Sadhu Vashist Muni was a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

missionary from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, who came into prominence in

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 ...

when he assumed the leadership of the

strike Strike may refer to: People *Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

in the western districts of Fiji in 1921. Mystery surrounded him during his short stay in Fiji (May 1920 – March 1921) and tales of his miraculous deeds still circulate in Fiji. The Government could not find out much about him from its sources of intelligence but deported him in the belief that he was an agent of

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

. After his arrest, the

Government House Government House is the name of many of the official residences of governors-general, governors and lieutenant-governors in the Commonwealth and the remaining colonies of the British Empire. The name is also used in some other countries. Gover ...

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 Divi ...

was struck by lightning and destroyed which only heightened the belief in the power this mysterious ''sadhu'' (holy man).

Early life

He was born in

Banaras Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tra ...

, in 1888 and was an orthodox Hindu who spoke

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and

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fluently. He left Calcutta on 23 March 1919 and arrived in Fiji, via

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in May 1920. His head was shaven, he wore a light orange robe and carried a light pink umbrella with him. He was greeted with enthusiasm by the local Indian community on his arrival in Fiji. Some thought of him as a reincarnation of Lord Vishnu.

Activities in Fiji

Educationist and Missionary

Initially he carried out educational work in areas where Fiji Indians were concentrated and is reputed to have doubled the attendance of a school in

Lautoka Lautoka () is the second largest Local government in Fiji, city in Fiji. It is on the west coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Ba Province of the Western Division, Fiji, Western Division. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane-growing r ...

by walking through the settlements and talking to parents. He built a school in

Navua Navua () is a town in 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 o ...

, enrolling boys to study Hindi, as he wanted children to be proud of their heritage. He discouraged Indians from attending

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

schools. He donated books to schools and stated that his mission was religious. He came to the attention of the Government in November 1920 when it became aware of his non-political educational work. The Government wanted to have discussions with him on Indian education but did not manage to arrange a meeting with him. Although he was appalled at the treatment of Indians in Fiji he publicly stated his intention of working through constitutional means to improve the plight of the Fiji Indians. He did not agree with those who were encouraging Indians to return to India. The Fiji Government suspected that he might be an agent of

and asked Government officials to report on his activities. In one such report he was referred to as the "mystery man", as giving sound advice to the people and responsible for the loss of the influence that N.B. Mitter had enjoyed.

1921 Strike

Although the workers of the north-western districts were organised by N.B. Mitter, the strike which began on 11 February 1921, in Ba, was a spontaneous action of the workers and farmers. It spread to all the western districts and

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. Th ...

. The strike was peaceful and well organised.

Deportation

On 20 March 1921, while he was addressing a gathering of farmers and labourers at a school in Tavua, he was requested to accompany a police party to

, on the understanding that the Government wanted to have discussions with him. From Lautoka he was taken by ship to

and deported from Fiji on 23 March 1921. On the day when he was deported, the Government House in Suva was destroyed by lightning and the ship on which he was brought to Suva struck a reef.

Return to India

His deportation did not end the strike, which dragged on for six months. After his deportation to India, he made an appearance at the depot in Calcutta where ex-indentured labourers had gathered to ask for return to Fiji. He asked them not to return, undertook a hunger strike and publicly cursed

C.F. Andrews Charles Freer Andrews (12 February 1871 – 5 April 1940) was an Anglican priest and Christian missionary, educator and social reformer, and an activist for Indian independence. He became a close friend of Rabindranath Tagore and Mahatma Gan ...

, whom he accused of being a recruiter. This seemed to have the desired effect as Andrews was able to bring political pressure on the Indian Government to stop further labour ships departing for Fiji.

Legacy

Although Vashist Mini spent very little time in Fiji, his legacy lives on. There are a number of schools named after him, some of which are: * Vashist Muni Primary School, Maqere, Tavua * Vashist Muni Primary,

* Vashist Muni College, Navua

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Muni, Vashist 1888 births Year of death missing Indian emigrants to Fiji Indian Hindu missionaries Fiji sugar industry 1920s in Fiji People from Navua Scholars from Varanasi 20th-century Indian philosophers