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added Category Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1954

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{{Short description|Fijian politician (1900–1954)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox Politician (general)
| name = Pandit Ami Chandra
| image = Ami Chandra.png
| imagesize =
| caption = Chandra in 1954
| title = Nominated Member of [[Legislative Council of Fiji|Legislative Council]]
| term_start = 1947
| term_end = 1950
| predecessor =
| successor =
| title2 =
| term_start2 =
| term_end2 =
| predecessor2 =
| successor2 =
| title3 =
| term_start3 =
| term_end3 =
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| title4 =
| term_start4 =
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| birth_date = 1900
| birth_place = India
| death_date = 13 March 1954
| death_place = Singapore
| party =
| residence =
| spouse = Sarvati Deviji
| profession = Educationist, trade unionist, politician
}}
[[File:AmiChandraDeviji.jpg|Chandra and his wife Deviji|thumb|right]]

'''Pandit Ami Chandra Vidyalankar''' (1900 – 13 March 1954) was an Indo-Fijian educator, preacher, labour leader, politician and football administrator. He served as a member of the [[Legislative Council of Fiji|Legislative Council]] between 1947 and 1953.

==Biography==
Chandra, a graduate of [[Gurukul Kangri University]] in India, arrived in Fiji on 22 December 1927 at the behest of the [[Arya Samaj in Fiji|Arya Samaj]], which wanted to improve the education standard of [[Indo-Fijians|Indo-Fijian]] students and promote [[Arya Samaj in Fiji]].

After a brief sojourn at Suva, he started teaching at the [[Gurukul Primary School]] in Saweni, [[Lautoka]]. In 1928 he became the Principal and under his leadership, boarding facilities were established at the school with 45 boarders out of a total population of 140, including 25 [[Fijians|native Fijian]] students. During his time as Principal, the school made remarkable progress and he was commended by the [[Governor of Fiji|Governor]], [[Arthur George Murchison Fletcher|Sir Murchison Fletcher]].

He was the founder of the [[Fiji Teachers Union]] in 1929 and its first President.<ref>{{cite book| last = Sharma | first = Guru Dayal | title = Memories of Fiji: 1887 – 1987 | publisher =Guru Dayal Sharma, Suva, Fiji | year = 1987 | page = 182 }}</ref> He was mentor of many of the early trade unionists and was the inspiration behind the formation of the ''Chini Mazdur Sangh'' (now known as the [[Sugar General Workers Union]]) and the [[Gold Mine Workers Union of Vatukoula]].<ref name="Vijay R. Singh 2006">Sir Vijay R. Singh, Speaking Out, Knightsbrook Publications, 2006, {{ISBN|0-9775166-0-1}}</ref> He was seen as a person who could be trusted by all sections of the Indian community, and when the [[Kisan Sangh]] split into two factions in 1943, both sides agreed to have the union's books audited by him.<ref>A.P. Sharma, ''A History of Fiji Kisan Sangh'', Vicas Press, Lautoka, Fiji, 2005</ref> He was the president of the Fiji Industrial Workers Congress (now the [[Fiji Trades Union Congress]]), an umbrella organisation representing all but one of the unions in Fiji. He promoted multi-racial trade unions and opposed the participation of any trade union in politics.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2R3Nk3jUlsC&dq=%22ami+chandra%22&pg=PA9 Industrial associations and local politics.]</ref>

In 1930 Chandra moved to Suva where he was instrumental in the establishment of Arya Samaj Girls School at Samabula. Later, he went to [[Ba District, Fiji|Ba]], establishing another school, Arya Kanya Pathshala (Arya Girls School).

While in [[Ba District, Fiji|Ba]] Chandra was also recruited by the [[Colonial Sugar Refining Company (Fiji)|Colonial Sugar Refining Company]] (CSR) to teach company employees and overseers to speak proper Hindi and understand Indian culture. His greatest contribution was the series of books, ''Hindi Ki Pothi'' (Hindi Readers), that he published to enable Indian students to learn Hindi easily.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kanwal |first=Jogindar Singh |title=A hundred years of Hindi in Fiji |year= 1980|publisher=Fiji Teachers Union |location= Suva, Fiji|page = 79}}</ref> These readers were compiled for students of different levels in primary schools and were used in Fiji for over twenty years.

In 1935, with support from CSR, he formed the [[Ba Province|Ba]] Indian Football Association with a local league which grew to four teams by 1940.<ref>M. Prasad, ''Sixty Years of Soccer in Fiji 1938–1998: The Official History of Fiji Football Association'', Fiji Football Association, Suva, 1998</ref>

Between 1947 and 1950 he was a nominated member of the Legislative Council,<ref name=PIM/> working closely with [[Vishnu Deo]].

In 1950, he opened a post primary class for youth using volunteer professionals from a cross section of society in Ba.

Chandra died in [[1954 BOAC Lockheed Constellation crash|a plane crash]] in [[Singapore]] on 13 March 1954.<ref name=PIM>[https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-325729224/view?partId=nla.obj-325761529#page/n44/mode/1up/ Ami Chandra's Death is a Grave Loss to Fiji] ''Pacific Islands Monthly'', April 1954, p43</ref> He had been married to Sarvati Deviji and had four daughters; Saroj, Jyan, Pushpa and Om.<ref>{{Cite news
|title =Pandit Ami Chandra Family| newspaper = Arya Samaj Centenary Volume (1904–2004)| pages =59 | year =2004 }}</ref>

==Legacy==
On 16 March 1954, the Fiji Industrial Workers Congress, of which he was the President, set up and opened a fund to erect a building in his emory on the family land in Samabula, Suva (but a building was constructed for this purpose by the Arya Pratinhdhi Sabah of Fiji.<ref>''Fiji Times'', 4 March 1955</ref>

On 28 August 1956, during the Arya Samaj Golden Jubilee celebrations, he was posthumously awarded with the Dayanand Medal for Meritorious Service.

In 1957, the people of Tawakubu, [[Lautoka]] honoured him by establishing a primary school, which in his honour was named, the Ami Chandra Memorial School.

He was a man of great scholarship and humility and when he died in a plane crash in Singapore, on 13 March 1954, on his way to England as the guest of the British [[Trades Union Congress]],<ref name="Vijay R. Singh 2006"/> Fiji Indians suffered a great loss as he was also being touted as a future successor to Vishnu Deo. Reporting his death, the Fiji Times stated that, "He was a good citizen, wise in counsel, wide in sympathy, lofty in ideals and one who gave himself to the service of his fellow men."<ref>{{cite news|title=Death of Ami Chandra|publisher=[[Fiji Times]]|date=26 March 1954}}</ref>

== References ==
<references/>

==External links==
{{Wikiquotepar|Ami Chandra}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandra, Ami}}
[[Category:1900 births]]
[[Category:1954 deaths]]
[[Category:Arya Samajis in Fiji]]
[[Category:Indo-Fijian writers]]
[[Category:Fijian trade unionists]]
[[Category:Indian emigrants to Fiji]]
[[Category:Indian members of the Legislative Council of Fiji]]
[[Category:Gurukul Kangri University alumni]]
[[Category:20th-century Fijian educators]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Singapore]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1954]]

Ami Chandra - Revision history

imported>Voceta: added Category Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1954