South Fiji

Langues indiennes du Sud < class="mw-editsection">[edit]>>

Fiji's southern Indians are mainly descendants of the 15,132 workers who came to Fiji between 1903 and 1916. That is about 25% of the 60,965 workers who came to Fiji between 1879 and 1916. Over half of the South Indian enlisted people were from North Arcot and Madras, but most of the Madras enlisted people came from North Arcot and Chingleput.

In 1903 the southern India immigrant's native tongue was only contained in the passports exhibited. The 589 workers hired in South India in 1903 include the number of persons who speak each of the languages listed below. Later on, more Tamils came from South India than Tamil as the following censuses show.

Southern Indians were less Muslim (1,091 of 15,132 Muslims) and more Christian than their northern counterparts. Though the South Indians were used to working abroad, most found it hard to adapt to the already in Fiji settled Hindi population.

There was a high coup among the South Indians during the bond issue. Kuppuswami Naidu, a former police officer and laborer, stood up for the South Indians in Fiji at the end of his inaugural time. A follower of Swami Vivekananda, Ramana Maha Rishi, Ramalinga Swamigal and Rama Krishna Paramahamsa.

Later he became known among his peers and especially among the South Indians as Sadhu Swami. The concept of a South Indian organization was developed and he worked towards this aim with the help of other South Indians who could sympathize with his emotions and were willing to help the cause.

TISI in 2002 reported that 1738 pupils in 17 secondary education establishments between grades 1-8 and 255 pupils in 3 secondary education establishments learned Tamil from the school. After traveling to all parts of Fiji where South Indians had established themselves, Sadhu Kuppuswami established Then India Sanmarga Ikya Sangam (TISI Sangam) and inspired them to gather at the Nadi Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple on January 12, 1926 on the occasion of the Swami Vivekananda anniversary, where they formed the organization now known as "Sangam".

Sangam' s first president was Sadhu Swami, and he remains his president all his life. Madras Maha Sangam in Suva was founded by Verrappa Muthiah Pillai in Suva on 26 December 1927 and soon subsidiaries in Levuka and Labasa were inaugurated. 1937 the Madras Maha Sangam fused with the TISI Sangam.

The Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji (MIAF) is representing about 30% of the Sunnite Muslims in Fiji, who are mostly Imam Shafiites. Imam Shafi's Fiji supporters are the descendants of Malay Muslims who came to Fiji from Kerala (Malabar) in southern India between 1903 and 1916.

Initially called Then India Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji since it was formally founded in 1942. The deceased Hon S.M. Koya, who was for several years National Federation Party president and opposition party chief in Fiji, was one of the association's most celebrated former presidents and spokesman.

Sangam' s first years had their part of the trouble, but the advent of Swami Avinashananda from the Ramakrishna Mission in India on May 21, 1937 at the request of Sadhu Swami was the beginning of the Sangam' s golden years. Though he only stayed in Fiji for a short eleven month time, Swami Avinashananda was able to strengthen the fabric of Sangam and define the principle according to which it would work in later years.

Mr. Swami Avinashananda had the Sangam legalized as an organization under the law of the corporation and Mr. A. D. Patel became its general director. Legalized in this way, Sangam and his fellowship seriously embarked on developing colleges and churches to promote South India's language, cultures and religions throughout Fiji.

Sangam currently oversees 21 primary and 5 secondary schools with countless temples and kindergartens across the state. Avivashananda was superseded by Rudrananda in 1939. Soon thereafter followed Rama Krishnan, a Tamil instructor, and Ganeshwar Rao, a teacher of telugu, who taught South India's native languages in the Sangam schools and improved the general standards of Sangam.

Ganeshwar Rao worked with Rama Krishnan as his teaching aide. A committed instructor, the deceased Rama Krishnan founded the youth wing known as Then India Valibar Sangam (TIV Sangam) and launched the Inter-District competition in football, track and field and music and art to promote the advancement of the South India linguistic and cultural heritage.

