Vishnu Deo
Encyclopedia
Pandit Vishnu Deo OBE
(17 July 1900 - 7 May 1968) 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. He was a staunch supporter of Arya Samaj in Fiji
and also the editor of the first successful Hindi
language newspaper to be published in Fiji.
School and was gifted with a keen intellect and was a fluent debater in both English
and Hindi
. He joined the immigration department as a clerk in 1918, taught at a school established by M. N. Naidu in Lautoka in the early 1920s, and started his own importing and exporting agency in 1927. In 1922, he had assisted the Raju Commission which had been sent to Fiji to make enquiries into the plight of the Indian community. Vishnu Deo was the founder of a number of social and religious organisations. The Governor of Fiji proclaimed 15 May 1929 as a public holiday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Indians in Fiji but Vishnu Deo wanted this to be a day of mourning and at a meeting in Lautoka
on 12 May 1929, it was decided to fast and pray on the day and to form the Fiji Indian National Congress
. While there was an official ceremony and floats through Suva
, Vishnu Deo and his associates displayed a black flag and burnt the indenture system
in an effigy.
. In October 1929, Vishnu Deo was elected to the Legislative Council, easily defeating John F. Grant in the Southern Constituency. Vishnu Deo was sworn into the Legislative Council on 25 October 1929 and on 5 November moved a motion calling for common roll franchise. The motion was defeated and he, together with the other two Fiji Indian members resigned. The strength of support for his policy by the Fiji Indians was demonstrated by no nomination being received when nominations were called later to fill the Legislative Council vacancies.
s. He was initially appointed to the Central Indian War Committee but had his membership of the Committee terminated when he published a serial record of a meeting of the Committee in his newspaper, the Fiji Samachar
. At the meeting most members had expressed the view that India
ns could not be expected to enlist unless they were paid the same wages as Europe
ans. Later Deo, together with other Indian members of the Legislative Council
, cooperated in recruiting volunteers for the Indian Civilian Labour Force. In June 1943 he addressed workers from the Ba
and Lautoka
sugar mills and persuaded some to join the Labour Force at better pay than what they were getting from their employer, the Colonial Sugar Refining Company
.
, some of which were the establishment of a castless society, education for girls, an end to child marriage and re-marriage for widows. He soon found himself at loggerheads with other religious groups, who for the first time had to deal with a Hindu
society aggressively promoting re-conversion to Hinduism
. He participated in public debates and during one of these debates published material for which he was convicted and fined. He was the editor of the Hindi language newspaper, Fiji Samachar
, which was regarded as the mouthpiece of the Arya Samaj in Fiji.
. They did not have the same view on all issues, for example, Vishnu Deo supported education in Hindi for Fiji Indians whereas A.D. Patel wanted the regional Indian languages taught in schools for Fiji Indians. As Vishnu Deo was based in the Southern Division and A.D. Patel in the Western Division there was no competition between the two until it was decided to nominate an Indian into the Executive Council
in 1948. Both Indian leaders believed that they deserved the honour but Patel managed to outmeanouvre Vishnu Deo and gain the support of three out of the five Indian members of the Legislative Council to become the Indian Member of the Executive Council. At the next election, Vishnu Deo had his revenge when a candidate supported by him (Tulsi Ram Sharma
) easily defeated A.D. Patel. In fact, A.D. Patel was kept out of the Legislative Council for as long as Vishnu Deo remained politically active.
After the 1950 Legislative Council elections, James Madhavan was chosen as the Indian member in the Executive Council. Vishnu Deo had to wait until 1956 before he finally joined the Executive Council.
farmers, Vishnu Deo stepped in to provide a unified voice for these farmers. Ironically, this created a further rift between himself and A.D. Patel, because he supported A.D. Patel's life-long opponent, Ayodhya Prasad
, in the ensuing cane dispute.
