Memories of my mother
MY mother Budhia aka Jasoda was born at a small village called Kelikoso (near floating island) in Labasa, Northern Vanua Levu.
She was the eldest daughter of Munna Chaudhry and Maiki (both indentured labourers).
She had three other sisters and three brothers.
My mother married my father Mithu Lal aka Devi Sharan at a very tender age 14 or 15 years while my father was 17 years or so (as the family coconut wireless would have it).
Between them they brought thirteen children into this world.
How they managed this, living in stark poverty, is a wonder in itself.
Eking out a living on a small rice farm in Bulileka must have been a daunting task.
My mother was totally illiterate, but not uneducated in the traditional sense of the word.
My nani (grandmother) had taught her all the skills of running a family: cooking, washing, looking after children, tendering to animals, helping on the farm, looking after the visitors and many more traditional skills.
Bulileka those days had no piped water supply or electricity.
For water the family depended on water well or nearby creek.
In the dry season the well would dry up and we had to walk long distances to bring drinking water.
For washing clothes we had to walk a long distance to a place called “dam” at the base of the Three Sisters mountains.
And this used to be a weekly affair.
For the family water supply my father used to load two 44 gallon drums on a ghasita (sledge) and used the farm bulls to pull them up the hill.
However, in emergencies mother would have to rush to the neighbours well with a 4 gallon drum to cart water on her head.
We children carried small buckets or pails for water.
It was a tough job!
My mother was a lively character.
She could play dholak (Indian musical drum), sing wedding songs and dance.
Therefore, she was popular in the village.
Whenever there was a wedding the villagers would ask her to come and dance and sing.
The crowd used to get mesmerised.
She had a tremendous sense of humour.
She kept people around her roaring with laughter through her great sense of jokes.
I can still smell the fragrance of her cooking, sweet melody of her voice and her tender love and care.
I am thankful to the Lord for a wonderful mother who brought me into this world, nurtured me and made me into what I am today.
Blessed and a very happy Mother’s Day to all mothers.
DEWAN CHAND, Donu Place, Namadi Heights, Suva
Mother’s Day in reverse
We are renown for our raw, refreshing and unique thoughts here up North (the vesu mona kind)!
In so much that there’s never a boring moment and always so much laughter that if you’d planned to stay for a day, you’d likely extend your trip to a week then to a month and yeah possibly even to a year!
This morning on Mother’s Day my brother called to ask when I’d be expected back at home as he explained that he was caught up in some sort of business and therefore could not cook.
“Well, I’m a mum too my brother,” I said.
“My husband isn’t here so I’m getting spoilt by my brother-in-law! You cook!”
“Yes, I know but you’re also a daughter and that makes mum your mother too!”
Meanwhile my brother-in-law had been listening to the conversation as I had put my phone on speaker.
He was amused and muttering under his breath.
Two minutes after I put the phone down, it rang again.
“Can you put Arnold on?”
“It’s on speaker so just go ahead!”
“Arnold, my brother, go back to bed and wait to be called. We men are the ones who made these women mothers so they should be grateful to us! Go back to bed and relax bro! OK bye!”
Go figure!
NOLEEN BILLINGS HAZELMAN, Savusavu
Delivery services
WITH people being advised to stay home given the uncertainties surrounding the extent of the COVID-19 pandemic, will the authorities consider having supermarkets deliver food and groceries to people or introduce delivery systems as a way of curbing the spread of the virus?
Would a daily delivery service with a planned time schedule for various locations be a feasible option to explore?
Supermarkets are crowded on a daily basis and with new cases reported almost every second day by the Ministry of Health, what other contingency measures do we have in place to prevent a potential “explosion” of COVID-19 cases while ensuring people have access to basic needs without resorting to snap lockdowns or further compromising the safety of our families?
SAMANTHA RINA, Koronivia Rd
No mask arrest
I believe to be arrested for not wearing a mask sounds stupid.
For those who can’t afford a mask just wrap a piece of cloth or a T-shirt over your mouth and nose.
All police vehicles should be carrying spare disposable masks to distribute to those who can’t afford one but walking the street.
I’m sure Government can afford that.
Why has the Minister for Labour stopped distributing masks on the streets?
DAN URAI, Lautoka
Give a mask
TRAVELLING around in Lautoka I saw a police officer giving a mask to a beggar.
Thank you police officer.
NAVNEET RAM, Lautoka
Groceries for frontliners
FIRSTLY, I wish to express my deep gratitude to all frontliners who have served the people of Fiji unselfishly over a year now in keeping Fiji safe from threats posed by COVID-19.
But I am of the opinion that the assistance rendered by a big supermarket to this group of workers by way of food and groceries may be misplaced.
I base this observation on the fact that most of these workers are well and regularly paid and could easily afford these supplies.
Volunteer workers may on the other hand appreciate these.
If anything businesses could be directing these kinds of assistance towards those citizens who are facing severe poverty before and after the onslaught of the pandemic.
I can assure these business owners that food and groceries would be appreciated more by those who have lost their income sources because of the pandemic.
Assistance to frontliners would be more appreciated in my view, if these took the form of more safer PPE or safer monitoring equipment, which directly contribute to their safety.
