Mahendra Sukhdeo was born in Nadi, Fiji, a third generation Fijian of Indian descent whose grandfather migrated to Fiji from a remote village, Kabuliha near the India-Nepal border in early 1900 as a contracted labourer.
He was admitted to Elphinstone College, Bombay where he obtained his BA (Hons). He then completed his post-graduate degree in education from Delhi University and MA in politics from the University of Bombay. As part of his studies in journalism, he worked as a cadet reporter for the Times of India.
On his return to Fiji in 1968, he was employed in Fiji’s civil service as a divisional welfare officer for over five years before being recruited by the Suva City Council as a senior executive.
In 1982, he was a research fellow at the University of the South Pacific and lectured on social policy.
In 1983, he was elected as the general secretary of the National Union of Municipal Workers followed by his appointment as a founding vice president of the newly-formed Fiji Labour Party in 1985. In the same year, he was elected in the first slate of Labour councillors for Suva City Council.
At the time of the first coup, he was the deputy mayor of the Capital City.
Along with his political role, he was the secretary of the India-Fiji Friendship Society from 1974 to 1981, board member of the Fiji Museum from 1978 to 1980, board member of the Hotel and Catering Wages Council (1989-1994) and president of the Suva Society for the Intellectually Handicapped (1998-99).
In 1999, he migrated to New Zealand and managed the Adult Education Centre and later was an administrator for the Skycity Group in Auckland.
In 2011, he migrated to Australia. He is married and has four children.
Unknown Fiji
girmitiya … who?
There are no girmitiya now.
However, their contribution towards transforming barren land into productive resource remains unchallenged and needs to be remembered in Fiji’s history. They maintained their culture and sacrificed their earnings for their children’s education.
It is a nightmare to quantify the quantum of the unknown girmitiya; the names, origins, location, marital status and other personal details in the “Emigration Pass”.
There is some certainty around those who died on voyage in each “coolie” ship and whose bodies were unceremoniously dumped in the sea.
The first ship, Leonidas had 67 fatalities before the recruits were released and the shipwreck of Syria took 70 lives. Their legacy is alive in history pages.
* The views expressed are the author of this article with all sources provided by the author of the book and not of the University of The South Pacific or any newspaper”.
