372:. They did not have the same view on all issues, however; for example, Deo supported education in Hindi for Indo-Fijians, whereas A. D. Patel believed that regional Indian languages were the better choice for Indo-Fijians schools. 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
376:
in 1948. Both Indian leaders believed that they deserved the honour, but Patel managed to outmanoeuvre Vishnu Deo and gain the support of three of the five Indian members of the
Legislative Council to become the Indian Member of the Executive Council. During the next election, however, Vishnu Deo had
429:
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
45:
290:. Upon the defeat of the motion, Vishnu Deo and the other two Indo-Fijians members resigned. The strength of support for his policy by the Indo-Fijians was demonstrated by the fact that when nominations were later called to fill the Legislative Council vacancies, no nominations were made.
446:
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.
261:
proclaimed 15 May 1929 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; at a meeting in Lautoka on 12 May 1929, it was decided to fast and pray on the day and to form the
400:
farmers. Vishnu Deo stepped in to provide a unified voice for these farmers. From a personal perspective, this action ultimately had the effect of creating a further rift between himself and A.D. Patel, because he supported A.D. Patel's lifelong opponent,
417:
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
348:
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,
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During his final years of public service, Deo no longer displayed his firebrand characteristics of the 1920s and 1930s, but instead had mellowed and became beloved and respected by all sections of Fiji's population.
367:
due to his earlier conviction, Vishnu Deo won the
Southern Division seven times between 1937 and 1959. During his early political career he worked closely with the other champion of common roll in Fiji,
425:
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):
286:, Deo was elected to the Council, easily defeating John F. Grant in the Southern Division. Deo was sworn into the Legislative Council on 25 October 1929, and on 5 November moved a motion calling for
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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.
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society, education for girls, an end to child marriage and remarriage for widows. He soon found himself at loggerheads with other religious groups, who for the first time had to deal with a
310:. He was initially appointed to the Central Indian War Committee but had his appointment terminated when he published a serial record of a Committee meeting in his newspaper, the
316:. According to his account, a majority of members at that meeting had expressed similar views regarding Indian enlistment. Later Deo, together with other Indian members of the
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After a sustained campaign by Indo-Fijians for equal rights, constitutional amendments made in 1929 created three elected Indo-Fijian seats in the
Legislative Council. In the
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Vishnu Deo died on 7 May 1968 but his contribution to the Indo-Fijians can be seen by the number of schools and roads named after him. Some of these are:
247:
239:
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was chosen as the Indian member in the Executive Council. Vishnu Deo had to wait until 1956 before he finally joined the Executive Council.
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and Lautoka sugar mills and persuaded some to join the Labour Force at better pay than what they were getting from their employer, the
210:
in 1929 to his retirement in 1959, he remained the most powerful Indo-Fijians political leader in Fiji. He was a staunch supporter of
381:) easily defeated A.D. Patel, who was kept out of the Legislative Council for as long as Vishnu Deo remained politically active.
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320:, cooperated in recruiting volunteers for the Indian Civilian Labour Force. In June 1943 he addressed workers from the
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in the early 1920s, and started his own importing and exporting agency in 1927. In 1922, he had assisted the
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Vishnu Deo was a leader of Arya Samaj in Fiji. He took a proactive role in propagating the teachings of
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462:, located at Nasinu 9 ½ Miles and is the main trunk road to the newly developed suburb of Nakasi.
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238:. He joined the immigration department as a clerk in 1918, taught at a school established by
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482:, located in Raiwaga, Suva, was one of the first multi-racial schools established in Fiji
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When negotiations began for the 1950 cane contract, there was a split among the
573:. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University Press. pp. 178–179.
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support the candidature of one of their own members into the Executive Council.
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J.S. Kanwal, A Hundred Years of Hindi in Fiji, Fij Teachers' Union, Fiji, 1980
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Vishnu Deo also founded a number of social and religious organisations. The
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270:, Vishnu Deo and his associates displayed a black flag and burned the
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which had been sent to Fiji to make enquiries into the plight of the
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Elections for the Legislative Council: Southern Division 1929 - 1959
528:. New Delhi, India: Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha. p. 123.
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School and had a keen intellect, becoming a fluent debater in both
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In November 1958, in his speech to welcome the new Governor,
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The Fiji Indians: Challenge to European Dominance 1920-1946
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267:
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266:. While there was an official ceremony and floats through
630:"Members welcome Governor". Fiji Times. 22 November 1958.
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Pandit Vishnu Deo was born on 17 July 1900. He attended
438:, he again displayed a conciliatory approach and said:
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Member of the Legislative Council for Southern Division
302:, Vishnu Deo advised Indo-Fijians to enlist in the
648:Indian members of the Legislative Council of Fiji
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384:After the 1950 Legislative Council elections,
619:. Guru Dayal Sharma, Suva, Fiji. p. 157.
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218:-language newspaper to be published in Fiji.
558:. Guru Dayal Sharma, Suva, Fiji. p. 87.
543:. Guru Dayal Sharma, Suva, Fiji. p. 70.
524:Vidyalankar, Nardev; Manohar Somera (1975).
340:, some of which were the establishment of a
214:and also the editor of the first successful
377:his revenge when a candidate he supported (
198:(17 July 1900 – 7 May 1968) was the first
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306:only if they were paid the same wages as
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363:Although ineligible to contest the
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206:. From his initial election to the
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96:Member of Executive Council (Fiji)
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617:Memories of Fiji: 1887 - 1987
556:Memories of Fiji: 1887 - 1987
541:Memories of Fiji: 1887 - 1987
526:Arya Samaj and Indians abroad
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264:Fiji Indian National Congress
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472:and is also the site of the
202:born and bred leader of the
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615:Sharma, Guru Dayal (1987).
554:Sharma, Guru Dayal (1987).
539:Sharma, Guru Dayal (1987).
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466:Vishnu Deo Secondary School
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392:Leader of the cane farmers
67:1929, 1937 – 1959
569:Gillion, Kenneth (1977).
480:Vishnu Deo Primary School
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284:elections later that year
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510:Ramrakha on Vishnu Deo
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278:Fight for equal rights
596:Fiji Election Archive
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288:common roll franchise
170:Customs Agent, Editor
663:Arya Samajis in Fiji
436:Sir Kenneth Maddocks
332:Religious activities
318:Legislative Council
208:Legislative Council
493:Arya Samaj in Fiji
474:University of Fiji
212:Arya Samaj in Fiji
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159:Residence(s)
136:17 July 1900
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85:Succeeded by
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658:1968 deaths
653:1900 births
420:Ami Chandra
409:Later years
370:A. D. Patel
298:During the
274:in effigy.
254:community.
240:M. N. Naidu
113:Preceded by
78:K. B. Singh
73:Preceded by
642:Categories
504:References
222:Early life
192:विष्णु देव
184:Vishnu Deo
167:Profession
162:Suva, Fiji
149:7 May 1968
38:विष्णु देव
27:Vishnu Deo
308:Europeans
107:1956–1959
103:In office
63:In office
487:See also
342:castless
244:Lautoka
232:English
577:
451:Legacy
252:Indian
154:, Fiji
141:, Fiji
23:Pandit
346:Hindu
236:Hindi
216:Hindi
188:Hindi
139:Navua
575:ISBN
470:Nadi
398:Rewa
268:Suva
234:and
200:Fiji
152:Suva
146:Died
133:Born
242:in
196:OBE
181:Pt.
31:OBE
644::
422:.
328:.
322:Ba
194:)
190::
583:.
476:.
186:(
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