But the assistance and the thought behind it is greatly appreciated.
EMOSI BALEI, Suva
Best PM
IN 50 odd years, who do you think has been Fiji’s best prime minister?
I am not going to venture into the other end of the scale.
MOHAMMED IMRAZ JANIF, Natabua, Lautoka
Collection
THANK you Suva City Council for collecting our garbage last Sunday (May 2) as the Saturday collection could not be done because of the lockdown.
Much appreciated.
VIJAY P MADHAVAN, Borron Rd, Suva
Brutality claim
I AGREE with everything Ashwin Raj, the director of the Fiji Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, says about the latest case of alleged police brutality involving eight police officers and one military man against a man from Loa Village (Rights body investigates brutality claim FT 8/5).
Will it take us our own George Floyd moment to realise that law enforcement officers must act within the law?
There is no provision in the rule of law in a democracy for the police to buturaki a citizen who has fallen foul of the law, no matter how abhorrent we might find his transgression.
RAJEND NAIDU, Sydney, Australia
Queues
IN our efforts to practise social distancing and contain COVID-19, we now see people everywhere in queues such as in supermarkets, banks, ATMs, vaccination centres and municipal markets, hospitals and now new lines in front of Vodafone outlets, Chicken Express outlets, Digicel shops as very soon to the home care assistance booth.
Times are hard, good times will prevail as time is the barrier of all the wounds.
Stay blessed, stay safe.
God bless Fiji.
SUNIL CHAND, Nadi
PM’s office
SUKHA, I believe a deal has been made, nothing will stop them from going ahead with the $7 million office (FT/8/7).
Let’s hope it does not become another swimming pool project.
DAN URAI, Lautoka
$7m question
OVER the past few days I heard and read so many comments about our PM’s new office complex.
So far not a single view in favour of this huge project.
I believe when our PM was in military and also as a Military Commander, he may have had different views but now he moves around and mixes with the people on the ground.
He sees the real sufferings of our people in the rural and semi rural areas.
Because of this unexpected crisis created by this monster COVID-19, I get a feeling that our PM is not that cruel to proceed with this expensive project while our poor are suffering and may be dying because of hunger and medicine shortage.
VIJAY MAHARAJ
Syria Park monument
THE month of May holds two very significant events especially for the descendants of the Girmityas who have made Fiji their only home.
On May 14, 1879 the first ship arrived in Levuka loaded with labourers designated for the cane fields.
Another important occasion was when the steel hull ship Syria ran aground on the Nasilai Reef, only four miles from shore, at 8.30pm on Sunday, May 11, 1884 with the loss of 59 lives.
This was the worst maritime disaster in the history of Fiji.
On this fateful voyage, the Syria left Calcutta on March 13, 1884 carrying 497 passengers.
The journey was uneventful except that the route, through the Indian Ocean and travelling south of Australia to utilise the prevailing winds, took only 58 days which was two weeks less than expected.
To mark the disaster of Syria a monument was built in 1983 in Nausori Town with the information and the original ship figure head mounted on the plaque.
The monument in the Syria Park area is about 20 feet squared in size and located at the Nausori end of the old Rewa Bridge and had concrete railing around the area.
The late Adi Lelea Cakobau laid the foundation of the commemorative structure and the local prominent people in the community were instrumental in constructing the site.
However, the site now is abandoned, damaged and urgently requires repairs.
Urgent restoration work must be implemented before the significance of history disappears.
I believe the Ministry of Education, Heritage and Arts should be responsible to maintain the place with great sentimental values and preserve such sites for the future generation to acknowledge and enjoy.
Just a week away from the anniversary of the 137th year of the very important event in our proud history, the Syria site in Nausori is dirty, dilapidated and about to fall over.
The rear of this historical site sinks and some people use it as a latrine due to the fact that the administrators are not bothered and is on the same track that the UNESCO site of Levuka.
This historical event later allowed the descendants of Indian indentured labourers given the title “luvedra na Ratu” (children of the high chief) in Noco, Rewa which itself is a historic achievement never witnessed in the country.
SATISH NAKCHED, Nasilivata Rd, Nadera
Price increase
IS it just me or has any other soul observed a conspicuous increase in staple food items at supermarkets ever since the COVID-19 cash assistance rolled out?
Please nai karo aise yaar.
NISHANT SINGH, Lautoka
Keep masked
IT is my belief which I know is shared by many that those who are still seen dangling their face mask from a finger; hanging it off one ear; wearing it below their nose or chin; or not wearing a mask at all are ignorant, selfish, senseless, reckless, negligent and have little intelligence despite all the messages we receive.
Do they think they’re invincible?
Are they not listening at all to the regular updates from the Ministry of Health and the permanent secretary for Health, Dr James Fong, whose pleas are sincere and desperate for the public to comply with COVID-19 safety measures?
I have seen security guards including those outside the Centre for Disease Control where COVID-19 swabs are taken for testing, police officers and parents with young children behaving in this way.
Each time I see someone not wearing a mask correctly, it makes me want to shout at them in anger.
These people will bring on the demise of our country.
Shame on you.
JULIE SUTHERLAND, Tamavua, Suva
