Gandhi’s stun with Times
FORMER secretary and editorial assistant Sabita Gandhi joined The
Fiji Times from 1972 until 1978.
Her work included secretarial duties for the chief editor, editor, associate editor, browsing and sorting incoming mails, attending to visitors and transmitting and receiving of news items via telex.
Mrs Ghandi also compiled news index and typed editorial page and letters to the editor using a computerised typesetter, transcribing interviews conducted by the reporters using dictaphone and indexing of local and overseas news.
Mrs Ghandi had worked with experienced reporters such as the late Stan Ritova, Vijendra Kumar, Seona Smiles, Eliki Rabuka, Manoa Rasigatale, Jese Sikivou and photographers Anne Livingstone, Binder Pal and the late Arin Chandra.
“I gained so much knowledge of what had been happening locally and around the world,” she said.
“It was an eye opener for me. This was the road towards my future career. Overall, I enjoyed working with the great team and will always treasure the times I spent at The Fiji Times newsroom.”
The sensational page one news was always the highlight of the day for Mrs Ghandi.
“As soon as we arrive to work at 8am, everyone read the paper and reporters had to follow up with their stories,” she said.
“And at 9am, the chief editor conducted their meeting. Afterwards they dispersed to cover news items for general news, sports, and parliament/ senate sessions.”
On December 2014, Mrs Ghandi retired after serving at the University of the South Pacific (USP) from February 1978.