Namaste, Ramram & Greetings
INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
To all those who know me I need no introduction. For the benefit of the younger descendants of Nana Bachu Sardar and Nani Mrs. Sirtaji Bachu Sardar also known as Sardarin, I would like to inform how I fit in the large clan of Bachu family.
I am 70 years old +, the eldest surviving grandson of Nana & Nani Bachu Sardar & Sardarin. From my infancy, I lived in the household of Nani at Samabula with my mother and sister Vimla.
My memories go back to the days when Nani, Bhaiya (Balram Bachu) I will explain the Bhaiya part later, my uncles Nandlal, Tulsiram, Parshuram, my aunt Dayawati, my mum Ramkuar and my sister Vimla lived in the original Bachu home which was at the front of and at a higher level than the one most of the younger family members may remember. .There was a large mango tree beside the house toward the road. There was a water standpipe in front of the house .The section then sloped towards the back leading down to a creek (with some fish, eels and prawns) and then rising steeply towards what we know as Bhawan.. Our grandmother had great foresight in planting many types of fruit trees, and there were many wild fruits trees such as guavas coconuts etc. growing by themselves. It was a big piece of land. My mother bought a jersey cow and named her “Munni”.The family used milk from this cow which, as I remember, was milked mostly by my mother and :”Nandu” ( I will explain about this also as we go along.). Other uncles got Para Grass for Munni.
THE HISTORY OF BACHU FAMILY IN SAMABULA, SUVA
My mother`s account of Nana ji.(Cousin Vishnu has related quite a bit and I will not repeat that.) Being an evid hunter, when he went to shoot pigeons on this fateful day, he took his 10 year old son Balram with him (to collect shot pigeons) He had shot some pigeons and was ready to return when he saw this fat one . He found a vantage point which happened to be a stump of a chopped Sekho tree, beside an incline (slope). He climbed on to it and was taking aim with loaded gun when he slipped and fell down the slope. Accidently the trigger got pulled somehow and the gun fired , hitting him in the stomach. The son ran home to get help and nana was brought home still alive but fatally wounded. All was done to save him but to no avail. Nana expressed his desire to see his youngest son Tulsi. He was brought to him and some time after that he passed away.(Please note that his son Parshu was not born at this time.)
Police were involved in this accidental death and were harassing Bhaiya Balram alleging that he shot his father. At this time there was a man called Ambika Prasad Maharaj. He was well known to the family. He came over and stopped the Police from alleging that Bhaiya had shot his father.
During the big flu epidermic post World War 1, Nana was instrumental in caring for the people and arranged for face masks to be used with camphor wrapped in it.This saved many lives by keeping the infection at bay.
Funeral rituals took place and sometimes later the family moved from Mataralevu, Mavua, near Deuba to Samabula property in Suva. My parents lived in Dilkusha, Nausori, where my father was a school teacher. For sometime, my uncle Nandlal stayed with them. when he was a young boy. My parents divorced and hence my mum, Vimla and I moved to Nani`s home which became my home till I was about six years old.
I remember distinctly that one day Bhaiya came back from work, took a spade and held me by the hand and went to an area at the back of the house near a sareefa tree (Sawsop) and said “Hum log hea ghar banayak hoi”. He then struck the ground with the spade and turned the first sod over and started leveling the ground. This was the begining of the building of the house that all remember till this day . Some Buabua posts were delivered by someone
Members of the family got together with Bhaiya`s some work friends and the work progressed. The next thing I remember is the right side frame being pulled up by family members and friends and put in place and then the house being completed. The family moved into this home since then.
In the front right side was the sitting room, and we all called it verandah.On the left was a bedroom occupied by Nandu, Tulsi and Parshu. Next to it was the bedroom used by my mum Daya and I also slept there.The room behind the sitting room was occupied by Bhaiya..The one behind this was Nani`s room where Vimla, Guddi (Vishnu’s sister Krishna) also slept.The dining room was across from this room. There was a passage across the building, open on the right side and then the kitchen at the left and a bathroom on the right.Later, during school holidays, my cousin Vishnu, still very young , used to come from Lokia and stay with us. I will never forget that Daya used to put me to sleep by telling me stories and singing to me just about every night.
As stated by others, Nani read and instilled the values of Hindu religious books into all at home.This was done just about every evening when all sat in the sitting room on the floor and listened to Nani who explained the meaning of what was read (Arth lagawe ) Another book read was ALHA. Nandu was an expert in this and read it with such a zest about the warriors Alha and Udal that it filled all of us with zeal.
We all had a vegetable plot in the back yard and we all had some chicken in the Darba .
When chicken was killed, it was Murgi ke Surwa, so that all could enjoy the chicken taste with a few pieces of meat. (No wonder we enjoy Murgi ke surwa even now!)
