AS the Then India Sanmarga Ikya (TISI) Sangam Fiji journeys toward its centenary, the organisation continues to honour the vision and sacrifice of its founder, Sadhu Kuppuswamy.
His legacy ensured the survival and flourishing of the South Indian community in Fiji, even though most members today never had the chance to meet him.
Some people, however, still carry a living memory of that era.
One of them is Sal Indran Reddy, a pujari (priest) at the Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Kovil (temple) in Nadi.
Mr Reddy, now 77, recalls meeting Sadhu Kuppuswamy as a child and attending his funeral with fellow students.
Sadhu Kuppuswamy came to Fiji in 1912 at the age of 22 as an indentured labourer.
In May 1926, he founded TISI Sangam to uplift and unite the South Indian community.
He passed away in Nadi on August 2, 1956 after a short illness.
Going down memory lane, Mr Reddy shared that his father, Jaj Reddy, arrived in Fiji as a Girmitiya and married Waliamma Pillay, whose parents were also Girmitiya.
He has three sisters and four brothers, some of whom are still alive today.
Raised from the age of three by his maternal grandmother, Wardamma Pillay, Mr Reddy remembers her selling sweets in the Nadi area.
“The old Nadi temple was just near our house and I used to go there since I was small to offer prayers or just sit down and observe the priests,” he said.
“Sadhu Kuppuswamy lived in the ashram near the temple and I remember seeing him almost every day. I met him when he was alive. I was very small then.
“I attended Nadi Sangam School from classes one to eight. I was in class two when Sadhu Kuppuswamy passed away in the ashram.
“His body was kept in the old temple for some time and I remember lining up with other students at his funeral and applying oil on his head. Sadhu Kuppuswamy was cremated at Wailoaloa in Nadi.”
Mr Reddy left school two weeks into class eight.
“After leaving school, I started helping my grandmother sell sweets. I can make all kinds of sweets too, something that I learned from her.”
At about 15 years old, he began learning about priesthood from Krishna Iyer, the head priest at the temple.
“He was from India and taught me many things about the Hindu religion and priesthood. He passed away in 1975 and I performed his final rites since he was not married and did not have children.”
In 1983, Mr Reddy furthered his priesthood training under Thiru Sivaachariya Mahaalingam Gurukkal, also from India.
He recalls that only the bodies of Sadhu Kuppuswamy and Krishna Iyer were ever kept at the old Nadi temple before their final rites were performed.
Mr Reddy married in 1984 and moved to Enamanu, outside Nadi Town.
He worked as a cleaner at the temple, earning $4 a day and meals, when a series of cyclones struck Fiji in early 1985.
He vividly remembers dropping Gurukkal at Nadi International Airport on the day of the first coup in 1987.
“I came back to Nadi Town in a taxi and had to borrow $1 from a priest to pay the fare. I became the assistant priest of the temple in 1987 and Chinna Chetty was the head priest after Gurukkal’s departure. Later, Anil Pujari from Velovelo in Lautoka came as head priest.
“The new Nadi temple was opened in 1994 and following Anil Pujari’s departure after Diwali that year, I was the acting head priest for three months.”
Reflecting on Sadhu Kuppuswamy’s vision, Mr Reddy said: “He did a great thing by founding and establishing TISI Sangam, making education a priority as the way forward for the South Indian community.”
“From what I know and remember, Sangam is an organisation for everyone. Whatever religion you follow, God is one. If you have a clean heart and mind, then everything is good. Our body is a temple of God,” he said.
Sangam Fiji is now on the Road to 100 years, with a calendar of events leading up to its centennial anniversary.
A grand celebration will be held in Nadi during the Easter weekend of 2026, coinciding with the annual Sangam convention.
The centennial will not only celebrate Sangam’s achievements but also reaffirm its role in shaping Fiji’s multicultural identity.
Sangam Fiji hopes the event will inspire younger generations to carry forward the values of unity, service, and education that Sadhu Kuppuswamy envisioned nearly a century ago.
It will be a moment to honour the past, celebrate the present, and chart a future where Sangam continues to stand as a beacon of heritage and progress.
AVINESH GOPAL is the communications and publicity officer for Then India Sanmarga Ikya Sangam Fiji
The old Nadi temple. Picture: SUPPLIED
Sal Indran Reddy (middle) with the temple’s head priest Mohan Gurukkal, left, and assistant priest Amit Naidu. Picture: SUPPLIED
