Badri Maharaj

**Badri Maharaj**, Fiji ke Legislative Council ke pahila Hindustani sadasya banaa, jab uske 1917 me, Fiji ke Governor Hindustani log ke khatir Council me manonit karis. Fiji ke Hindustani logan isse khushi nai rahin aur wakiil, Manilal Doctor ke aapan leader maangat rahin. Uu 1920 aur 1921 ke strike ke virod karis rahaa aur ii nai maangat rahaa ki Hindustani log India laut jaae. Maharaj, Council ke bahas me bahut kamti hissa liis rahaa aur kuchh khaas visay, jaise ki girmit ke khatam kare waala prathao aur Hindustani ke sex ratio, sikchha aur ghar ke sudhare waala prasthao me kuchh nai bolis. Uske Council me thora kuchh yogdaan me hae, ii maang ki Kaiviti log ke rakam ek Indian Administration bhi suruu karaa jaawe jon ki panchayat ke rakam rahe. Uu chhota larrkan ke saadi ke virod karis aur Poll tax ke virod me uu 1923 me Council se resign kar diis. 1926 me sakar fir se Maharaj ke 1929 talak Council ke member banais. Uu sikchha me bahut yogdaan diis aur Fiji me Hindustani log khatir pahila school bhi banais rahaa. Maharaj, Fiji me Arya Samaj ke samarthan karat rahaa aur uske Dayanand Medal for Meritorious Service dewa gais rahaa.

## Fiji me girmit aur kisani

Maharaj 1868 me Bamoli gaon, Badrinath, Uttarakhand, India me paida bhaes rahaa. Use pitaji, Pandit Rashi Rasu, ek jyotishi rahaa Uu Fiji 1889 me girmit me aais rahaa aur Melbourne Trust Company ke Penang Mill me, paanch shilling aur chhe penny ke talab, paanch aur aadha din ke khatir talab pe kaam kar lagaa. Tiin saal ke baad uu aapan girmit se paisa de ke chhutkara paae ke Company ke estate me kaam kare lagaa. Kaahe ki uu parrhe likhe jaanat rahaa, uske Company ke loharkhana (blacksmith) ke garage me equipment ke record rakkhe ke khatir kaam me lagawa gais. Uu hian pe loharkhana waala kaam bhi sikh ke Company ke loharkhana ke in-charge banaa.

1900 me uu 4000 bigha jamiin lease me liis jisme se uu 500 bigha me kheti karis au baaki jamiin ke chaua charrae khatir rakhis. 1914 talak uske jamiin me 300 asaami log raha  rahin. .

Uu sab se pahila Fiji ke Hindustani rahaa jon ki Hindustani larrkan loagan khatir sikchha ke khatir kuch kare ke sochis aur 1898 me Fiji ke Hindustani logan khatir pahila school, Wairuku Indian School banais. Ii school me Ratu Sukuna bhi parrhis rahaa.

## Legislative Council ke member

1916 me, jab sarkar ii faisla pe pahucha ki ek Hindustani ke Legislative Council me manonit kare ke chaahi, tab Badri Maharaj ke manonit karaa gais. Ii Hindustani logan ke pasand nai rhaha kahe ki uu logan mangat rahin ki Manilal Doctor ke manonit karaa jae kaaheki Manilal ek wakiil rahaa aur Maharaj ke ek unparr kisan socha jaawat rahaa. Fiji Times bhi ii salah diis ki chaahe Manilal nai to C. F. Andrews ke manonit karaa jae.

Maharaj Council ke bahas me bahut kamti hissa liis aur aur kuchh khaas visay, jaise ki girmit ke khatam kare waala prathao aur Hindustani ke sex ratio, sikchha aur ghar ke sudhare waala prasthao me kuchh nai bolis.

