THE gentle sound of the bhajan occasionally drifts across Raunitogo,Valley Road in Sigatoka.
This is where 53-year-old farmer Vimal Prakash Chand finds joy in music after long days in the fields.
When he is not tending to his crops, Chand plays the bhajan with friends and family.
Music has become more than his pastime. It is a passion that keeps him connected to his community.
He is often invited to perform at family gatherings and special occasions, sometimes travelling to different areas to play.
When this newspaper visited him at his farm, Chand was taking a break from farm work and spent part of the afternoon playing the bhajan alongside a relative, filling the quiet valley with music.
But behind the melodies of his songs and instruments is a lifetime dedicated to farming.
Born and raised in Raunitogo, Chand has spent his entire life in Nadroga, although his family’s roots trace back to Ba.
His father, a sugarcane farmer, moved the family to the Sigatoka Valley in the 1950s in search of new opportunities.
“When my father started farming here, he planted cabbages, eggplant and okra,” he said.
“We learnt from him little by little. Farming became part of our life.”
Chand attended Raunitogo Primary School and later Sigatoka Valley Junior School.
At just 10 years old, he began learning the fundamentals of farming by weeding, clearing land, and ploughing fields.
More than 30 years later, he continues the tradition.
Alongside his brother and with support from their families, they grow cabbages, eggplant and okra – the same crops his father planted and helped establish the family in Sigatoka.
Life on the farm is not without challenges.
Living close to the river means constant vigilance during heavy rain, as flooding can threaten standing crops. The family carefully chooses what to plant based on water conditions.
“Rainy season is very hard for us because there are hardly any vegetables available except okra,” she said.
“Our farm gets affected by flooding because we live close to the river.”
Despite the hardships, Chand would not trade the life he has built. Surrounded by supportive neighbours, family and the fertile land that has sustained generations, he continues to find harmony in both farming and music.
