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AMIKA PRASAD A FORMER TEACHER IN FIJI MAKES FIJI PROUD AFTER HIS APPOINTMENT AS PRINCIPAL OF A HIGH SCHOOL IN SYDNEY...
AMIKA PRASAD
PUBLISHED & EDITED BY ARUN MAHARAJ HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA—USA 510—875 0568— indiafijitoday@gmail.com Facebook.com/Arun Maharaj
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FIJI FEATURE MASSIVE DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH IN NASINU MAKES IT FIJI’S LATEST AND LARGEST TOWN... The once suburb of Suva and Nausori, Nasinu has developed into a town of its own. The settlement was tied between the Suva and Nausori boundaries. Today it bears the largest town of the country with massive shopping centers distributed throughout Nasinu, stretching for about six miles from Nasinu 4 miles to 9 miles bridge. Originally it stretched upto 10 miles on the Nausori end. Today Nasinu boasts with the largBUSINESS COMPLEX AT 9 MILES, NASINU—NAKASI est population in Fiji. Seen in the picture is the latest development at 9 miles, known as Nakasi. The shopping complex holds many businesses including a modern cinema house. The area once was a bare piece of land not noticed much, surrounded by 9 Miles River on one end, a few shops, school and houses on the other. Nasinu originally had shops, schools and small businesses on its corridor. The most noticeable shopping center was at Nasinu 8 Miles, with a few shops, gas station, barber shop, vegetable market, doctors’ clinics and other businesses. Today business complex are ARUN MAHARAJ spread throughout Nasinu as the population growth sees the need for it. The identity of Nasinu as a future town was seen around the early 80’s when the Housing Authority built it headquarters at Valelevu at Nasinu 5 Miles. Nasinu Jaycees and Nasinu Football Association were formed and first Nasinu Festival was held at the Housing Authority ground. All these were signals of Nasinu’s future, as a town of Fiji. As a former President of Nasinu Jaycees, Past Director of Nasinu Festival and a former resident of Nasinu, I take pride in Nasinu’s growth and development. 1
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FIJI COMMUNITY ABROAD
COMMUNITY NEWS FROM FIJI COMMUNITY LIVING Volume Issue ABROAD... Newsletter Date
AMIKA PRASAD - A FORMER TEACHER IN FIJI MAKES FIJI PROUD AFTER HIS APPOINTMENT AS THE PRINCIPAL OF A HIGH SCHOOL IN SYDNEY... The recent appointment of Mr. Amika Prasad, a former teacher from Fiji, as the principal of a high secondary school in Sydney, is a proud moment for Fiji Community in Australia. He is probably one of the very few, if any, persons as a former Fiji teacher to take up such an honored position as principal of a high school. His appointment to head Merrylands High School in Sydney as its ninth principal is definitely an achievement for Mr. Amika Prasad to be talked about. Originally fro Labasa, Fiji he attended Labasa College for his high school. He went on for further studies and attended University of South Pacific, where he graduated with Bachelor of Science and Graduate Certificate in Education. Mr. Prasad returned to Labasa College as a teacher and taught there for about nine years. He later took up a position as an Industrial Chemist with Fiji’s AMIKA PRASAD Sugar Industry. He has been a President of Labasa Jaycees, in the eighties. In 1990, his highly successful life in Fiji, took a major turn as he left Fiji with his wife to settle in Australia. He went back to his teaching career and after having success after success in the education field in and around Sydney, he was appointed the ninth principal of Merrylands High School in Western Sydney. Being of humble nature with immense leadership qualities and academic qualifications in the field of education, earned him such a prestigious position. In an interview to facilitate this write up, he showed humility. I met him while he was in Labasa as the president of Labasa Jaycees in mid 1980’s. INDIA FIJI TODAY congratulates him for his honored, recent appointment as the principal of a secondary school in Sydney, Australia. 3
