Unlike the bulk of the Indian population of Fiji , the descendants of Indian wage workers brought to Fiji from 1879 to 1916 , Gujaratis ( Guj. ગુજરાતી લોકો Gujǎrātī loko) arrived in Fiji as free immigrants from 1904 . While wage laborers, having become free, were mainly engaged in agriculture, the Gujarati were merchants and artisans. Also, among representatives of the Fiji-Indian population, the caste system disappeared in just a few years, but among the Gujaratis it exists now, and they very rarely marry outside their caste. Gujarati continue to maintain strong ties with India , usually sending their sons and daughters there for marriage, while the rest of the Indian population of Fiji has little contact with their country of origin [1] .
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Gujarati appears in Fiji
The first Gujaratis in Fiji were two jewelers who arrived in Fiji in 1904 from Natal , but they were originally from Porbandar . Four years later, other jewelers arrived, and soon warriors, tailors, hairdressers, laundries and shoemakers from Surat and Navsari followed. Between 1916 and 1920, out of 752 Gujarati who arrived in Fiji, 336 were from Surat, 296 from Navsari, and 120 were from Kathiyavar . Although most of them were farmers in India, they became grocers, draperies, and laundries in Fiji. The number of Gujaratis grew steadily: from 324 in 1921 to 1200 in 1930 , 2500 in 1935 and 5400 in 1956 .
After the Gujarati immigrants settled in Fiji, their relatives followed. They continued to maintain close ties with their native areas, received goods from their relatives in India, transferred money, and returned home to start a family and bring their wives to Fiji. Relatives helped the new arrivals in Fiji, and they made great strides in business, being frugal and hardworking and experiencing a strong sense of loyalty to other members of their caste. Between 1924 and 1945, out of 600 companies registered in Fiji, Gujarati had 300 trade licenses.
The Conflict Between Gujaratis and Fiji Indians
The Sikhs , who arrived in Fiji almost at the same time as the Gujaratis, also retained their identity, but, unlike the latter, took Hindu spouses and communicated with other Indians, mainly as farmers. Gujarati, on the other hand, retained their own language and caste and remained aloof from other Indians, living mainly in cities. Their commercial success was envied by Fiji Indians. Numerous calls began to appear to deport Gujaratis from Fiji. This conflict was used in the 1937 election , when Chattur Singh, a little-known son of an employee, defeated highly educated attorney A.D. Patel, turning the election into a competition between Fiji and India.
Famous Representatives
One of the first Gujaratis to become famous in Fiji was Dr. Manilal, who arrived in Fiji in 1912 when Mahatma Gandhi sent a lawyer to protect the rights of Indians in Fiji. He was deported from Fiji after the 1920 strike. A. D. Patel and S. B. Patel arrived in Fiji in the late 1920s, and both played a key role in Fiji Indian politics, but while A. D. Patel took over the leadership of various organizations, S. B. Patel, as a rule, worked in the background [2] . Gujarati took the lead in law, medicine, and commerce in Fiji. Since Gujaratis are concentrated in cities, they tend to play a leading role in the politics of the city and city council.
Notes
- ↑ Gillion, Kenneth. Fiji's Indian Migrants: A history to the end of indenture in 1920. - Melbourne: Oxford University Press. - ISBN 0-19-550452-6 .
- ↑ Lal, Brij. A Vision for Change: AD Patel and the politics of Fiji. - Canberra: Australian National University, 1997. - ISBN 0-7315-2350-4 .