Market vendor’s typical Saturday turns eventful
What was to be a typical, hot Saturday for a Suva market vendor on October 10, 1970, turned out to be a euphoric and eventful one. Govind Sami, a grog vendor at the time, said: “We really did not know what was happening. “A whole bunch of us got together and decided to stroll to Albert Park from the Suva Market. “We could leave our produce on the stall and go and nothing would happen. “Unlike today, when you turn your head for a few seconds and something goes missing. “We really had not grasped the idea of what independence meant but there was this buzz around town that something big was happening at Albert Park.” Mr Sami was born and raised in Suva. When Fiji was given back its sovereignty by its Colonial rulers, he was staying in Tubou Road in Samabula. He said he did not have the chance to finish school because in those days, working was considered to be the better option for the family.
Mr Sami and other market vendors walked to Albert Park and were greeted by a huge crowd. He recalled they had to watch the events from the back because those who came early had taken the better spots.
For Mr Sami, witnessing the events of the day made him realise that Fiji was going to be free from British rule.
As the noble banner blue was raised after the lowering of the Union Jack, for Mr Sami, there was a feeling of great euphoria. He said he recalled being given a small Fijian flag and he waved them around with his friends saying in Hindi: Fiji azaad ho gaye (Fiji had become Independent).
This year, he hopes to take his grandson to Albert Park and he is hoping that it will be nostalgic as half a century has gone by that eventful day.