If Someone got sick, Nani used to make medicine out of Guava leaves, jamun ke chhilka, karaila leaves etc. and give it to us. All was well. Once a week a piece of Kala namak was given to all of us.
No one being young one in the family, Bhaiya told me to call him Bhaiya, and to this day address him so. Having been brought up in this home, everyone called each other by their name and so did I. The only one not to be called by name was my mother whom all called Didiya. Bhaiya always consulted nani if he had to do something important and then he used to come to my mother and ask “Didiya, tum ka socho hai, tumhar ka bichaar hai ?”
I do not remember the outbreak of 2nd World War.I1 but I do remember Bhaiya working in digging the Air Raid Shelter with PWD people. Sometimes he used to take me with him and I used to get rides on the trolley used to dump soap stones outside near the creek
I then remember soldiers and army convoys going along the road and when they stopped for rest, I used to run to them with jug of water and glass and was rewarded by chocolates by NZ soldiers. There was an army camp which was later turned into Destitute Home (Dipu).
Nani had good friends in Samabula.She used to visit them and take me with her to their homes There was this lady called Arbiain.She lived alone and was Charcoal black. Apparently her husband was an Arabian. She was meticulously clean herself and also her house, inside out.She made the best Karaila ke Kalaunji . They ate this while they talked away. I also had a piece. Then there was Mangal Singh and Dhyan`s mother, Mrs Thakur Singh (She was Pundit Vishnu Deo`s sister as was Maina Mausi), Then there was Mrs Kandhai Singh (Pooran Singh`s father. Kanhai Singh was a large man and he used to drive a cart and horse and played a musical instrument called Algoja.
My interest was not in what they talked about but was to be with Nani. Family members used to call me “Nani ke poonch”
Another thing about Nani was her passion about keeping her teeth clean. Parshu and I had the duty of going to the keth and finding the best Bariyara of similar twigs for nani to make a brush by chewing and later by using the sill and lodha. She used charcoal and mustard oil and took about 15 to 20 minutes cleaning her teeth. She still had all her teeth till her death.
Bhaiya was very fond of Pork. When Bhaiya brought pork, Nani would not allow it to be cooked inside the house. My mother and Bahiya used to cook it under the kitchen in separate pot. Most of the family except Nani and Daya ate pork. It was a real treat when wild pork was brought home. It was Nani`s belief that education was very important and at that time teaching was a noble profession and the highest one could go to in Fiji.
During the war, when German warship Bismark was close to Suva, government ordered the evacuation of Suva. We all went to Mausa Punwasi `s place in Nasinu
Prior to going Bhaiya had to put up Coal tar Paper curtains to prevent light showing outside. When all clear was given we returned to Samabula.
My mother, Vimla and I moved out from nani`s place and my mother went to work in rubber plantation where her father used to be the Sardar. I remember those hard but happy days and can remember the American soldiers who had a camp there.
At this place my mother married my step father, Ram Karan. We moved to Suva where both my step father and my mother worked and educated me and my sister Vimla. We called my step father Kaka and so did most of my cousins .
My mother eventually worked for my Mausi Latch who wanted to go back to teaching.
Who could be better than my mother to look after her children, Kishore, Kiran and Lata were virtually brought up by my parents., hence their love for them. I used to go to Samabula Government School and after school go to Latch’s place before going home with my mother.
Tribute to a person who sacrificed his youth and adulthood to educate and make the Bachu family members what they are today.
Mr Balram Bachu (Bhaiya ). Bhaiya, being the eldest male in the household, I was told, went to work at the age of 13 to help Nani when they moved to Samabula from Mataralevu, Mavua.
By this time my mausi, Mrs Punwasi, my mother and my aunt Rampiari (Vishnu`s mum) were already married, while Nana was alive.
I do not remember when Mausi Dropati was married, but I do know that Bhaiya was the breadwinner at that time, according to my mother.
Thereafter, Bhaiya was responsible for the education of Latch, Nandu and Daya, who all became school teachers. Tulsi could not go to school regularly due to severe attacks of asthma, so much so that at times we thought that he would die. Parshu attended Samabula
Government school and then on request was sent to Seventh Day Adventists School in Tailevu, and later worked as an Accountant and owned a business of his own.
Tulsi became a Taxi Driver and later Pacific Transport Coach Driver as remembered by younger family members.
Bhaiya was also a great supporter of Nandu and Parshu in their quest in soccer. As stated by others, they excelled in this field to become representatives in Fiji Soccer Team for years
All this, required Bhaiya’s dedication and sacrifice of his own enjoyment and pleasures of life. His main concern, quest and aim in his life was the wellbeing of his brothers and sisters. According to my mother, when Bhaiya achieved these goals, then he was persuaded to get married.
