Born around 1886, Mooniah was from the village of Basantpur in the Thana and District of Ballia, Uttar Pradesh, a member of the Kurmi caste.   The Kurmi is a low-level agricultural caste known for its early resistance to caste discrimination.  As early as 1894, the first Kurmi caste association had been formed at Lucknow to protest against the police recruitment policy. Sometime in August 1906, the village of Mooniah was visited by a recruiting agent for indentured workers to the colonies of the British West Indies.  Mooniah was said to be twenty years old, cantankerous by nature and not a good marriageable prospect. Her father, Koulesar and brother-in-law Gurcharan, consented to her departure. 

On September 08, 1906, Mooniah was registered at the sub-depot of Buxar and then proceeded to Calcutta for transfer to Trinidad.  On September 17, 2006, the Official Government Emigration Agent for Trinidad certified that Mooniah was the beneficiary of a full explanation of all matters concerning her engagement and duties.  Mooniah was then examined by the Surgeon Superintendent on October 30^th and declared fit to travel.  This medical opinion was confirmed on the said date by the Protector of Emigrants.  Mooniah travelled across the kala pani to Trinidad in search of a new life. Having met Kowlessar on the boat, they established a relationship and decided to face their unknown destiny together. As they arrived in Trinidad, they claimed they were married by tradition while on the boat and requested to be dispatched to the same estate. The estate owners did not care, and both were placed in the Henry Estate in Moruga.

Life was not easy for Mooniah and Kowlessar.   Mooniah suffered repeated miscarriages. Then the miracle happened, and she gave birth to Madan.  Not long after, Kowlessar died.  Mooniah despaired as to a life bringing up a son in a strange land full of pain and bereft of joy. Her indentureship contract ended, and Mooniah decided to return to India. She packed her meagre belongings and the pittance of monies she received from the plantation and made her way to St. James to finalise arrangements to return to India. Alas, just before arrangements for the return voyage were completed, Madan became very ill, and Mooniah was advised not to risk his life with the arduous three-month-long ship voyage. Without an indentureship contract and nowhere to go, Mooniah decided to take up the kind offer of Sookoo Sadhu, a man just released from indentureship, living in Barataria.  Sookoo Sadhu lived with his wife Sonacharya, and the couple was childless.  It was not long before Sookoo Sadhu impregnated Mooniah, resulting in the birth of a daughter.  Sookoo Sadhu decided that to restore domestic harmony, he had to leave Barataria and relocate elsewhere.  The local community court, known as the panchayat, was forced to convene to hear the complaint lodged by Mooniah against Sookoo Sadhu.

The powerful testimony of Mooniah resulted in the panchayat ordering Sookoo Sadhu to pay compensation in the form of a milking cow for his role in the pregnancy of Mooniah.  Mooniah bravely tried to raise Madan and his sister with the resources obtained from the milking cow and other labours she found in a neighbouring estate. However, the voyage to Trinidad, the death of Kowlessar and the betrayal of Sookoo Sadhu was a burden too much to bear. Before Madan reached manhood, Mooniah died around 1927 and was buried in a pauper’s grave with nothing to mark her demise.  Mooniah was the maternal great-grandmother of Rajendra Ramlogan, the founder of  Traum House Lodge.