Hindu Maha Sabha (Fiji)
Encyclopedia
Hindu Maha Sabha was an organisation representing various Hindu organisations and was formed in Fiji
in 1926, following the formation of All-India Hindu Maha Sabha in India
. The formation of the organisation both in India and Fiji occurred after the assassination of Swami Shraddhanand
, a Hindu
activist in India, by a Muslim
. The formation of the Sabha in Fiji coincided with the formation of a national Muslim
organisation, the Fiji Muslim League
.
Although the organization was formed to bring together all the Hindu groups, its leadership soon came under the control of the better organised Arya Samajis. When Shri Krishna Sharma
arrived in Fiji in 1927, he assumed leadership of the Sabha, and the Fiji Muslim League, in a complaint to the Government about the activities of Sharma, alleged that the Sabha was formed to commemorate the death of Shraddhanand. The Hindu Maha Sabha (and the Fiji Muslim League) contested with the Indian Reform League
(mainly supported by Indian Christians) for the right to represent Indians.
The Sabha was organised at village level into sangathans (religious unions) and was led in the Suva
-Nausori
area by Vishnu Deo
, K. B. Singh
, Kundan Singh Kush
and the western districts
of Viti Levu
by Chattur Singh
and Sahodar Singh. There was social and economic boycott of the Muslims and the extreme elements within the organisation attempted to put pressure on the small Muslim community to undergo shuddhi
(reconversion). Relationship between Hindus and Muslims reached a low point with assaults and complaints to the Government. One outcome of this conflict was the call by Muslims for separate representation in the Legislative Council
.
Thakur Kundan Singh Kush, who arrived in Fiji in 1928, was the principal force behind the shuddhi and sangathan efforts. On 29 June 1930 at a meeting of the Hindu Maha Sabha in Nausori, Kush was elected President. Resolutions passed at the meeting asked Hindus to organize themselves and to adhere to the teachings of the Hindu Dharam regarding diet and to boycott a rival newspaper(Vriddhi). The sangathan movement was never fully supported by Fiji's Arya Samaj as a whole with Samajs from different parts of Fiji opposing it, but it received favourable coverage from the pro-Arya Samaj newspaper, Fiji Samachar
, controlled by Vishnu Deo
.
In 1930, an intelligence committee was set up by the Government to monitor the activities of the organisation. Letters were opened and searched, publications thought to be seditious were destroyed and instructions in Indian schools were monitored. At a meeting of the Sabha, in Suva
, a resolution was passed expressing sorrow at the execution of Indian freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Sukhdeo on 23 March 1931. This further infuriated the local Europe
an community.
The decline of the Hindu Maha Sabha was due, not to outside influence, but came from internal division. While in the past the more numerous Sanatani
s (orthodox Hindus) were content to let the Arya Samajis take leadership of the Hindus in Fiji in the past, the arrived from India, in Decdember, 1930, of Sanatani preacher, Ram Chandra Sharma, led to open debate between the two Hindu groups about who represented true Hinduism. It ended with a court case and conviction of Vishnu Deo. An orthodox Hindu organisation was formed which aligned itself with the Muslims and Christians against the Arya Samaj. Sharma was joined by another Sanatani preacher, Murarilal Shastri, and the two criticised the Sabha for causing dissension.
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...
in 1926, following the formation of All-India Hindu Maha Sabha in 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...
. The formation of the organisation both in India and Fiji occurred after the assassination of Swami Shraddhanand
Swami Shraddhanand
Swami Shraddhanand was an Indian educationist and an Arya Samaj missionary who propagated the teachings of Swami Dayanand. This included the establishment of educational institutions, like the Gurukul Kangri University, and played a key role on the Sangathan and the Shuddhi a Hindu reform...
, 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...
activist in India, by a Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
. The formation of the Sabha in Fiji coincided with the formation of a national Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
organisation, the Fiji Muslim League
Fiji Muslim League
The Fiji Muslim League is a Muslim religious and social organisation based in Suva, Fiji. Nearly 7% of Fiji's total population, including 16% of the Indian community, is Muslim...
.