### Council me yogdaan

1918 me Badri Maharaj prasthao rakkhis ki Fiji me Hindustani logan khatir panchayat system suruu karaa jae. Uu Agent-General of Immigration ke lage ek chitthi me likkhis ki panchayat se Hindustani logan khatir nyaay sahaj hoe jai aur koi vivaad jaldi se sujh jaai. Agar jo koi bagal ke admii panchayat nai mangis tab case ke court ke lage lae jawa jae. Panchayat me me dunoo Hindu aur Muslim ke hoe ke chaahi jisse ke duuno dharam ke biich me bawaal nai hoe.  Uu sarkar ke batais ki uu panchayat chune kare ke taeyar hae aur bolis ki isse Hindustani rahan sahan ke bachawa jaaae sake hae aur Hindustani logan khus rahi. Agent-General of Immigration jawab diis ki ii achchhaa khayal hae aur India aur duusra colony se pataa lagae ke batais ki aur koi jagha ii parbandh nai hae aur iske Fiji me suruu karnaa khatra se kamti nai hae aur uu time uske suruu kare khatir thiik nai hae.

1919 me Legislative Council Marriage law ke badle ke bahas suruu karaa gais jisse ki Hindustani logan me dharmic saadi ke maanata dewa jaae. Badri Maharaj ek amendment rakkhis jisme uu legal marriage age ke uupar kare ke samarthan karis lekin larrka logan khatir legal age 16 aur larrki logan khatir 13 rakhe ke prasthao rakhis. Uu Legislative Council ke Hindu culture ke baare me samjhaes lekin Council uske baat nai sunis.

### Government ke samarthak
Maharaj ke government "achchha character waala admii" maanat rahaa lekin uske lage Hindustani log me bahut kamti samarthan rahaa. Jab 1920 me Vashist Muni Fiji aais rahaa, aur Fiji ke western division me meeting karat rahaa, tab Maharaj uske baare me Government ke lage report bhejat rahaa.

Maharaj, Indian Franchise Commission, jiske August 1920 me banawa gais rahaa Hindustani logan ke Council me representative select kare ke system khatir, ke khaali ek Hindustani sadasya rahaa. Badri Maharaj ek commissioner raha jab 31 January 1920 ke Government ek commission appoint karis Hindustani logan ke talab ke baare me jaankari le ke khatir.

Badri Maharaj, 1920 me Central Division waala strike ke virod karis. Uu majdur logan ke batais ki uu logan ke kaam par laut jae ke chaahi aur Manilal ke baat nai sune ke chaahi. Nausori ke ek meeting me Maharaj majur log ke chetauni diis ki harrtaal kharab hae aur andolan kare waala logan ke baat nahi sune ke chaahi.

### Council se resign
July 1923 me sarkar ek legislation Council me rakkhis jisme sab admii logan jon ki Kaiviti nai hae aur 18 se 60 ke umar ke biich me hae ke ek poll tax bhare ke parri. Maharaj iske virod karis aur aapan seat se resign kar dis. 

1926 me Young Men’s Indian Association sarkar se ek Indian member ke nominae kare ke maang karis aur sarkar fir se Maharaj ke nominate kar diis. Ii tike bhi sarkar Hindustani logan ke maang ke virod me kaam karis kaahe ki Hindustani logan  Dr A. Deva Sagayam ke aapanmember maangat rahin

## Arya Samaj ke samarthak

Badri Maharaj, Fiji me Arya Samaj ke ek suruu kare waala sadasya me se ek rahaa. Uu dharam aur sikchha khatir bahut paisa diis. 28 August 1956 me Arya Samaj ke Golden Jubilee celebrations me uske posthumously Dayanand Medal for Meritorious Service dewa gais.

## References

* C.F. Andrews and W.W. Pearson, Indian Indentured Labour in Fiji, Perth, 1918
* Girmit Diwas 125 years commemorative magazine, 2004
* A. Ali, Plantation to Politics, Studies on Fiji Indians, University of the South Pacific, Suva
* K.L. Gillion, Fiji’s Indian Migrants, A History to the end of the Indenture in 1920, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1962
* K.L. Gillion, The Fiji Indians, A Challenge to European Dominance 1920-1946, Australian National University Press, Canberra, 1977
* J.D. Kelly, A Politics of Virtue, University of Chicago, Chicago, 1991
* A. Ali, Fiji and the Franchise:A History of Political Representation 1900 - 1937, iUniverse Lincoln, 2008, ISBN 978-0-595-45021-3