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South Indians In Fiji
The South Indians in Fiji are mainly descendants of the 15,132 contract labourers who were brought to Fiji between 1903 and 1916. This represents about 25% out of a total of 60,965 contract labourers who were brought to Fiji between 1879 and 1916. They were forced in to ships from Madras and were mainly recruited in the districts of North Arcot, Madras, Krishna, Godavari, Visakhapatnam, Tanjore, Malabar and Coimbatore. More than half of the labourers from South India were recruited from North Arcot and Madras, but most of those recruited in Madras were originally from North Arcot and Chingleput. South Indian Languages The language spoken by the South Indian labourers was only included in the emigration passes issued in 1903. Of the 589 labourers from South India in 1903, the number of people speaking each language is shown below. In later years more Telugu than Tamil speakers came from South India, as can be seen from subsequent census figures. According to the 1956 ce ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fiji
Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about . The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population of live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts: either in the capital city of Suva; or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi—where tourism is the major local industry; or in Lautoka, where the Sugarcane, sugar-cane industry is dominant. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain. The majority of Fiji's islands were formed by Volcano, volcanic activity starting around 150 million years ago. Some geo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Legislative Council Of Fiji
The Legislative Council of Fiji was the colonial precursor to the present-day Parliament, which came into existence when Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970. The first Legislative Council Immediately after Fiji was ceded to the United Kingdom, on 10 October 1874, the first Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, established an Executive Council with himself as President and comprising six other Europeans. This was a temporary measure to make policy decisions necessary to found and legitimise the new Colonial Government and to carry out the day-to-day affairs of the Government. With the arrival of Sir Arthur Gordon, on 1 September 1875, a permanent machinery for governing the new colony was established. In addition to the Executive Council, Gordon established a Legislative Council composed entirely of nominated members, of whom six were official (public officers, usually heads of Government departments), including the Governor of Fiji, the Colonial Secretary (the day-to-da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imam
Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, serve as community leaders, and provide religious guidance. Thus for Sunnis, anyone can study the basic Islamic sciences and become an Imam. For most Shia Muslims, the Imams are absolute infallible leaders of the Islamic community after the Prophet. Shias consider the term to be only applicable to the members and descendents of the ''Ahl al-Bayt'', the family of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. In Twelver Shiasm there are 14 infallibles, 12 of which are Imams, the final being Imam Mahdi who will return at the end of times. The title was also used by the Zaidi Shia Imams of Yemen, who eventually founded the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (1918–1970). Sunni imams Sunni Islam does not have imams in the same sense as the Shi'a, an important ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagreement over the succession to Muhammad and subsequently acquired broader political significance, as well as theological and juridical dimensions. According to Sunni traditions, Muhammad left no successor and the participants of the Saqifah event appointed Abu Bakr as the next-in-line (the first caliph). This contrasts with the Shia view, which holds that Muhammad appointed his son-in-law and cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib as his successor. The adherents of Sunni Islam are referred to in Arabic as ("the people of the Sunnah and the community") or for short. In English, its doctrines and practices are sometimes called ''Sunnism'', while adherents are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis, Sunnites and Ahlus Sunnah. Sunni Islam is sometimes refer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maunatul Islam Association Of Fiji
Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji (MIAF) represents approximately 30% of the Sunni Muslims in Fiji who are mostly followers of the Shafi school of jurisprudence. The followers of Imam Shafi in Fiji are the descendants of Muslims of Malayalam origin who came to Fiji under the indenture system from Kerala in South India between 1903 and 1916. The other Sunni Muslim organisation in Fiji, the Fiji Muslim League, represents all other Sunni Muslims in Fiji who are mostly followers of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. History The organisation originally operated under the name of Then India Maunatul Islam Association of Fiji since it was officially formed in 1942. The key original officials were: One of the most prominent past President and Speaker of the Association was the late Hon S.M. Koya, who was the leader of the National Federation Party and Leader of Opposition in Fiji for a number of years. The name of the Association was changed in 1982 to Maunatul Islam Associatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Labasa