Although the organization was formed to bring together all the Hindu groups, its leadership soon came under the control of the better organised Arya Samajis. When Shri Krishna Sharma
Shri Krishna Sharma
Pandit Shri Krishna Sharma was an Arya Samaj preacher who came to Fiji in 1926 from Rajkot, India. He was a gifted public speaker and singer of religious songs. He provided impetus to the Arya Samaj movement in Fiji. Under his influence Arya Samaj schools and temples were established in Fiji...
arrived in Fiji in 1927, he assumed leadership of the Sabha, and the Fiji Muslim League, in a complaint to the Government about the activities of Sharma, alleged that the Sabha was formed to commemorate the death of Shraddhanand. The Hindu Maha Sabha (and the Fiji Muslim League) contested with the Indian Reform League
Indian Reform League (Fiji)
The Indian Reform League was formed in Fiji in 1924, following the refusal of the Suva Y.M.C.A. to admit Indians. Its founder was A.W. McMillan of the New Zealand Y.M.C.A and educated Indians and Government clerks and interpreters such as M. S. Buksh, S. S. Chowla, John F. Grant, Ilahi Ramzan, and...
(mainly supported by Indian Christians) for the right to represent Indians.
The Sabha was organised at village level into sangathans (religious unions) and was led in the 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,...
-Nausori
Nausori
Nausori is a town in Fiji. It had a population of 47,604 at the 2007 census, the most recent to date. This makes it the fourth most populous municipality in the country. Situated 19 kilometers out of Suva, it forms one pole of the burgeoning Suva-Nausori corridor.Nausori grew up around Fiji's...
area by Vishnu Deo
Vishnu Deo
Pandit Vishnu Deo OBE 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...
, K. B. Singh
K. B. Singh
Kunwar Bachint Singh OBE arrived in Fiji in 1927 as a teacher for the Arya Samaj but his association with Vishnu Deo led him to play an active role in aggressively promoting the Arya Samaj and finally into politics...
, Kundan Singh Kush
Kundan Singh Kush
Thakur Kundan Pal Singh Kush was an Arya Samaj missionary and teacher who arrived in Fiji, from Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1928. He first taught at the Dharamshala School in Nausori where he later became the founding Head Teacher of Vunimono Arya School in 1929...
and the western districts
Western Division, Fiji
The Western Division of Fiji is one of Fiji's four divisions. It consists of the three provinces Ba, Nadroga-Navosa and Ra.The capital of the division is Lautoka. The division includes the western part of the largest island in Fiji, Viti Levu, with a few outlying islands, including the Yasawa...
of Viti Levu
Viti Levu
Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji, the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.- Geography and economy :...
by Chattur Singh
Chattur Singh
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.- Early Political Activities :...
and Sahodar Singh. There was social and economic boycott of the Muslims and the extreme elements within the organisation attempted to put pressure on the small Muslim community to undergo shuddhi
Shuddhi
Shuddhi is Sanskrit for purification. In Hinduism it is a part of worship. It also sometimes refers to reverting to Hinduism after converting from Hinduism to another religion.-Shuddhi movement:...
(reconversion). Relationship between Hindus and Muslims reached a low point with assaults and complaints to the Government. One outcome of this conflict was the call by Muslims for separate representation in 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:...
.
Thakur Kundan Singh Kush, who arrived in Fiji in 1928, was the principal force behind the shuddhi and sangathan efforts. On 29 June 1930 at a meeting of the Hindu Maha Sabha in Nausori, Kush was elected President. Resolutions passed at the meeting asked Hindus to organize themselves and to adhere to the teachings of the Hindu Dharam regarding diet and to boycott a rival newspaper(Vriddhi). The sangathan movement was never fully supported by Fiji's Arya Samaj as a whole with Samajs from different parts of Fiji opposing it, but it received favourable coverage from the pro-Arya Samaj 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...
, controlled by Vishnu Deo
Vishnu Deo
Pandit Vishnu Deo OBE 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...
.
In 1930, an intelligence committee was set up by the Government to monitor the activities of the organisation. Letters were opened and searched, publications thought to be seditious were destroyed and instructions in Indian schools were monitored. At a meeting of the Sabha, in 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,...
, a resolution was passed expressing sorrow at the execution of Indian freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Sukhdeo on 23 March 1931. This further infuriated the local 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...
an community.
The decline of the Hindu Maha Sabha was due, not to outside influence, but came from internal division. While in the past the more numerous Sanatani
Sanatani
Sanātani is a term used within Hinduism to describe denominations that adhere to what is sometimes known as Orthodox Hinduism...
s (orthodox Hindus) were content to let the Arya Samajis take leadership of the Hindus in Fiji in the past, the arrived from India, in Decdember, 1930, of Sanatani preacher, Ram Chandra Sharma, led to open debate between the two Hindu groups about who represented true Hinduism. It ended with a court case and conviction of Vishnu Deo. An orthodox Hindu organisation was formed which aligned itself with the Muslims and Christians against the Arya Samaj. Sharma was joined by another Sanatani preacher, Murarilal Shastri, and the two criticised the Sabha for causing dissension.