The Arya Samaj was formed in Fiji on 25 December 1904 because of the desire of the Indo-Fijians to maintain their heritage and provide a platform for lifting their living standard. Inspired by the teaching of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, the founder of Arya Samaj, a small group of Indo-Fijians, who included Mangal Singh, Gaji Pratap Singh, Nanku Sonar, Bihari Lal, Shiu Datt Sharma, Basdeo Rai, Inayat Hussein, Indra Narayan and Tikaram Verma, met in Samabula on 25 December 1904 to form the Arya Samaj of Fiji. Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. ... December 25 is the 359th day of the year (360th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 6 days remaining. ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Indo-Fijians are people born in Fiji, but are ethnically Indian. ... Swami Dayananda Saraswati (स्‍वामी दयानन्‍द सरस्‍वती) (1824 - 1883) is an important Hindu religious scholar born in Gujarat, India. ...

The Beginning of Arya Samaj in Fiji

As far back as 1893, learning centres had been established by small groups of people who had organised themselves into Samajs. With the arrival of Shiu Datt Sharma from India, in 1902, a temple was established in Samabula. This also acted as a school attended by some 60 boys and girls. Sharma’s work was later taken over by another Arya Samaj Missionary from India, Swami Ram Manoharanand Saraswati , who arrived in Fiji from Burma in 1913. Totaram Sanadhya, although himself a Sanatani, has written about the early contribution of Arya Samaj to providing education and religious education in Fiji and asked for them to send more educators to Fiji. The Arya Samaj appealed to those who wanted to build a revitalised Hinduism in Fiji suitable to the local conditions. Badri Maharaj, who built the first school for Indians in Fiji in 1898 was an Arya Samaji and so was the first Indian Lawyer to arrive in Fiji, Manilal Doctor, who had been involved in Arya Samaj in Mauritius and believed that “Arya Samaj was the best sect for the individualized Indians in Fiji. The first school was built by Arya Samaj in Fiji was the Gurukul School in Saweni, Lautoka in 1918. 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1902 (MCMII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... // Totaram Sanadhya was an Indian-born political activist in Fiji. ... Hinduism (Sanskrit: , IAST: ), also known as , (IAST: ) and , (IAST: ) is a set of religious traditions that originated mainly in the Indian subcontinent. ... Badri Maharaj // His Contribution to Education Badri Maharaj was a Fiji Indian farmer, politician, and educator. ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... // Manilal Maganlal Doctor was an Indian-born lawyer and politician, whose career took him to such far-flung places as Fiji and Mauritius. ... Lautoka is the second largest city of Fiji. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

Educational and Religious Activities

Following the establishment of this school a great renaissance took place amongst Indo-Fijians to educate their children. This was supported by the arrival from India of a number of teachers, some of whom were Ami Chandra, Kundan Singh Kush and Kunwar Bachint Singh. Between 1926 and 1929 more than 100 Indo-Fijian boys and girls were sent to India to study at various Arya Samaj institutions. In the early thirties, Arya Samaj was the best organised of any Indo-Fijian organisation. It also had as its leader, Vishnu Deo and the only Hindi language newspaper in Fiji, Fiji Samachar. The Arya Samaj aggressively promoted its teaching and openly attempted to gain converts from Muslims. Arya Samaj activities in Fiji reached a peak with the arrival of another missionary, Srikrishna Sharma from India. Conflict soon developed with Indian Christians, Muslims, South Indians and even Sanatanis who had initially supported the Arya Samaj through Hindu Sangsthans. There were debates on religious issues, but when Vishnu Deo was convicted and fined for an article in the Fiji Samachar, things quietened down. // Kunwar Bachint Singh arrived in Fiji 1927 as a teacher for the Arya Samaj. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. ... // Vishnu Deo was the leader of the first three Fiji Indians elected into the Legislative Council in 1929. ... Hindi (हिन्दी or हिंदी in Devanāgarī; pronunciation: ), an Indo-European language spoken mainly in northern and central India, is one of the official languages of the Union government of India. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان) is an adherent of Islam. ... The Nasrani Menorah, the symbol of the Knanaya community in South India. ... For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ... South India is a region of India that includes the entire Indian Peninsula, south of the Vindhya ranges. ... // Vishnu Deo was the leader of the first three Fiji Indians elected into the Legislative Council in 1929. ...

Providing Educational and Political Leadership in Fiji

The Arya Samaj, henceforth, concentrated on its educational activities and built numerous educational institutions. Arya Samajis continued to provide leadership to the Indo-Fijians and until the 1960s most Indo-Fijian leaders were either Arya Samajis or those with close links to the Arya Samaj in Fiji. Some who served on the Legislative Council were Badri Maharaj, Vishnu Deo, Parmanand Singh, Chattur Singh, Ayodhya Prasad, Ami Chandra, K.B. Singh and Vijay R. Singh. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... Arya Samaj (Aryan Society or Society of Nobles) is a Hindu reform movement in India that was founded by Swami Dayananda in 1875. ... 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. ... Badri Maharaj // His Contribution to Education Badri Maharaj was a Fiji Indian farmer, politician, and educator. ... 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. ... Chandersen Chattur Singh caused a major sensation in early Fiji Indian politics, when against all odds he defeated A.D. Patel, a well known lawyer and political ally of Vishnu Deo, in the 1937 Legislative Council Election. ... // 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. ... Sir Vijay Singh Sir Vijay R. Singh is a Fijian lawyer and former politician, who held Cabinet office in the 1970s. ...

Educational Institutions owned and managed by the Arya Samaj in Fiji

Arya Samaj of Fiji spreads Overseas

As Indo-Fijians have migrated overseas, they have taken their religion and culture with them Consequently, Arya Samajs have been established in a number of countries by former Indo-Fijians. The following are links to the Web Sites of some of these:

• Auckland Arya Samaj
• Arya Samaj of Australia
• Victoria Arya Samaj (Australia)
• Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji

See Also

1904:The Year Arya Samaj was born