a fire. She says, ‘With the second book, my research process was a bit more refined.’ Nilima knew the setting and a few characters she wanted to work with. Some research was done when writing the first draft, ‘Then I went into much more depth researching things that were targeted specifically for the book.’
When discussing the research, it became apparent that the protagonist, Sergeant Akal Singh, was partially based on historical findings. Nilima says, ‘[Akal is] basically exiled to Fiji, as an alternative to being dismissed altogether, [because of something he did in the Hong Kong police force].1 She adds, ‘The contrast with the real historical figures is that, in the early 1900s in Fiji, the Governor of Hong Kong — who had previously been the Governor of Fiji — sent over ten Sikh police officers to help establish the Fijian police force, and they did really well.’2 Nilima discovered their stories when reading the archives of the Fiji Times.
The characters around Akal began to shape his journey and his fight against crime. Nilima describes that at the beginning of A Disappearance in Fiji, Akal does not necessarily want to be associated with the other characters in the story. She continues, ‘He’s got a real outsider perspective. But as far as the other people are concerned, he’s another Indian.’ Despite this, his story and those around him start to unfold. In the first book, ‘Akal goes out to the plantation and witnesses the life of the indentured labourers, and the degradations they’re suffering under.’ Nilima explains that he is empathetic and starts to accept and advocate for them, predominantly wanting to find justice because ‘they are people of his homeland.’
From Akal’s perspective:
‘The warmest reception he got was from the Fijians, who seemed to consider him, with his turban and his police uniform, a curiosity. This was a welcome change.’
The series is historical fiction, even when considering the background to the narrative. Fiction was woven within the research from the beginning for Nilima. She says further, ‘Anything that I do deviate from, I try to put in the author’s note.’ Nilima takes the historical backdrop seriously, but it inspired the plot rather than driving the story. However, ‘There’s a narrative arc through the three novels that matches the journey of the indentured labourers.’ She explains that A Disappearance in Fiji is set on a plantation and focuses on the lives of the indentured labourers. A Shipwreck in Fiji explores life after the first five years of the contract and the freedom to live in the colony. ‘[The third book] I’m writing at the moment, is focused on the question of staying in Fiji or going back to India, because approximately sixty thousand Indians went to Fiji, but only twenty-six thousand cashed in that return journey back to India.’ This was part of Nilima’s writing journey, the discovery that after writing about one part, there was room to write two more books.
There is also a sense of discovering new beginnings and leaving the past behind when reading the first two books. Nilima says, ‘I don’t think it was my intention, but I can definitely see that theme, especially running through the first book.’ She remarks, ‘I think it’s probably there because I’ve moved around a lot. I’ve lived in Australia, and as an adult I’ve lived in the US and the UK.’ She adds, ‘I’ve left things and places and people behind a lot, and sometimes there’s some nostalgia and regret, so I imagine that blends through into the story.’
The description of the setting in Fiji is crafted in the narrative with exquisite detail. Nilima explains, ‘I try to put in a level of detail that can give you a sense of the place…and probably relate to.’ She continues, ‘When you put the words on the page, it’s not just you who’s writing the book, it’s also the reader…and how they imagine the place.’ Nilima also hopes her audience can connect with the stories of people who migrate under adverse conditions. ‘I think this journey of the indentured labourers is still really topical.’ She says, ‘Migrants are seeking a better life, and if they’re doing it, they’re not doing it for fun. It’s not an easy thing to do, losing your community and losing your home.’
We discussed the role of historical fiction, where crime and fantasy are becoming increasingly popular. This series is a cross-genre that also incorporates crime. However, Nilima hopes historical fiction remains successful. She adds, ‘Even with our Indigenous Aboriginal people, there’s an understanding of needing to look to the past to inform your future, to see your future. I think that’s true for us.’
But what is the future for Akal and the series? Nilima returns to her planned trilogy. She says, ‘The third one will end in a way where I could write some more, but I’m not sure if I will or not.’ Nilima reiterates, ‘The characters in the crime plot will be having that conversation about whether to stay in Fiji or go back to India, and Akal will also be addressing a question of staying in Fiji or going on to something else.’ She adds, ‘Beyond that, I probably can’t say too much without spoilers.’ One thing is for certain: after reading A Disappearance in Fiji and A Shipwreck in Fiji, the audience is left wanting to know more about the characters and their motivation for a brighter future.
1 The last part of the sentence is paraphrased.
2 This sentence in quotation marks is paraphrased.
