Shivlal Nagindas (born 1939) is a

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

an businessman of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n descent, who served in 2006 as President of the Labasa Chamber of Commerce. He has also held political office as a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

, as a

Labasa Labasa (, ) is a town in Fiji with a population of 28,500 at the 2010 census. Labasa is located in Macuata Province, in the north-eastern part of the island of Vanua Levu, and is the largest town on the island. The town itself is located on a ...

Town Councillor. The Town Council elected Nagindas, a member of the

Fiji Labour Party The Fiji Labour Party (FLP; ),() also known as Fiji Labour, is a political party in Fiji. Most of its support is from the Indo-Fijian community, although it is officially multiracial and its first leader was an indigenous Fijian, Dr. Timoc ...

, Deputy Mayor of Labasa on 30 October 2006. His father, an immigrant from

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

(Bombay), India, arrived in Fiji in 1929 and established a

tailoring A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. History Although clothing construction goes back to prehistory, there is evidence of ...

and

upholstery Upholstery is the work of providing furniture, especially seats, with padding, springs, webbing, and fabric or leather covers. The word also refers to the materials used to upholster something. ''Upholstery'' comes from the Middle English wor ...

business in Labasa, on the northern island of

Vanua Levu Vanua Levu (pronounced , , ), formerly known as Sandalwood Island, is the second largest island of Fiji. Located to the north of the larger Viti Levu, the island has an area of and a population of 135,961 . Geology Fiji lies in a tectonic ...

. The fifth of four brothers and three sisters, Nagindas left school at the age of 15 to work in the family business because of family hardships, ending his dream of becoming a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

. He worked in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

for a six-month period in 1956 before returning to Labasa to work for R.K. Patel and Company. He established his own shoe shop in 1964, with the help of a loan. Nagindas was elected to the Labasa Town Council in 1983, serving till 1986, and was again elected to this post in October 2005. In addition, he served in the Senate, the

upper house An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...

of Fiji's

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, in 1999 and 2000. He has also been a Justice of the Peace since 1991, and received the Independence Medal in 1995 on the 25th anniversary of Fiji's independence, in recognition of his services to the community. In the mid-2000s, he campaigned for improved infrastructure in and around Labasa, including a bypass road, a port of entry to boost international trade, and airport upgrades. He also advocated the building of a sports stadium.

Personal life

Nagindas has an adult son and daughter, both of whom live in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand.

References

Fiji Times
10 January 2006. {{DEFAULTSORT:Nagindas, Shivlal 1939 births Living people Fiji Labour Party politicians Indian members of the Senate (Fiji) Fijian Hindus Marathi people Fijian businesspeople Politicians from Labasa Fijian politicians of Indian descent