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IN MEMORIAM A TRIBUTE TO LATE J.K.PRASAD... MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA— FORMALLY OF NASINU-FIJI A highly intelligent, intellectual and humble personality Jaynendra Kumar Prasad left this world in the beginning of August this year in LATE J.K. Melbourne, Australia. PRASAD IN THE Born in Nasinu Fiji, he attended Bhawani Dayal Pri- STUDIO mary School as his house OF RADIO FIJI IN was right behind the school. THE He went to Marist Brothers High School in Suva, one of 1980’S…. the most prestigious high schools in Fiji at that time. J.K. as he was known by friends went to New Zealand for further studies. Upon his return to Fiji a few years later, he started teaching English Language in secondary schools. He taught in many schools, LATE J.K. PRAstarting from M.G.M. High SAD WITH School in Suva and moving to LATE RAMEN Nausori, Navua and Labasa. SHARAN - A CLOSE FRIEND Being a fluent speaker in Eng-LATE MR. lish, he got a prestigious job at SHARAN WAS Radio Fiji. He was the first A TEACHER AT person from Indian origin to be- VUNIMONO come the presenter of the popu- HIGH SCHOOL IN NAUSORI IN lar FIJI AND THE WORLD, the 70’s and news program. J.K. Prasad 80’s…. moved to Melbourne in 1989 and completed his Masters in Politics and worked for Radio Australia for a while. He was retired and a wellwisher of INDIA FIJI TODAY, this online magazine. Jay, as I called him was an analytical reader of all issues of my magazine. He was one of the first persons to come up with comments on Facebook and emails, which were highly inspiring to me. A good friend of mine— now at rest…. MAY YOU REST IN PEACE! INSERTED BY ARUN MAHARAJ 5
PEOPLE IN FIJI COMMUNITY —
IN FIJI AND ABROAD
THE STORY OF A MANGO TREE IN A SYDNEY SCAPE BY DHANI LAL Arun Maharaj, the Editor of much-awaited and loved India Fiji Today magazine and a very close friend visited us in 2013. It was a whirl-wind and very historic tour, meeting and greeting his many friends who once lived with him in his native Fiji. His friends in Sydney were mainly his teachercolleagues and / or his friends in the world renowned Jaycees movement. He mainly put up with Damyanti and Indar Nair in Bossley Park and took time out to visit his many mates and colleagues. His about two-week tour was very short as Maharaj’s standing in Fiji as teacher and member of Fiji Jaycees and member of many voluntary and social organizations had built very solid and ever-lasting friendship and camaraderie. His friends wished for more of his fellowship and time-catching visit. Of course visiting Australia from the United States of America is not always easy. However, he managed to visit Satya and Dhirendra Prasad, Satya and Tabsu Goundar, Mohini and Uday Narayan, Mr and Mrs Keshwa Nand, and the late Jagdish Singh family. Maharaj was a guest of Pushpa and Dhani Lal at Oxley Park in Penrith. Maharaj and Lal were members of once-famous Nasinu branch of Fiji Jaycees. Then they served the national body Fiji Jaycees for many years. Both were elected to the top position of National President of Fiji Jaycees. Maharaj had a very colourful teaching career at Rishikul Sanatan College in Nasinu during Lal’s principalship. To symbolise the very deep more-than- brother like friendship and historic visit Lal and Maharaj planted a mango tree at Lal’s residence in Oxley Park. The mango tree has grown up to my shoulder height and the first fruits appeared in the southern summer of 2017. The fruits were eaten by the Lal family in a carnival spirit of joy and celebration. (Pushpa Lal & Dhani Lal) L-R—INDAR NAIR— DHANI LAL—ARUN MAHARAJ AT NAIR’S RESIDENCE—SYDNEY—2013 6
PEOPLE IN FIJI COMMUNITY — CONT... THE LAL FAMILY IN THEIR BACKYARD IN SYDNEY… MR. LAL IS A FORMER PRINCIPAL OF RISHIKUL SANATAN COLLEGE—NASINU
The photographs above proudly show the really big and juicy fruits. The first photograph shows Lal, admiring the fruit of love, and the second one shows his wife Pushpa posing with their eldest daughter Vinita Naidu. People with some Indian cultural knowledge would know that a mango tree holds a very significant religious place in the Indian cultural and religious life. The fruit, wood and leaves are all used in hawan and pooja. In Fiji the indentured Indians planted many mango trees for these reasons and to have shade at their homes from the tropical sun.The Oxley Park tree will provide fruit, religious value and shade for many generations to come, much after Lal and Maharaj have gone. 7
DIWALI CELEBRATION IN MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA—OCTOBER 7, 2017
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TAKING A JOURNEY BACK TO THE DAYS OF ….