Bhaiya got married to a lady from Navua. I can remember her. She was quite nice to me.
Bhaiya had got accustomed to the habit of devoting most of his energy for the wellbeing of his family. And this was a habit hard to break. He was a devoted husband. They had a child who died at birth. What went wrong in their marriage, I do not know, but eventually they divorced and Bhaiya was alone again. It appeared that he was deeply hurt, but carried on with life seeing the marriage of Nandu Daya and Parshu.
Bhaiya then built his own house next to Nani’s House.
Nandu had been teaching at various places in Fiji and eventually he also built his house in Vatoa Rd, Tamavua.
Bhaiya asked Parshu and Kina to come and live with him, which they did. They later bought their own place and moved out into there own house in Ruve Street.
At this stage someone arranged a marriage for Bhaiya to Raj’s mother.The marriage took place and Bhaiya was very happy. His duties were over and he devoted his life to his new wife and later to their son Awanindra (Raj) Bachu. I had not seen Bhaiya in such happy state for such a long time. I was very close to him. So much so that when my mother, Vimla and I had moved out from Bachu home, we did not have electricity in our home I was about to sit for my Junior Cambridge Exams, and Bhaiya asked me to stay with him so that I could study with electric light and he said that if I passed my exams, he would award me with a watch. True to his words he did that. I still have that watch.
He also took me in to study from his home at Senior Cambridge time. I passed well again.
After my studies at Fiji School of Medicine, I got married and thereafter worked in Public service around the country, but always kept in close touch with Bhaiya. Actually Bhaiya had seen Sarla before we got married and had mentioned that he would like to see her coming in his family. I am glad that I fulfilled his wishes.
He visited us wherever I was stationed. He came to New Zealand with Parshu to my mother’s funeral despite his ill health. I will never forget that. He was so close to us.
I always visited him after he went to Sydney. I think he had briefed his granddaughters before my arrival because when I went to their house, these young cute girls gave me their bedroom and lo and behold, Bhaiya had pork all ready to be cooked when I arrived. He always treated me like his young brother
Although, I was very sick. I could not keep away when he passed away, and miss his funeral. I am very grateful that his brothers and sisters and the whole family requested me to pay homage to him and deliver the Eulogy at his funeral
He left a huge vacuum in our family.
I can see his qualities in Raj. Calm, well thought out opinion, ready to listen to others and thoughtful for his family. I am very proud that he has been instrumental in arranging for this re-union.
If not for Bhaiya Balram, Bachu family would not be where they are today.
I salute him and so should we all.
1974 and 1975 were very tragic years for the Bachu family. These were the year when Nasinu wali mausi, my father James Ram Lochan and Nani passed away. Nani in 1975
When Nani passes away, I was asked to go to Lokia to give the sad news to Rampiari mausi. We came back to Samabula for the funeral. As someone mentioned, it was Nani’s wish that her funeral pier be made of Bamboo Tikthi. That this should not have any nail or staples in the construction. The only person who had the art of making it was Madho Prasad, Vishnu`s elder brother. Daya and others decorated the tikthi with beautiful cloth, lacing and ribbons and Nani was thus cremated, in terms of her wishes
There are so many things that I wish to write about Nani but my article is so long as it is.
The great Matriach and pillar of Bachu family, our Nani, had gone from this world but happy memories of her will, forever, remain, with me and I am sure with all who knew her,
I came to live in New Zealand and eventually and got my mother and kaka to New Zealand to live with me permanently My mother passed away in 1988 and another member of Bachu family left this world. Then Tulsi passed away in USA, followed by Latch. Nandu always used to say that “Fiji mei payda bhaya hae, our Fiji me marega”. He had emigrated to Australia with his family, but had returned to Fiji for a wedding. At that time Latch passed away and 12 days later, true to his words, and also as Lata has said in her article, Nandu, passed away in Suva, Fiji, but had his funeral in Sydney.
We now have one son of Nana and Nani, Parshu, with us. We wish him all the best and look forward to his participation at the re-union
Health permitting, Sarla and I will attend this great re-union so that we can meet all the young ones of our clan who we have not seen so far. It will also be a time when those of us who have never met before will have the opportunity to meet so that our future generation will continue to know the Bachu Sardar heritage
I wish to congratulate the organizers of this re-union for their sterling work. In particular, Raj, Kamal, Ravi, Lata, Bijendra and off course Vanita. Forgive me if I have forgotten to mention someone .
My immediate family comprises of my wife Sarla, our eldest daughter Cecilia Ashla, her husband Rajiv Kaushik, their children (our grandchildren ) Rahul and Meera, our youngest daughter Joyce Varsha, her husband Jason Paul and their son Millan (our 3rd grandson
Lots of love to you all.
God Bless.