Dear Reader, This week we journeyed across, virtually of course, to the South American country called Suriname. Known to be one of the most diverse countries in the world, Suriname has a sizable population of those with an Indian ancestry. The Hindustani community of Suriname, which is at present the largest ethnic group in the country, has a fascinating yet deeply disturbing history of migration. The story of Indian immigration to Suriname goes back to 1873. A Dutch colony at that time, Suriname was reeling from shortage of labour on their sugar plantations due to the abolition of slavery in 1863. Thereby, an agreement was made with the British to allow recruitment of indentured labourers from India. We looked at the questionable ways in which the recruitment of labourers from poverty affected areas of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar took place, the conditions under which they travelled and how in the process of traveling and working together, a casteless Hindustani community was born in Suriname. Interestingly, the passage to Suriname was depicted by many recruiters as a pilgrimage to the land of God Ram (Sri Ram). Despite the many problems associated with indentured labour, about two-thirds of the migrants decided to not return after the end of the period of contract, and even after the system in itself was abolished through the efforts of Indian nationalists. Why did the Hindustanti community refuse to come back to India? Was life in the South American country better than that in 19th century British India? How did the Hindustani community keep alive in Suriname their culture and language? This article should answer these questions. Recently, the historic city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra became the centre of a debate between the Shiv Sena and the Congress as the former tries to rename it as ‘Shambhaji nagar’, in honour of the Maratha leader Sambhaji Maharaj. In this piece, Sahil Beg dug into the history of Aurangabad to reveal that it was first built by an African slave named Malik Ambar who named it Khirki. Later, it went through a couple of other name changes as it came to be ruled by different ruling dynasties. In the course of the debate over Aurangabad, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray recently claimed that Aurangzeb, who gave his name to the city, “was not a secular person”. In this context, this interview with historian Audrey Truschke in 2017, provides a detailed account of the multifaceted personality that Aurangzeb was. Wishing you all a happy weekend ahead. Sincerely, Adrija Roychowdhury | 
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