EARLY DAYS LIFE IN SAMABULA... Samabula, one of the major residential areas of Suva today, has been probably the most densely populated area in Suva even in the sixties. The serenity in the settlement, within a few miles of the city proper, was enjoyed by everyone. A life full of fellowship was seen everywhere as sharing happiness and sorrow and caring for one another had been the lifestyle there. Almost every family was AN EARLY DAYS HOUSE IN SAMABULA known to each WITH SOME FACELIFT TODAY other. Samabula was supposed to be one of the most developed places to live in Fiji at that time, shared a taste of the country style living then, when it came to interacting with neighbors. Religious festivals, bazaars and sporting activities provided key attractions and the real joy of community living. Watching movies in theatres was a priority for many, in those days. The popular ‘Samabula Theatre’ was there to serve for the people’s needs. The settlement was known for Kite flying and friendly ‘kite competitions’ during the kite—flying seasons. Rewa Street, and Waimanu Road, also called the Hospital Road, in those days, were the popular roads then. Dhanji Street, a densely populated street today was not there in the early sixties. Today most of the residents of that era may not be there because of their passing away or migration and even their descendants may not be there in significant numbers because of migration but memories of the good, peaceful times remain. Born and lived there as a child and being part of the lifestyle then, recalling some of the occasions and instances, seems to me, like beautiful dreams today. 9
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A LOOK AT FIJI TODAY EDINBURGH DRIVE SUVA This is a scene at the popular Edinburgh Drive, connecting Samabula to Suva. This is a major connector from Nausori and Nasinu to Suva city. The site is always crowded with busses, taxis and other vehicles. Traveling from the Suva end towards Samabula, on the hill, the thick black smoke coming out of some of the busses used to be a common site there.
A SHOPPING CENTER IN CENTRAL SUVA The recent past further development in Suva, saw the coming up of various shopping centers and shops within the city. These centers were probably used for other businesses in the past. The recent years saw continuous growth within the city.
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RAJA HASANAN INDIAN PLAYBACK SINGER WITH ARUN MAHARAJ This picture was taken at the Los Angeles Airport in 2007. Raja Hasan was on a musical tour of America with the 2007 Sa Re Ga Ma Pa participants. He was the runner – up in the popular reality show of 2007.
VUNIMONO HIGH SCHOOL WALK-A-THON - 1978 Vunimono High School in Nausori was one of the leading secondary schools in Nausori during the period of seventies and eighties, when I taught there. It had a student population of over a thousand and a good rate of passes in the external examinations. The school had a balanced program of academic and sporting activities. This picture was taken during a fundraising project-Walk-A-Thon, in 1978 at the school, a common fundraiser at that time. Seen in the picture are late Mr. Ram Sumeshwar Yadav(middle) Principal of Vunimono High School, Late Mr. Chattar Pal(left facing the camera) Head Teacher of Vunimono Sanatan Primary School and Late Mr. Ragho Nand, a teacher at the school. Late Mr. Yadav and late Mr. Nand both became members of Fiji Parliament. IF YOU HAVE SOME OLD PICTURES OF FIJI WHICH CAN BECOME NEWS AND WISH IT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THIS MAGAZINE, PLEASE EMAIL THEM TO indiafijitoday@gmail.com. YOU WILL BE RECOGNIZED FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION.
