Topic started by Avinesh G. Mudaliar (@ adsl-63-207-103-102.dsl.snfc21.pacbell.net) on Tue Jun 4 00:08:20 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Namaste/Vanakum..

I'm the present generation of South Indian in Fiji who does not know the full entirety of the my own native language that is Tamil let alone sometimes get very confused as to whether we are Indians or some sort of race that was lost and brought to Fiji by mistake..infact if any Hindi speakers here we are labeled as "Ravan ki Logh" or sometimes called as "Madrasi's" but we have the following people with Last/Surname. Here are the list.

Pillai
Mudaliar
Padayachi
Naicker
Gounder
Achari
Sami
Reddy
Naidu

The present generation does not want to equate with any South Indian culture thus Fiji Baht/Fiji Talk with Hindi as a base is widely used for daily conversation. The only representation of us been South Indian is our surnames. We are all referred in Fiji as Hamara sab kuch Hindustani ki Logh..what is this suppose to be?? when we don't even look anyway close to Uttar Logh. Can someone in this board please explain to us, so that we can know where we stand as far as a race and the people of origin. Our forefathers had taken this long and treacherous journey without realising that Fiji is way out in South Pacific, and yet South Indians are only known by names in this island nation.

Please can anyone gave us some feedback about our lost touch from our roots. It will be a great asset from fellow South Indians in this board who can give us something to hang on to.

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Ananthan (@ siva.for.uidaho.edu) on: Fri Aug 23 03:24:50
  
  I have met a few Tamils from Myanmar. Due to the close door policy, Myanmar is like in the 50s and 60s. However, food is plentiful and very cheap.
  
  There are many South Indian Temples all over Rangoon or Yangoon, but like all buidings they are not well maintained.
  
  One of the reason the Burmese govt nationalised banks businesses in the 60s was the practical grip the Chettiar Tamils had over the agricultural sector. Some say due the heavy debt by Burmese farmers the Chettiars, many of them not residents of Burma, owned practically all the rice fields. In a way you cannot blame the Burmese, since the Indians went there to make an inch but due to their over enterprising nature took a yard and at the end some got beaten by the Brmese foot. Probably the same thing happen to fiji Indians and the Indians in Uganda...I don't know.
  
  Even today South Indian restaurants in Burma (there are many still operating) are called Chetty Restaurants. However. the older generation still resent the Indians/Tamils. Infact Burma is probably the only place in the world where Tamil writings and language is a kind of banned!
  
  The remaining Tamils some say around 500,000 have daapted themselves, embraced Buddhist ways in addition to Hinduism, speak Burmese and dress in Burmese style. I guess Indians are also needed to adopt Burmese names, just like the Chinese in Indonesia. Anyway, without any compulsion, the Chinese and Indians in Thailand have adopted Thai names and language.
  
  
• From: Avinu Prakash (@ proxys.or3.marketscore.com) on: Sun Mar 2 17:19:26
  
  I was told by a punjabi man from India that Indians in Fiji or anywhere else ie..Guyana, Sth Africa were brought into these countries, islands were infact slaves from india, also known as lower caste indians by Indians from India. I personally was offended by the comment but I am wondering if the comment made is in any way true. I'm very much interested in finding out how and why we, Fiji Indians, arrived in Fiji.
  
  
• From: Ormila (@ n30.ucce5.uwindsor.ca) on: Sun Mar 2 17:59:09
  
  
  Avinu Prakash,
  
  I know it was something like this you were trying to get at on the thread you opended today 'Sundroid (Indo-African) Race' calling yourself 'Francine' instead of 'Englishine' in disguise.
  
  Can someone help this person. HE/SHE MUST HAVE SOME GREAT NEED TO JUSTIFY SOME BAD DEED. I hope he/she succeeds.
  
  
  
  
• From: Ormila (@ n30.ucce5.uwindsor.ca) on: Sun Mar 2 18:14:18
  
  
  I also know that those who left Britain for the Americas were classed by the Home British as the lower class -- usually the lower class is regarded as those with less talents, personality and the rest of lowness. But when those who left for the Americas and finally got the chance to prove themselves, they proved to be just as good or even better than the English in Britain. Today America is the most powerful country in the world and is regarded as Master and not Servant and to it, the British can also afford to lean -- on the US as a shoulder of support because without it, Brtian is nothing. How do you justify all that?
  
  
• From: Ormila (@ n30.ucce5.uwindsor.ca) on: Sun Mar 2 18:27:02
  
  I know you will come here and elsewhere under different names either opening threads or using those already opended by others, with other provocative statements to my previous reponses. I have provided sufficient insights as to what to look out for. Our History and cultuire should not be manipulated and used in this way. I shall leave you in the hands of competent Indian and Tamil FH members so I can get on with my work.
  
  
• From: Karuvayan (@ cs2417546-174.austin.rr.com) on: Mon Mar 3 02:46:56
  
  South indians are not "Ravan ki logh". This adage was due to the British who invented theories to divide and rule india.
  
  Learn more about hinduism at http://www.atributetohinduism.com
  
  
• From: priya (@ ) on: Mon Mar 8 23:03:25
  
  Watch your favourite Tamil TV channels from India on www.numtv.com.email numtv@penta-media.com for a free trail.
  
  
• From: Akilan (@ 61.247.243.215) on: Sat Mar 13 03:59:51 EST 2004
  
  Dear Avinesh,
  South Indians of Fiji are belongs to Dravidian race of India. Dravidians main language is Tamil.
  The only identity for our race is Tamil language.
  Please do not loose or ignore our mother language.
  Tamil cannot be labelled as an Indian language.
  It's the language of India, SriLanka, Malaysia and Singapore. Hindi is an Indian langauage. Even though Hidi speaking people and Tamil speaking people living together in india, there are lot of contraversies and differences beween them.
  
  
• From: Ram Prasad (@ px8wh.vc.shawcable.net) on: Sat Oct 30 14:40:18
  
  When will Indians learn to unite instead of cutting up and dividing themselves? Let us look for features that unite us and bring us together. Look at Americans-they(majority) have come from all over Europe and Africa. They all speak English and regard America as their homeland. What is wrong with Indians that they can not unite?
  
  
• From: Ram Prasad (@ px8wh.vc.shawcable.net) on: Sat Oct 30 14:40:26
  
  When will Indians learn to unite instead of cutting up and dividing themselves? Let us look for features that unite us and bring us together. Look at Americans-they(majority) have come from all over Europe and Africa. They all speak English and regard America as their homeland. What is wrong with Indians that they can not unite?
  
  
• From: Kuben Govender (@ rndf-154-73.telkomadsl.co.za) on: Mon Nov 8 08:39:17 EST 2004
  
  Hi Avinash,
  
  The surnames that you mention are also found in South Africa although some have been corrupted a bit. for instance the surname gounder has been transformed into govender and/or Gounden. this happenned due to the ignorant british incorrectly recording the names when the indentured indian labour got off the ships from india. I would assume that the south indian people in Fiji and South Africa actually come from the same areas in India and might even come from the some of the same villages same villages. Very few tamilians in S.A. of the younger generation speak tamil. Our first language is English. If you are interested in finding out more of S.A. Indians drop me an Email
  
  Regards
  Kuben Govender
  
  
• From: geeta (@ rok-ce1.cqu.edu.au) on: Wed Jan 19 00:50:53
  
  hi there
  i am geeta mudaliar \. i am from Fiji. and i want to find my roots too.
  it would be interesting to know where we came from.
  geeta
  
  

Want to post a response?