Mr. Rudrananda consolidates and expands the operations of T.I.S.I. Sangam located at Sangam Ashram in Nadi. He' s bought land for Sangam. Sangam Sarada printing machine was put into operation on August 15, 1948 to meet the education needs of the entire town. The Sangam in Tamil, Pacific Review in English, Jagriti in Hindi and Na Pacifica in Fijian have been released and disseminated to air the voices of the entire India population.

One of the women's wings was also founded in 1938 as Then India Sanmarga Maathar Sangam, who created the very basic and modest benevolent mission of Pidi Arisi (A Fistful of Rice), which every South India landlord had to take off for benevolent purposes every single working days before he started to cook at home.

Avinashananda, as one of the programs to help needy parents' and others who live far away from Nadi to get an educational background at the Nadi Sangam School, which was the first and greatest Sangam school of that age.

TISI Sangam was ruled by the more frequent Telugus and the Tamils' concerns to promote their own Sangam. The Dakshina India Andhra Sangam of Fiji was founded under the direction of Veeranna on April 20, 1941 in the Gallau Temple in Ra.

Sangam pursued its efforts to offer its children higher learning by becoming the first non-governmental organization to establish a secondary school, Shri Vivekananda High School, on March 9, 1949. of Sangam' s Gymnasium Hall, on the Nadi Sangam Primary School grounds, with 25 children, led by Mr.K.S.Reddy as director and Messers Gopal Swami Naidu and Krishna Narsingha Rao as the two aides.

Pupils from all over Fiji, even as far as Vanua Levu, came to visit the camp. She had to move to Lora Murugan's facilities as the academy became stronger and stronger. This is where the Shri Vivekananda High school was born, which later relocated to its present location in Malolo and is now run by the Ramakrishna Mission.

The Sangam, as well as temple and synagogue were built in different towns and communities. Colonial Sugar Refining Company supported the Sangam by making available property for the construction of colleges and churches and by making its field offices function as education masters. Native language was given precedence over other disciplines in education, and South India's language and cultures blossomed throughout the entire nation for several centuries until Sangam celebrates its silver jubilee in 1951.

As changes occurred in the educational system and new exams were introduced in primary schools, the focus slowly moved from popular and imaginative disciplines to pure university work. The preparation of pupils for the exam became the trademark of the teacher, and a fierce contest evolved on which schools received the most passports, on the subject for all.

The turnaround was the cause of the slow decrease in South Indo-Aryan language use, as it was not an exam subject. Concerns about the demise of South India's civilization and traditions resulted in the founding of Fiji Sutha Sanmarga Sangam, a Ramalinagar Sangam affiliate in Suva, under the direction of Appa Pillai, on April 14, 1966.

Conducting a month-long South India programme on Radio Fiji, he traveled the length and breadth of the land to teach Tamil languages and cultures and distribute Tamil readership from India. Sangam members from all parts of the world came to Lovu during the 1976 Easter holidays to revive the Sangam and later that same year celebrate its Golden Jubilee in Nadi from October 8-10, 1976.

Again, the organization was tightened and the company's managers began to function under the new administrative structure. From 1976-1986, the next ten years brought a progressive overhaul of the governance and organization of Sangam property and possessions, and renewed focus on the revitalization of South Indian languages, religions and cultur.

Resurrection of Sangam activity together with the advent of Shivacharya Mahalinga Gurukkal, whose service was made available to Nadi Siva Subramaniya Swamy Temple by the government of Tamil Nadu as a high priest in 1984, promoted the temple's activity, and the followers poured into the temple in very large numbers to take part in the many new and singular worship rites that took place for the first in the temple.

His Excellency, the High Commissioner for the Indian Government in Fiji, layed the cornerstone for a new sanctuary in 1976 during the Golden Jubilee celebrations. It has been constructed in the best of Dravidian Indian temples and the Vedic Vastu sacral school.