Bula
The Constitutional Offices Commission has made four new appointments. Among the new appointments is Ana Mataiciwa who is the substantive Supervisor of Elections. That’s the big news on the front page of The Fiji Times for Saturday, May 11.
Special moment
There is a little preamble on the front as well about a gentleman who first read The Fiji Times in 1944 in Tavua before he moved to Canada a few years later. This one got me emotional. I have been receiving handwritten letters from Raymond Kalyan Chandra over the years. He wrote on various topics but sort of loved to write about education in Fiji. I would get an envelope addressed to the editor of the Fiji Times, and there was always the same handwriting style, with a stamp and a blue strip on the white envelope that confirmed it came by air mail from Canada. I’d opened the latest envelope on Wednesday and unfolded the letter inside like I had always done numerous times over the years. This time, as I started reading, it dawned on me that it was like an era was coming to an end. I’d taken things for granted, never expecting that one day, Mr Chandra, at 95 years old, would finally call it a day. Not that he wanted to, but because, in his own words: “My eyesight is becoming increasingly unwilling to co-operate when I try to read”. So after 80 long years, Mr Chandra was calling it a day. I called him up and had a chat. We briefly discussed his connection to the Fiji Times, and I did mention having received all his letters since 2010 when I started doing the section, thanking him for his commitment, and dedication to assisting in the development of education. I think I caught him by surprise because he was overwhelmed, and I enjoyed the discussion. What a journey! People like Mr Chandra inspire us to do what we do every day. Read his story on Page 26.
Letters to the editor
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Features and opinion
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Mother’s day
Yesterday, men in the newsroom combined to host the women to a surprise lunch. Vinaka Waisale DegreeOcean Koroiwasa for organizing this.
Synopsis
Tomorrow is a very special day for mothers around the world. It’s Mother’s Day.
It’s a day that brims with stories of resilience, love, and great spirit.
The tradition of Mother’s Day began in 1908 when a woman named Anna Jarvis organised a memorial for her mother, Ann Reece Jarvis, a peace activist who used to take care of wounded soldiers of the American Civil War.
After her mother’s death in 1905, Anna Jarvis began gathering support for her ideals to set aside a day in honour of all mothers because she believed a mother is “the person who has done more for you than anyone in the world”.
Now the day has transitioned from just pampering mums to expressing respect and love for mothers, grandmothers, aunts and to some extent single fathers who play the dual role of mum and dad.
This day is now celebrated in most countries around the world on the second Sunday of May.
It is a day set aside to express respect and love towards mothers.
For many people around the country, tomorrow is a time to pamper that important woman in their lives.
The sun rises, it sets and life goes on.
Some of us don’t have our mothers with us as they have passed on.
However, surely we all have an enduring memory of what our mother meant to us — their love, dedication and devotion.
What was it that made her someone so special?
Perhaps we could try to bring that quality to life in our families, with our workmates and our friends.
For it is said that those who have left us do not do so completely, they continue to live on in the lives of those who were close to them.
Their way of thinking and doing things, their advice, their lessons on how life is to be lived endures because those who were close to them saw in it a gem of the truth; that it was indeed good.
This sentiment brings us back to the core message of Mother’s Day.
While some may argue that every day should be dedicated to mothers, Mother’s Day serves as a powerful reminder.
It is a day set aside for us to pause, take stock of where we are, and reflect on the importance of our mothers in our lives.
We hope you will take a moment to reflect on the extra-ordinary women who have shaped your life, and you will let their love and strength serve as a guiding light.
