'Sovartha Shares Timeless Parenting Wisdom'

Sovartha, 94, believes raising children involves teaching values and beliefs that will later be their foundation in the future.

Ms Sovartha was one of the girmitya descendants honoured on the final day of the 145 Girmit Remembrance celebrations yesterday at the Lautoka Girmit Centre.

She lives in Navau, Ba, and has eight children, 23 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.

“I believe parents should also teach their children the right lessons starting from home,” she said.

“Learning to be honest and having good moral values, caring for each other and respecting their elders, but most importantly doing their prayers every day.”

She had four siblings and while she could not recall which part of India her parents came from, she said they settled first at Wairuku, Rakiraki.

“Then they moved to Ba. They were hired to work on farms as labourers and I remember I used to get water from far inland to wash clothes, I also used did rice farming and livestock farming, everything was grown at home ,we also would take the milk to make ghee,” she said.

“I have two sisters and two brothers. I was the youngest, so my sisters and parents were girmitiyas. I was born much later, but all my siblings had passed away.”

Her husband died years ago in Ba.

“I was 13 years old and my husband was 18 when we got married in Ba. He’s passed away now, but in my generation both from my side and my husband’s side, I am the only one alive as they have all passed away,” she said.

She was thankful to be one of the girmitya descedants chosen to be honoured at the celebration yesterday.

“I am happy that I have come here and have been recognised and honoured by the President of Fiji. My advice to youths is everyone should work and sweat to keep healthy, wives used to work in the farms back then. They were self-sufficient and I think they need to go back to that,” she said.

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