When Radio Fiji started broadcasting in July 1954 the first Hindi voice heard over the air in Fiji was that of Vishnu Deo, who presented the inaugural address. He had been appointed to the Commission in March 1954, following the death of Ami Chandra
.
On 14 September 1956 Pundit Vishnu Deo was appointed to the Executive Council. In the selection of Vishnu Deo, the Indian members displayed remarkable unity as reported by the Fiji Times (10/10/1956):
In November 1958, in his speech to welcome the new Governor, Sir Kenneth Maddocks, he again displayed a conciliatory approach and said:
During the same sitting of the Legislative Council, H. B. Gibson, European member for Eastern Division, pointed out that although the rules of the Legislative Council made him the Senior Member, the Father of the House - both by length of service and by age - was Mr Vishnu Deo.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(17 July 1900 - 7 May 1968) was the first 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...
born and bred leader of the Fiji Indians. From 1929, when he was first elected to the Legislative Council
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:...
, until his retirement in 1959, he remained the most powerful Fiji Indian political leader in Fiji. He was a staunch supporter of Arya Samaj in Fiji
Arya Samaj (Fiji)
The Arya Samaj was the first religious, cultural and educational Fiji Indian organisation established in Fiji. From its inception, in 1904, it attracted the young, educated and progressive Hindus into its fold...
and also the editor of the first successful 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...
language newspaper to be published in Fiji.
His early life
Pandit Vishnu Deo was born on 17 July 1900. He attended Marist BrothersMarist Brothers
The Marist Brothers, or Little Brothers of Mary, are a Catholic religious order of brothers and affiliated lay people. The order was founded in France, at La Valla-en-Gier near Lyon in 1817 by Saint Marcellin Champagnat, a young French priest of the Society of Mary...
School and was gifted with a keen intellect and was a fluent debater in both 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...
and 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...
. He joined the immigration department as a clerk in 1918, taught at a school established by M. N. Naidu in Lautoka in the early 1920s, and started his own importing and exporting agency in 1927. In 1922, he had assisted the Raju Commission which had been sent to Fiji to make enquiries into the plight of the Indian community. Vishnu Deo was the founder of a number of social and religious organisations. The Governor of Fiji proclaimed 15 May 1929 as a public holiday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first Indians in Fiji but Vishnu Deo wanted this to be a day of mourning and at a meeting in 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...
on 12 May 1929, it was decided to fast and pray on the day and to form the Fiji Indian National Congress
Fiji Indian National Congress
On the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the first Indians in Fiji, two different organisations called the Fiji Indian National Congress were formed in Fiji. The acting Governor of Fiji, Alfred W. Seymour, despite European opposition, declared 15 May as a public holiday and as a day of rejoicing...
. While there was an official ceremony and floats through Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Vishnu Deo and his associates displayed a black flag and burnt the indenture system
Indian indenture system
The Indian indenture system was an ongoing system of indenture by which thousands of Indians were transported to various colonies of European powers to provide labour for the plantations...
in an effigy.
Fight for equal rights
After a sustained campaign by Fiji Indians for equal rights, they were allowed to elect three representatives on a communal rollCommunal constituencies (Fiji)
Communal constituencies have been the most durable feature of the Fijian electoral system. In communal constituencies, electors enrolled as ethnic Fijians, Indo-Fijians, Rotuman Islanders, or General Electors vote for a candidate of their own respective ethnic groups, in constituencies that have...
. In October 1929, Vishnu Deo was elected to the Legislative Council, easily defeating John F. Grant in the Southern Constituency. Vishnu Deo was sworn into the Legislative Council on 25 October 1929 and on 5 November moved a motion calling for common roll franchise. The motion was defeated and he, together with the other two Fiji Indian members resigned. The strength of support for his policy by the Fiji Indians was demonstrated by no nomination being received when nominations were called later to fill the Legislative Council vacancies.
