A little bit of India in Fiji

Travelingbhat · Jun 28th, 2004, 14:35

Hi everyone,

I was out of town in Fiji on a little business trip and things are changing and moving on around here!

So going to Fiji made me even more homesick for India!! It was great to speak to people in Hindi in a country so far from India. Their Hindi was different than mainland India and almost felt like a dialect. Reminded me of my conversation with my haryana driver in Rajasthan. Most of the time we understood each other but a few times things just got lost in translation!

The fijian indian food was not as spicy as in South India but yummy!!! They even had samosas for breakfast as part of the western breakfast buffets!

The Fijian Indians even though 2nd or 3rd generation or more had a unique accent that was more Indian than Fijian. They all wore the classic 22 to 24 Carat gold jewelry and walking around Nadi felt like I was transported to Mangalore on a monsoon day (it was pouring rain!)

The landscapes, the houses, the countryside reminded me of South India's coastal areas as it was lush, green, humid and rainy at times.

Almost all the Indians I met had never been to India and I was surprised at how fluent they were with Hindi and how culturally ingrained into the Indian culture so far away from India.

Anyway, its late and thought I would pop on back ,say hi and share my little bit of India from Fiji. Dont get me wrong there is a lot more to Fiji than the indian culture, just didnt want to go on about that on IM as I am sure this is off topic enough!

Merchant · Jun 28th, 2004, 23:32

I haven't been to Fiji, but I have explored Indian communities in Dubai, Trinidad, and Guyana. It's amazing how resilient Indian culture is, the force it exerts on people who have never been to India. I'm not aware of another culture that continues to define its diaspora in some cases more than a century and a half after the emigrants departed the subcontinent.

Jun 28th, 2004, 14:35	#1
Travelingbhat Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Seattle, USA Posts: 98	A little bit of India in Fiji Hi everyone, I was out of town in Fiji on a little business trip and things are changing and moving on around here! So going to Fiji made me even more homesick for India!! It was great to speak to people in Hindi in a country so far from India. Their Hindi was different than mainland India and almost felt like a dialect. Reminded me of my conversation with my haryana driver in Rajasthan. Most of the time we understood each other but a few times things just got lost in translation! The fijian indian food was not as spicy as in South India but yummy!!! They even had samosas for breakfast as part of the western breakfast buffets! The Fijian Indians even though 2nd or 3rd generation or more had a unique accent that was more Indian than Fijian. They all wore the classic 22 to 24 Carat gold jewelry and walking around Nadi felt like I was transported to Mangalore on a monsoon day (it was pouring rain!) The landscapes, the houses, the countryside reminded me of South India's coastal areas as it was lush, green, humid and rainy at times. Almost all the Indians I met had never been to India and I was surprised at how fluent they were with Hindi and how culturally ingrained into the Indian culture so far away from India. Anyway, its late and thought I would pop on back ,say hi and share my little bit of India from Fiji. Dont get me wrong there is a lot more to Fiji than the indian culture, just didnt want to go on about that on IM as I am sure this is off topic enough!

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Jun 28th, 2004, 23:32	#2
Merchant Maha Guru Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: New York Posts: 2,096	I haven't been to Fiji, but I have explored Indian communities in Dubai, Trinidad, and Guyana. It's amazing how resilient Indian culture is, the force it exerts on people who have never been to India. I'm not aware of another culture that continues to define its diaspora in some cases more than a century and a half after the emigrants departed the subcontinent.

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