Girmitya antecedents

Brinsley Samaroo had a long career in academia and in politics during the last five decades. After secondary education at Naparima College in southern Trinidad, he went on scholarships to Delhi University (1961 to 1965) after which he obtained his PhD at London University in 1969. He researched and taught at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and at the University of Trinidad and Tobago (UTT). His major research interest was on the Indian Diaspora which was informed by his sojourn as a student in India and by his subsequent visits there as researcher and lecturer. As a politician he served as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (1982–1986) and as the elected member and minister of government in the House of Representatives (1986–1991), Trinidad and Tobago.