Second world war
During the Second World War, Vishnu Deo advised Fiji Indians to only enlist in the army if they were paid the same wages as EuropeanEuropean ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s. He was initially appointed to the Central Indian War Committee but had his membership of the Committee terminated when he published a serial record of a meeting of the Committee in his newspaper, the Fiji Samachar
Fiji Samachar
Fiji Samachar was a Hindi language newspaper published in Fiji from 1924 to 1974. It was published in Suva by the Indian Printing and Publishing Company and its first editor was Babu Ram Singh. It started as a bi-lingual Hindi and English Monthly newspaper but from 1935 became a weekly Hindi...
. At the meeting most members had expressed the view that 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...
ns could not be expected to enlist unless they were paid the same wages as Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans. Later Deo, together with other Indian members of the Legislative Council
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:...
, cooperated in recruiting volunteers for the Indian Civilian Labour Force. In June 1943 he addressed workers from the Ba
Ba District, Fiji
Ba is a district situation on the North Western part of the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. The name Ba is also used for a province, a tikina , a town and a river. Ba district comprises the areas surrounding Ba Town and includes the Fijian administrative tikinas of Ba and Magodro. Ba district is in...
and 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...
sugar mills and persuaded some to join the Labour Force at better pay than what they were getting from their employer, the Colonial Sugar Refining Company
Colonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji)
The Colonial Sugar Refining Company began operations in Fiji in 1880 and until it ceased operations in 1973, had a considerable influence on the political and economic life of Fiji. Prior to its expansion to Fiji, the CSR was operating Sugar Refineries in Melbourne and Auckland...
.
Religious activities
Vishnu Deo was a leader of Arya Samaj in Fiji. He took a proactive role in propagating the teachings of Swami DayanandSwami Dayananda Saraswati
Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati was an important Hindu religious scholar, reformer, and founder of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu reform movement. He was the first to give the call for Swarajya – "India for Indians" – in 1876, later taken up by Lokmanya Tilak...
, some of which were the establishment of a castless society, education for girls, an end to child marriage and re-marriage for widows. He soon found himself at loggerheads with other religious groups, who for the first time had to deal with a Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
society aggressively promoting re-conversion to Hinduism
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
. He participated in public debates and during one of these debates published material for which he was convicted and fined. He was the editor of the Hindi language newspaper, Fiji Samachar
Fiji Samachar
Fiji Samachar was a Hindi language newspaper published in Fiji from 1924 to 1974. It was published in Suva by the Indian Printing and Publishing Company and its first editor was Babu Ram Singh. It started as a bi-lingual Hindi and English Monthly newspaper but from 1935 became a weekly Hindi...
, which was regarded as the mouthpiece of the Arya Samaj in Fiji.
Political leader
He was ineligible to contest the 1932 election for his earlier conviction, but from 1937 to 1959 won the Southern Indian Division seven times. During his early political career he worked closely with the other champion of common roll in Fiji, A.D. PatelA.D. Patel
Ambalal Dahyabhai Patel, better known as A.D. Patel, was a Fiji Indian politician, farmers' leader and founder and leader of the National Federation Party. Patel was uncompromisingly committed to a vision of an independent Fiji, with full racial integration...
. They did not have the same view on all issues, for example, Vishnu Deo supported education in Hindi for Fiji Indians whereas A.D. Patel wanted the regional Indian languages taught in schools for Fiji Indians. As Vishnu Deo was based in the Southern Division and A.D. Patel in the Western Division there was no competition between the two until it was decided to nominate an Indian into the Executive Council
Executive Council (Fiji)
The colonial Governors of Fiji relied on the Executive Council for advice on proposals for legislation which, after being discussed in the Executive Council meetings, came before the Legislative Council in the form of bills. In this way, the Executive Council was the chief policy-making body and...
in 1948. Both Indian leaders believed that they deserved the honour but Patel managed to outmeanouvre Vishnu Deo and gain the support of three out of the five Indian members of the Legislative Council to become the Indian Member of the Executive Council. At the next election, Vishnu Deo had his revenge when a candidate supported by him (Tulsi Ram Sharma
Tulsi Ram Sharma
Tulsi Ram Sharma was the first Indo-Fijian to qualify as a lawyer. He served one term as member of the Legislative Council and three terms as the President of Fiji Indian Football Association. He was one of the founding members of the Maha Sangh, but his association with farmers' union was short...
