James Ramchandar Rao
Encyclopedia
James Ranchandar Rao was one of the three Fiji Indians elected to the Legislative Council
of Fiji
in October 1929 when Indians in Fiji were given the first opportunity to elect their own representatives. The other two were Vishnu Deo
and Parmanand Singh
.
Only males over 21 years of age, who were British
subjects and resident continuously in Fiji for 12 months, able to read and write in either English
, Hindi
, Urdu
, Tamil
, Telugu
or Gurmukhi, in possession of freehold or leasehold in Fiji valued at least 5 pounds per annum for 6 months before the closing of the register or had cash income of not less than 75 pounds per annum or held a government or municipal licence worth at least 5 pounds were eligible to vote. Consequently, only 1404 out of a Fiji Indian population of 75,000 were registered to vote. James Ramchandar Rao contested the Eastern Indian Division which included the islands of Vanua Levu
and the Lau
and Lomaiviti
Group of Islands. His opponent was Khalil Sahim. There were 101 registered electors in the constituency of whom 63 voted for Rao, 20 for Sahim and 5 spoilt their ballot paper
Two weeks after being sworn in he, together with the other two Fiji Indian representatives, resigned when a motion asking for equal political rights for Fiji Indians was defeated.
Rao was the proprietor of one of the first picture theatres in Fiji in the old capital of Levuka
, on the island of Ovalau
.
Legislative Council (Fiji)
The Fijian Legislative Council 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:...
of Fiji
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...
in October 1929 when Indians in Fiji were given the first opportunity to elect their own representatives. The other two were Vishnu Deo
Vishnu Deo
Pandit Vishnu Deo OBE was the first Fiji born and bred leader of the Fiji Indians. From 1929, when he was first elected to the Legislative Council, until his retirement in 1959, he remained the most powerful Fiji Indian political leader in Fiji...
and Parmanand Singh
Parmanand Singh
Parmanand Singh was one of the three Fiji Indians elected to the Legislative Council of Fiji in October 1929 when Indians in Fiji were given the first opportunity to elect their own representatives. The other two were Vishnu Deo and James Ramchandar Rao...
.
Only males over 21 years of age, who were British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
subjects and resident continuously in Fiji for 12 months, able to read and write in either English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
or Gurmukhi, in possession of freehold or leasehold in Fiji valued at least 5 pounds per annum for 6 months before the closing of the register or had cash income of not less than 75 pounds per annum or held a government or municipal licence worth at least 5 pounds were eligible to vote. Consequently, only 1404 out of a Fiji Indian population of 75,000 were registered to vote. James Ramchandar Rao contested the Eastern Indian Division which included the islands of Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu
Vanua Levu , formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located 64 kilometres to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of 5,587.1 km² and a population of some 130,000.- Geography :...
and the Lau
Lau
Lau may refer to:An indigenous people that live on the Solomon Islands.People with the German/Austrian surname:* Charlie Lau, catcher and hitting coach in Major League Baseball* Laurence Lau , actor...
and Lomaiviti
Lomaiviti
The Lomaiviti archipelago of Fiji consists of seven main islands and a number of smaller ones. They cover a total area of 411 square kilometers, and had a population of 16,461 at the most recent census in 2007...
Group of Islands. His opponent was Khalil Sahim. There were 101 registered electors in the constituency of whom 63 voted for Rao, 20 for Sahim and 5 spoilt their ballot paper
Two weeks after being sworn in he, together with the other two Fiji Indian representatives, resigned when a motion asking for equal political rights for Fiji Indians was defeated.
Rao was the proprietor of one of the first picture theatres in Fiji in the old capital of Levuka
Levuka
Levuka is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian island of Ovalau, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji. It was formerly the Capital of Fiji. At the census in 2007, the last to date, Levuka town had a population of 1,131 , about half of Ovalau's 8,360 inhabitants...
, on the island of Ovalau
Ovalau
Ovalau is the sixth largest island in Fiji's Lomaiviti Archipelago. Situated at 17.70° South and 178.8° East, , the island is about 13 kilometers long and 10 kilometers wide...
.