LAUTOKA has lost one of its most prominent sons and Fiji has lost a philanthropist and champion for social justice with the passing yesterday of Udit Narayan.
This was the tribute paid by former prime minister and Fiji Labour Party leader Mahendra Chaudhry.
Mr Narayan, 57, passed away at the Lautoka Hospital at 11.25 am yesterday after a short illness.
“Udit was a pillar of strength for the FLP and National Farmers Union in the Western Division,” Mr Chaudhry said.
“He was sincere and extremely hardworking and served his constituents faithfully at all times.
“It will be very difficult for us to find a replacement for Udit in the Western Division.
“He is going to be sorely missed.”
Mr Narayan held senior positions on the FLP management board.
He was co-ordinator for the FLP and NFU Western Division and secretary for the Lautoka District at the time of his death.
Mr Narayan also served in the sugar industry and government.
He joined the Fiji Sugar Corporation in 1980 during which time he was actively involved with the Fiji Sugar Clerks and Supervisors Association. He left FSC in 2001 to successfully contest the Lautoka Rural Indian Communal Constituency on a Labour ticket that year and was re-elected to Parliament in 2006 from the same constituency.
Prior to this, in 1999 he was elected a councillor in the Lautoka City Council but resigned two years later to contest parliamentary elections.
After the 2006 general elections, Mr Narayan was appointed Minister for Primary and Preventative Health Services in the SDL-Labour multi-party government of Laisenia Qarase.
Following the 2006 military takeover, he served 18 months as principal research officer for sugar in an interim administration.
“However, it was his work as director of the NFU Farmers Carnival in Lautoka since 2001 that gave Udit a lot of satisfaction,” Mr Chaudhry said.
“Under his stewardship, the carnival has donated close to half a million dollars to assist poor children remain in schools and for other urgent charitable needs.”
Mr Narayan fell ill soon after successfully completing the 2017 Farmers Carnival a week ago.
He is survived by his wife Ruth and only son, Lawrence Udit Narayan.