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INDIAN CINEMA THE SPECIFIC ROLES OF COMEDIANS IN THE INDIAN FILMS OF THE PAST... Comedy in Indian films are still enjoyed today and probably will be in future. Indian films of the past had a significant slice of the film dedicated to comedy which was greatly looked forward to in films. Most films were completely balanced with comedians and villains along with supporting artists who played significant roles in supporting the roles of the leading artists. Talking about comedians in Indian film one cannot forget the veteran artist Mehmood who outshined on the screen with his appearance. His comedy was something that people fully enjoyed as their monies worth and went home fully satisfied with the hilarious acts that they had seen. The acts and scenes of the legendary artist may be still live in people’s minds today, decades after the prominent comedian’s performances. During the sixties and seventies he was one of the leading comedians in Indian cinema. While we talk about comedians in Indian cinema there are many others who come to mind and have provided their share of entertainment to the Indian filmgoers of the past. Johnny Walker was another comedian who thrilled the audience with his appearances on the screen. A totally hilarious artist who added great entertainment and joy to the films. Indian cinema in the past saw comedians like Mukri, Dhumal, Sundar, Agha, Mohan Choti, Asit Sen and others along with artists like Jagdeep, Asrani, I. S. Johar, Paintal, Shakti Kapoor, Kader Khan and others. The comedies of the past Indian films may remain in the minds of the people for long.
INDIA TODAY
A Bus Traveling to Shimla This is a scene on the winding road leading to Shimla. The crowded bus is about to climb a hill with people even on top of the bus. 15
INDIA TODAY CHANDIGARH-PUNJAB AND HARIYANA CAPITAL The city of Chandigarh houses the capital of Punjab and Hariyana states. The city with modern structure portrays a modern lifestyle. The picture speaks about the lifestyle there.
A SUGAR CANE FARM IN UTTAR PRADESH Being basically an agricultural country farms are seen in most parts of India. This is a flourishing cane farm along a roadside in remote Uttar Pradesh—largest Indian state. 16
INDIA TODAY DOWNTOWN MUMBAI—FILM CITY The most populous city of India with a population of around twenty million it is one of the most populous cities of the world. The Film industry there makes it most popular city in India.
A DHABA IN UTTAR PRADESH This is a site at a Dhaba in Lucknow. Dhabas are popular sites seen while traveling India by road. They are roadside eateries and serve the needs of the travelers. In the picture an attendant is seen busy preparing snacks for the travelers 17
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INDIA FIJI TODAY AN ONLINE MAGAZINE PUBLISHER / EDITOR ARUN MAHARAJ HAYWARD, CALIFORNIA USA PHONE—510 875 0568 EMAIL—indiafijitoday@gmail.com FACEBOOK.COM / ARUN MAHARAJ OBJECTIVES OF ‘INDIA FIJI TODAY’ TO ENTERTAIN READERS TROUGH ARTICLES AND PICTURES ON FIJI COMMUNITY ABROAD—PEOPLE IN FIJI COMMUNITY—A LOOK AT FIJI TODAY—FIJI FEATURE—A LOOK AT FIJI’S PAST—FIJI FLASHBACK— INDIAN CINEMA—INDIA TODAY
Disclaimer—Fiji Today/Fiji Feature THE ARICLES AND PICTURE ARE FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY AND THE ARTICLES ARE THE EDITOR’S VIEWS AND OPINION ONLY. Any error/s and or misinterpretation are regretted and the editor / publisher is not responsible for any such error/s and or further discussions and or any liability. Publisher/Editor of India Fiji Today will not accept any LIABILITY, CRITICISM, ANNOYANCE or ADVERSE REACTION what so ever, to the contrary of its intention caused by any misinterpretation, miss-understanding or non-acceptance of the same.— Advertisements The claims made by the advertisers are entirely their own and the editor / publisher does not necessarily support or endorse these claims.
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