_____________________________________________________________________________ _ ___ _ \\\\\___| | | __| / \ ___\"-._ /////~~~| | | _| / _ \~~~/.-' |_| |_| /_/ \_\ www.indo-fiji.webs.com INDO-FIJI ACTION www.tinyurl.com/indofiji _____________________________________________________________________________ PANDIT DR. VIVEKANAND SHARMA 1938 - 2006 AN AUTHORITY ON HINDI (Fiji) Thousands mourn the death of Pandit Dr Vivekanand Sharma ji who died on Saturday 9th September, 2006 - aged 68. Son of Mr and Mrs Rama Nand Sharma of Votualevu, Nadi , he had belonged to a large family of ten brothers and sisters. The family was basically dependent on cane farming but an uncle was a school teacher who went to Gurukul Kangadi, India in 1929 and the grandfather - a girmitiya - was, besides being a farmer, a priest, sirdar and a shopkeeper. Panditji completed his primary education at Votualevu Government School, secondary at Shri Vivekananda High School and then joined Nasinu Teachers College for teacher training. To appease his inherent and burning desire to study in India, he sacrificed a lot, and did his Bachelors and then Masters Degrees from the University of Delhi and Ph.D. in Hindi Literature from Sardar Patel University. Leaving aside the books he read, perhaps his Baba (aaja), Swami Bhaskaran Iyarand A.D.Patel had the greatest influence in his life. He was a vegetarian, non smoker and non drinker- bright, diligent, pertinent, and enthusiastically and unselfishly devoted to Hindi language, culture and customs. He was a 'renowned academic' and a 'great knowledgeable man' with multifarious nature and warmth to his personality. Pandit ji, who read and traveled widely, was a true son of Fiji and an icon. He was a writer and producer of several stage plays and radio and television programmes besides being the editor of Lahar, Sanskriti, Udyachal, Prashant Samachar, Sanatan Sandesh and Jagriti at different times. During his life time he wrote and published 29 books and contributed several articles for various publications. His most notable books are Prashant ki Laahren Part 1 and 2 and Saral Hindi Vayakran with accompanying Pupils Activity Books which were studied in Fiji Primary schools; Anjaan Kshitij ki Ore (Towards Unknown Horizons - a novel based on a jamnapari Brahman girmitiya family); Sanatan Vishva Kosh Vol 1 (Encyclopedia: Indian Culture); Fiji mei Sanatan Dharam ka Sau Saal (research); Hindu Sanskar - Parv aur Utsava; Hamare Granth; Hamare Teohar; Jab Manavta Karah Uthi; Fiji ke Pradhan Mantri (Ratu Mara) and several other books on sanatan pooja. His essay "Fiji : Bharat se door ek Chhota Bharat- was used in an Indian Government prescribed text book for Central Board of Secondary Education. He was the Founder and the President of Hindi Maha Parishad of Fiji and the founder of Votualevu Tirth Dhaam (Hindu Pilgrimage Centre) - the first and only one of its kind in Fiji since its inception in 1970) Founder, Principal and the Manager of Maharishi Sanatan College. He had the honor to serve as the General Secretary and later as the National President of Shri Sanatan Dharm Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji and as an advisor of Shri Sanatan Dharam Brahman Purohit Sabha of Fiji. He was the Chairman, Hindi Work Groups, Curriculum Development Unit, Ministry of Education, Fiji. After retiring from the University of the South Pacific as the Hindi Programme Coordinator, he continued serving the Hindi starved population by establishing Prashant Publishing and Recordings Ltd. In Ratu Mara's Government he was a Senator and later a State Minister for Youth and Sports and the present Prime Minister Honourable Laisenia Qarase had appointed him as a national member for his Indian Council of Fiji. His ambition to be a politician may have kindled during his association with A.D.Patel, but it certainly became passionate when he was elected the Founder President of International Youth Federation, University of Delhi. He had been a very active Board Director of Fiji Broadcasting Corporation and was on several other committees at national level. During World Hindi Convention in Mauritius he was appointed Vice President of World Bhojpuri Secretariat and a Senior Member of World Hindi Secretariat. He was also awarded Hindi Bhushan by the Uttar Pradesh Government of India - the first recipient of Indian origin born outside India. World Bhojpuri Convention honoured him with "Vishwa Bojpuri Sammaan" and the Vishva Hindi Sanskriti Sansthan honoured him with Vishjva Hindi Sammaan. Locally, he was decorated with the rare award of Sanatan Ratan by Shree Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji in 2004 Behind him he leaves, his five children, four brothers, a large family and a substantial group of followers and devotees. The legacy of his immense contribution towards promotion and propagation of multi-ethnic, multi-lingual and multi-cultural goodwill and understanding via national and international platforms, it’s envisaged, will benefit generations to come. There may not be another Vivekanand Sharma for many years to come. He was indeed an institution and we shall ever be rini (indebteded) to him. Some of his quotable quotes are: 'How can they who leave their mothers naked, clothe others’ mothers in saris' 'Do your duty righteously and leave the rest on Bajrangi Baba' 'Never turn away any one disappointed from your compound' 'Language means culture, culture means identity' 'Make Hindi the vehicle of communication to protect our civilization which gives us our identity' 'Life is short, let it be great' Satya sharma Navua Sunday, September 17, 2006 Email: Satyamns@connect.com.fj ____________________________________________________________________________ Reprinted under the Fair Use http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html Doctrine of International Copyright Law ____________________________________________________________________________