ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the cultural productions that were created in the Bhojpuri region of India and in Suriname after the process of migration began. This description demonstrates eloquently that the pain caused by the phenomenon of overseas migration was so intense that it led to the evolution of a distinct folk culture called bidesia folk culture, both in India and in the Caribbean countries including Suriname. Interestingly, while the musical productions in Suriname were heavily based on the folk culture of the Bhojpuri region of India in the initial period of the indentureship, gradually a hybrid form of Hindustani Surinamese music evolved and developed because of the influence of the other ethnic folk cultures in Suriname, especially the Creoles, which impacted strongly on the musical instruments and rhythm. The result is the chutney music, which is highly popular among the Hindustani youth of both Suriname and the Netherlands.
