Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji
Encyclopedia
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. It was formed in 1918 and registered as a religious body through the efforts of Manilal Doctor
Manilal Doctor
Manilal Maganlal Doctor was an Indian-born, London educated lawyer and politician, who travelled to numerous countries of the British Empire, including Fiji, Mauritius and Aden, providing legal assistance to the local ethnic Indian population...
, who was in Fiji from 1912 to 1920 at the behest of Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
to provide legal assistance to the Fiji Indians. Its first President was Swami Manoharanand Saraswati who had arrived in Fiji, from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, in 1913. The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji is affiliated to Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha (World Council of Arya Samaj) based in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
.
Immediately after its formation the Sabha went about establishing schools in Fiji,with the first one, Gyrykul Primary School, established in 1918 in Saweni, Lautoka
Lautoka
Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji and the second largest in the South Pacific. It is in the west of the island of Viti Levu, 24 kilometres north of Nadi, and is the second port of entry in Fiji, after Suva. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane growing region, it is known as the Sugar...
. The Sabha owns and manages 14 pre-schools, 18 primary schools, 7 secondary schools, a commercial school, a religious training centre, a youth development centre and has provided the facilities and resources for the establishment of the University of Fiji
University of Fiji
The University of Fiji is a university based in Saweni, Lautoka, Fiji. It was established in December 2004 under academic leadership of the Fiji Institute of Applied Studies and financial sponsorship of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji, a Hindu religious organization dedicated to education...
.
President and Secretary
The following is a list of the President and Secretary of the Sabha and year when they were first elected.| Year | President | Secretary |
|---|---|---|
| 1927 | Jagarnath Prasad Maharaj | R. Parmeshwar |
| 1954 | Jagarnath Prasad Maharaj | Narendra Gaji |
| 1964 | Shankar Pratap | Narendra Gaji |
| 1965 | Ram Lakhan | Narendra Gaji |
| 1966 | Saraswati Devi | R. Parmeshwar |
| 1967 | Harish Chandra Gaji | Ram Karan Cheta |
| 1970 | Ram Karan Cheta | Ravindra Pratap Singh |
At present there are 11 Arya Samajs affiliated to the Sabha and its president is Kamlesh Kumar Arya
Kamlesh Kumar Arya
Kamlesh Kumar Arya is the president of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji, which is a national organization uniting all the Arya Samajs in Fiji. Initially, he chose teaching as a career and was active within the Fiji Teachers Union...
.