Kallu Dhani Ram
Encyclopedia
Kallu Dhani Ram is the General Secretary of the oldest farmers union in Fiji
, the Fiji Kisan Sangh
. He has been one of the few people who has been involved with the Sangh since being inspired to join it by its founder, Ayodhya Prasad
, in 1939. He has made valuable contribution to the sugar industry in Fiji.
. His parents Kallu of Belapratapgadh and Ragnathi of Jawanpur in India
were among the last load of indentured labourers who arrived in 1916 abroad the Sutlej. Like other second generation Fiji Indians, his early life was spent working on the family farm with no prospect of any education. There were only a handful of schools in Ba in the 1930s and they taught only Tamil and English, so he started attending evening classes. He started attending the Koronubu Bhartiya Parshala in a neighbouring settlement in 1938. He spent only three years in school before returning to his family cane farm in 1941. On the advice of Pandit Ami Chandra he left his farm and took up employment in Ba town as a tailor. In 1949, he opened his own shop but in 1954 he sold his business and returned to his farm. In 1944, he married to Shiv Dulari.
(CSR) to vacate their farms and people were afraid to join the union. He has been the general secretary of the Fiji Kisan Sangh since 1979.
, established in Fiji to grant amnesty to perpetrators of the Fiji coup of 2000, and compensation to victims of it from 19 May 2000 through 15 March 2001. He joined the Yellow Ribbon campaign
opposing the legislation which he called an "abuse of power." He said that while the proposed Commission would be empowered to compensate coup victims for personal assault and loss of property, there was no provision to compensate people for the emotional trauma they had suffered. Moreover, he disagreed with the use of taxpayers' money to compensate victims of the coup. "It is most unfair to compensate the victims of wrongs done by the offender from taxpayers money because it amounts to compensating the victim from his own money," he said. The Kisan Sangh reiterated its opposition to the legislation on 7 July and again on 17 August, with Ram saying on both occasions that the bill would only aggravate tensions between the races, and would be a recipe for further coups in future. Even a wholly indigenous Fijian government would not be safe, he said.
In 2006, before the military coup, Ram supported plans by the Fiji military to clean up the Fiji government.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, the Fiji Kisan Sangh
Kisan Sangh
Kisan Sangh was the first farmers' union formed in Fiji on 27 November 1937. This was the result of one man's determination to improve the plight of Fiji's Indian cane farmers...
. He has been one of the few people who has been involved with the Sangh since being inspired to join it by its founder, Ayodhya Prasad
Ayodhya Prasad
Ayodhya Prasad Sharma was an Indo-Fijian farmers’ leader and politician, who formed the most successful farmers’ union in Fiji and forced the Colonial Sugar Refining Company to make concessions to farmers after 60 years of complete control over Fiji’s economy...
, in 1939. He has made valuable contribution to the sugar industry in Fiji.
Early life
Ram was born into a family of seven on 6 July 1923 at Vunisamaloa, in BaBa District, Fiji
Ba is a district situation on the North Western part of the island of Viti Levu in Fiji. The name Ba is also used for a province, a tikina , a town and a river. Ba district comprises the areas surrounding Ba Town and includes the Fijian administrative tikinas of Ba and Magodro. Ba district is in...
. His parents Kallu of Belapratapgadh and Ragnathi of Jawanpur in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
were among the last load of indentured labourers who arrived in 1916 abroad the Sutlej. Like other second generation Fiji Indians, his early life was spent working on the family farm with no prospect of any education. There were only a handful of schools in Ba in the 1930s and they taught only Tamil and English, so he started attending evening classes. He started attending the Koronubu Bhartiya Parshala in a neighbouring settlement in 1938. He spent only three years in school before returning to his family cane farm in 1941. On the advice of Pandit Ami Chandra he left his farm and took up employment in Ba town as a tailor. In 1949, he opened his own shop but in 1954 he sold his business and returned to his farm. In 1944, he married to Shiv Dulari.
Association with Fiji Kisan Sangh
Ram's desire and inspiration to fight for the rights of farmers began in 1939 when he first came in contact with the founder and first general secretary of Fiji Kisan Sangh, the late Pandit Ajodhya Prasad. It was during one of Pandit Prasad's pocket meetings that Ram attended as a 16-year-old where he was inspired to fight for the rights of farmers. Any one caught attending these meetings were given seven days notice by Colonial Sugar Refining CompanyColonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji)
The Colonial Sugar Refining Company began operations in Fiji in 1880 and until it ceased operations in 1973, had a considerable influence on the political and economic life of Fiji. Prior to its expansion to Fiji, the CSR was operating Sugar Refineries in Melbourne and Auckland...
(CSR) to vacate their farms and people were afraid to join the union. He has been the general secretary of the Fiji Kisan Sangh since 1979.
Opponent of amnesty to coup plotters
Ram opposed the Reconciliation and Unity CommissionReconciliation and Unity Commission (Fiji)
The Reconciliation and Unity Commission is a proposed government body to be set up if the Reconciliation, Tolerance, and Unity Bill, which was introduced into the Fijian Parliament on 4 May 2005 is passed...
, established in Fiji to grant amnesty to perpetrators of the Fiji coup of 2000, and compensation to victims of it from 19 May 2000 through 15 March 2001. He joined the Yellow Ribbon campaign
Yellow Ribbon campaign (Fiji)
Most Fijian politicians outside of the government have come out against the legislation to establish a Commission with the power, subject to presidential approval, to pardon perpetrators and compensate victims of the coup d'état against the elected government in 2000...
opposing the legislation which he called an "abuse of power." He said that while the proposed Commission would be empowered to compensate coup victims for personal assault and loss of property, there was no provision to compensate people for the emotional trauma they had suffered. Moreover, he disagreed with the use of taxpayers' money to compensate victims of the coup. "It is most unfair to compensate the victims of wrongs done by the offender from taxpayers money because it amounts to compensating the victim from his own money," he said. The Kisan Sangh reiterated its opposition to the legislation on 7 July and again on 17 August, with Ram saying on both occasions that the bill would only aggravate tensions between the races, and would be a recipe for further coups in future. Even a wholly indigenous Fijian government would not be safe, he said.
In 2006, before the military coup, Ram supported plans by the Fiji military to clean up the Fiji government.