At 34, Gyaneshwar Pillay of Tokotoko, Navua carries with him a story shaped by hardship, and relentless determination.
Today he serves as a police officer, is a familiar voice in football commentary with the Fijian Broadcasting Corporation (FBC) and has recently completed his legal studies — a journey he once thought impossible.
Originally from Tuatua, Labasa, Mr Pillay’s early life took a difficult turn at age 11 when his parents separated.
“I moved to Suva due to my parents’ separation and whilst in Suva, I lost contact with my mother,” he recalled.
“As a result, I became a school drop-out and started working in a beer bottle collecting company in Nadera for one year.”
His life changed when, after more than a year apart, he reunited with his mother. “She enrolled me back in school at Vashist Muni Primary School in Navua in Class 6.
“From there on, I went up till Form 7 at Vashist Muni College in Navua, which I am proud of.”
Despite completing Form 7, he did not immediately pursue tertiary education.
“I didn’t tell my friends what I wanted to become because I had just passed my Form 7 with 2 marks.”
Rejections from USP and the University of Fiji followed.
“They told me for Law program, Form 7 marks should be 280+. So, I joined the Fiji Police Force as a special constable.”
His motivation to study law emerged years later — from a difficult moment.
“I got suspended from the Fiji Police in 2020 for six months for a trivial matter, and that’s the day I realised most of us police officers rely only on Form 6 or 7. I made up my mind that I needed a backup after retirement.”
He drew inspiration from his uncle and senior lawyer, Jiten Reddy.
“He was a tea boy in a courtroom who worked hard and became a lawyer. I thought, why can’t I try as well?”
With support, he was accepted into the University of Fiji as a mature student, studying law from 2021 to 2024 before completing his Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice in 2025.
Balancing work, study and football commentary was his biggest challenge.
“I was doing shift work as a police officer, commentaries on weekends, and taking 4–5 units per semester.
“At one stage, admin staff warned that if my grades were low, they would reduce my units. So I pushed to keep my GPA above 3.5.”
Looking ahead, Mr Pillay hopes to practise law — preferably in corporate, commercial or civil fields — or become a police prosecutor.
“I also want to grow with FBC in football commentary as they trained me well.”
But his greatest dream is simple.
“I want a well-paid job so my mother can stop working. She still works half days at a poultry farm to help me meet my repayments.”
He thanked his mother, the Fiji Police Force, FBC mentors Irfan Khan and Vijendra Kumar, and retired judge Justice Jiten Singh ‘who was very influential’ during his final lapse of law studies.