Labasa (pronounced ) is a town in Fiji with a population of 27,949 at the most recent census held in 2007. Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a delta formed by three rivers – the Wailevu, the Labasa (after which the town is named), and the Qawa. The latter two are connected by an 8-kilometre canal. The township historically served the sugar cane farms and farm workers with harvesting season resulting in significant seasonal employment although the township is now less dependent on the sugar industry. The farmers market offers seasonal produce and seafood. The main street is lined with small family run businesses, supermarkets and restaurants offering a lively pedestrian thoroughfare. Economic activities The surrounding areas of Labasa are mostly farming areas, which contribute to much of the industry in the town. The largest crop grown is su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Levuka
Levuka () is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji. Prior to 1877, it was the capital of Fiji. At the census in 2007, the last to date, Levuka town had a population of 1,131 (plus 3,266 living in the peri-urban area as defined by the Bureau of Statistics), about half of Ovalau's 8,360 inhabitants. It is the economic hub and the largest of 24 settlements on the island. Having been nominated decades prior, Levuka was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2013, in recognition of the port town's exceptional testimony to the late colonial port towns in the Pacific. History The modern town of Levuka was founded around 1820 by European settlers and traders as the first modern town in the Fiji Islands, and became an important port and trading post. A disparate band of settlers made up Levuka's population – traders, missionaries, shipwrights, speculators, and vagabonds, as well as respectable busin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suva
Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Division. In 1877, the capital of Fiji was moved to Suva from Levuka, the main European colonial settlement at the time, due to its restrictive geography and environs. The administration of the colony was transferred from Levuka to Suva in 1882. As of the 2017 census, the city of Suva had a population of 93,970, and Suva's metropolitan area, which includes its independent suburbs, had a population of 185,913. The combined urban population of Suva and the towns of Lami, Nasinu, and Nausori that border it was around 330,000: over a third of the nation's population. (This urban complex, excluding Lami, is also known as the Suva-Nausori corridor.) Suva is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Fiji. It is also the economic and cul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nadi
Nadi (pronounced ) is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. A 2012 estimate showed that the population had grown to over 50,000. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Asians, Indian or Indigenous Fijians, along with a large transient population of foreign tourists. Along with sugar cane production, tourism is a mainstay of the local economy. The Nadi region has a higher concentration of hotels and motels than any other part of Fiji. With its large Indo-Fijian population, Nadi is a centre for Hinduism and Islam in Fiji. It has the largest Hindu temple in the Southern hemisphere, and is a site for pilgrims called Sri Siva Subramaniya temple. Nadi International Airport, located 9 kilometers from Nadi, is the largest airport in Fiji. Thus, Nadi is the principal port of entry for air travelers to Fiji, even though it is on the opposite ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sadhu Kuppuswami
Sadhu Kuppuswami (1890–1956) was a Fiji Indian religious leader. He was awarded the title "Sevaka Ratnam" in 1941 Early life Kuppuswami, the son of Govind Swamy Naidu, was born in the village of Konoor, Tamil Nadu, India in 1890. He was literate in Tamil and Telugu and was a police officer in India. He arrived in Fiji on 27 April 1912 as an indentured labourer, abroad the Sutlej III. He served his five years of indenture in Tavua. He then tried cane farming but soon gave it up to join the Melbourne Trust Company in Rakiraki as a two-horse ploughman. His father, an Orthodox South Indian, ensured that his son was given the best to develop his knowledge of South-Indian religion, culture and art in his mother tongue Tamil from a young age. Formation of South Indian Organisation At Rakiraki, he met T.A.J. Pillai, a court clerk, and stayed with his family while teaching Tamil to local children. During the influenza epidemic of 1918, Sadhu Swami did a lot of relief work by transport ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the introduction of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world; and is credited with raising interfaith awareness, and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion. Vivekananda became a popular figure after the 1893 Parliament of Religions in Chicago, where he began his famous speech with the words, "Sisters and brothers of America...," before introducing Hinduism to Americans. He was so impactful at the Parliament that an American newspaper described him as, “an orator by divine right and undoubtedly the greatest figure at the Parliament”. After great success at the Parliament, in the subsequent years, Vivekananda delivered hundreds of lectures across the United States, England and Europe, disseminating the core tenets of Hindu phil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuppuswami
Sadhu Kuppuswami (1890–1956) was a Fiji Indian religious leader. He was awarded the title "Sevaka Ratnam" in 1941 Early life Kuppuswami, the son of Govind Swamy Naidu, was born in the village of Konoor, Tamil Nadu, India in 1890. He was literate in Tamil and Telugu and was a police officer in India. He arrived in Fiji on 27 April 1912 as an indentured labourer, abroad the Sutlej III. He served his five years of indenture in Tavua. He then tried cane farming but soon gave it up to join the Melbourne Trust Company in Rakiraki as a two-horse ploughman. His father, an Orthodox South Indian, ensured that his son was given the best to develop his knowledge of South-Indian religion, culture and art in his mother tongue Tamil from a young age. Formation of South Indian Organisation At Rakiraki, he met T.A.J. Pillai, a court clerk, and stayed with his family while teaching Tamil to local children. During the influenza epidemic of 1918, Sadhu Swami did a lot of relief work by transport ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