) easily defeated A.D. Patel. In fact, A.D. Patel was kept out of the Legislative Council for as long as Vishnu Deo remained politically active.
After the 1950 Legislative Council elections, James Madhavan was chosen as the Indian member in the Executive Council. Vishnu Deo had to wait until 1956 before he finally joined the Executive Council.
Cane farmers' leader
When negotiations began for the 1950 cane contract and there was a split among the RewaRewa Province
Rewa is a province of Fiji. With a land area of 272 square kilometers , it includes the capital city of Suva and is in two parts - one including part of Suva's hinterland to the west, and a noncontiguous area to the east, separated from the rest of Rewa by Naitasiri Province...
farmers, Vishnu Deo stepped in to provide a unified voice for these farmers. Ironically, this created a further rift between himself and A.D. Patel, because he supported A.D. Patel's life-long opponent, Ayodhya Prasad
Ayodhya Prasad
Ayodhya Prasad Sharma was an Indo-Fijian farmers’ leader and politician, who formed the most successful farmers’ union in Fiji and forced the Colonial Sugar Refining Company to make concessions to farmers after 60 years of complete control over Fiji’s economy...
, in the ensuing cane dispute.
Later years
During his final years of public service, Deo no longer displayed his firebrand characteristics of the 1920s and 1930s, but had mellowed and was loved and respected by all sections of Fiji's population.When Radio Fiji started broadcasting in July 1954 the first Hindi voice heard over the air in Fiji was that of Vishnu Deo, who presented the inaugural address. He had been appointed to the Commission in March 1954, following the death of Ami Chandra
Ami Chandra
Pandit Ami Chandra Vidyalankar came to Fiji, from India in 1927 at the behest of the Arya Samaj, which wanted to improve the education standard of Fiji Indian students and promote Arya Samaj in Fiji. He led a busy life in Fiji, being an educationist, Arya Samaj preacher, labour leader, football...
.
On 14 September 1956 Pundit Vishnu Deo was appointed to the Executive Council. In the selection of Vishnu Deo, the Indian members displayed remarkable unity as reported by the Fiji Times (10/10/1956):
The appointment of Mr. Pdt. Vishnu Deo to the Executive Council was unanimously endorsed at a meeting of the five Indian Legislative Council members held at Nausori during the weekend. This is believed to be the first time in Fiji when all Legislative Council members of any race combined together to support the candidature of one of their own members into the Executive Council.
In November 1958, in his speech to welcome the new Governor, Sir Kenneth Maddocks, he again displayed a conciliatory approach and said:
I assure you Sir, that we will at all times co-operate with you in this Council and outside the Council on all matters that are for the welfare of the Colony and every section of the community.
During the same sitting of the Legislative Council, H. B. Gibson, European member for Eastern Division, pointed out that although the rules of the Legislative Council made him the Senior Member, the Father of the House - both by length of service and by age - was Mr Vishnu Deo.
His legacy
Vishnu Deo died on 7 May 1968 but his contribution to the Fiji Indians can be seen by the number of schools and roads named after him. Some of these are:- Vishnu Deo Road located at Nasinu 9 ½ Miles and is the main trunk road to the newly developed suburb of Nakasi.
- Vishnu Deo Secondary School located between Lautoka and NadiNadiNadi 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. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Indian or Fijian, along with a large transient population of foreign...
and is also the site of the University of FijiUniversity of FijiThe 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...
. - Vishnu Deo Primary School, located in Raiwaga, Suva, was one of the first multi-racial schools established in Fiji