FORMER prime minister and Fiji Labour Party (FLP) leader Mahendra Chaudhry has been awarded the prestigious Pravasi Gaurav Samman.
Mr Chaudhry was given the award by the Haryana State Government, which comes under the Indian Government, at the Pravasi Haryana Gaurav Samman in the State of Haryana on Wednesday.
He thanked the State of Haryana and the people of Haryana for honouring him with the prestigious award.
“I will cherish it as a precious gift and honour bestowed on me by the land of my ancestors in recognition of my achievements and service to the people,” he said.
“My roots to Haryana begin from when my grandfather Ram Nath Chaudhry arrived in Fiji on board SS Fazilka on May 12, 1902. With him was my grandmother, Jaykali. They were to serve their indenture in Tunalia, Nadi.”
Mr Chaudhry said his grandparents returned to India in 1928 with their two children, one of whom was his father Ram Gopal Chaudhry, who came back to Fiji after completing his education in a Gurukul school there.
“I was warmly received by the people of Haryana when I visited there after the 2000 coup. Subsequent Haryana governments have taken a keen interest in Fiji, in particular, in the state of the people of Indian origin here.”
