Hindi in Fiji

The Indians were brought to Fiji from 1879 as indentured labourers by the then British Government. This indentured system, popularly known as "Girmit" ended in 1916. The Girmit Indians braved the torture and torments of the British/Australian overseers in the fields by getting together in the evenings to recite Ramacharit Manas, stories of Aalha-Udan, Baital Pachisi, etc. to keep themselves motivated and not to give up. Education was highly respected and they knew that it was education that would pull them out of their current status. Volunteers of Rama Krishna Mission, Sadhu Vashist Muni, and others established schools for Indian children. Over the years a conversational dialect developed that is now known as "Fiji-Hindi". However, on formal occasions and in schools, the standard Hindi remained the accepted language. There are prominent individuals who made significant contributions to keep Hindi alive in Fiji. This channel is dedicated to their work.