Lalla Rookh Museum

On June 5, 1873, the ship Lalla Rookh arrived in Suriname with the first
indentured workers from the former British India, now India. They replaced the released slaves on the plantations. In the name of contract work, in reality a disguised form of slavery.

A difficult process followed from contract worker / immigrant to Surinamese citizen. Now the Hindustani form a large and successful community with a unique cultural identity. Do you want to know more? Visit the Lalla Rookh Museum.

Schools

The museum has a special education program, which fits in perfectly with the education program of the GLO 5 th and 6 th grade.

There is a special program for schools. After the introduction, the group is divided in two. One group watches the documentary Tetary: about struggle, courage and sacrifice in the Kids Knowledge Center, the other group receives assignments in which they can look up the answers in the museum. During the assignments, the students study, in small groups, part of the exhibition. After this they tell each other like real museum guides what their part is about. The groups change after about an hour. The visit ends with a short group discussion. There will be feedback from the visit to the management and the relevant teachers of the school.
Target group: 8 GLO and VOJ 1.
Program duration: 2-2.5 hours.
Group size: maximum 30 students at a time.
Supervision: at least 2 teachers per group. Teachers actively participate in the program and supervise students.
Admission: free (voluntary contribution is welcome).
Purpose: the students gain knowledge about the history and cultural heritage of the
Hindustani community in Suriname. They learn about cultural heritage and are aware of its importance. They develop the following skills: collecting, processing and presenting information themselves.
Reservations: T 463080/531267 │ E: nshi@sr.net

Groups

We also arrange guided tours for groups by appointment.

Guided tour

We also provide guided tours to groups. Do you want more depth on the exhibition and are you interested in the origins and working methods of the museum? Do you have questions, such as: Where does the name Lalla Rookh come from? How did the museum get its objects? Which objects are the most special? Then the tour is a must! Afterwards you can look around the exhibition yourself.

Documentary

If you visit the museum with a group, you can watch a documentary in our cinema after viewing the exhibition. We have some documentaries about the life of the Hindustani indentured servants in Suriname.

Group size: minimum 10 people.
Languages: Dutch, English, Sarnami and Hindi.

Duration: 30 - 60 minutes.
Days and times: Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm and Friday from 6pm to 8pm. Reservation required!
Admission: free including entrance (voluntary contribution is welcome).
Reservations: T 463080/531267 │ E: nshi@sr.net
You can combine the tour and documentary in one group visit.

The collection

The collection was built with the help of the Hindustani community in Suriname. Calls have been made via the media to donate or lend objects of significance to Hindustani culture and history to the museum. Special intake days were organized before the opening of the museum. On these days people were able to bring objects to the museum. These were viewed on site, described and included in the collection. The board members and volunteers have also set out outside the city and have asked door-to-door if people would like to lend or donate pieces to the museum.

The collection includes utensils from the past, historical documents, religious attributes, authentic jewelery and musical instruments, clothing, a real Burqi wagon and a replica of an ATM.

We are looking for objects!

The museum's collection is still under construction. Your help is urgently needed! Do you have an object, photo, document or piece of clothing at home that is typically Hindustani? Please do not hesitate to contact us. Similarly, others can see and learn about these precious tangible memories.

Theme evenings

Every third Friday of the month, the museum organizes a theme evening, highlighting a subject from the history of Surinamese cultural heritage, but in particular Hindu heritage. This can be, for example, a lecture, screening of a documentary or a workshop.

Every third Friday evening of the month, the museum organizes a special activity on a topic from Hindustani culture or history, such as a lecture, film screening or workshop. The evenings are free of charge. On these evenings, the exhibition in the museum is also open to visitors. Click here for the calendar. Below you will find an overview of the theme nights that have already been. Click on the relevant evening for a report and more information, such as summaries of lectures, photos and videos.

  • April: Lecture The influence of Bollywood on the development of Hindustani
    music, speaker: Indologist Dr. N. Mohkamsing. More info
  • March: Film The Secret of Mariënburg - Cry of a Cursed Plantation. More info
  • February: Lecture Sitalpersad, from contract worker to influential interpreter, 1882-1923,
    speaker: historian J. Egger. More info
  • January: Drape workshop saree by Sadhana Mohan. More info

National Hindustani Immigration Foundation (NSHI)

The museum was founded by the NSHI on June 5, 2016 with the aim of researching, recording, preserving, exhibiting and informing about the history and cultural heritage of the Hindustani.