Jai Kumar Sharma travels thousands of miles to Fiji, only to find a home away from home
I had only two notable references to Fiji in my memory before we landed there. First one was courtesy the geography lessons in school regarding the International Dateline passing through this tiny island country in the south Pacific and second was about the presence of ethnic Indian population, thanks to the news coverage when one of their heads of state visited India about a decade ago.
Our 15-day trip to Fiji via Hong Kong started with curiosity and excitement. The immigration officer at Delhi International Airport was not aware of Fiji visa rules, not even the country’s location. He grinned as he pulled out his reference manual and gave me a go-ahead because Hong Kong and Fiji both offer a visa on arrival to Indian passport holders. I had read that Fiji is one of the most exotic places to visit on the planet before you die. This was evident when everyone waiting in the boarding area of Hong Kong airport started clicking pictures of the Fiji Airways aircraft as it approached. Several Indians were present with other Pacific islanders from Fiji, Tonga, Sa- moa, Cook Island and Papua New Guinea. One of them, sitting next to me, started chatting and I was puzzled with the English accent which was closer to Australian and New Zealander accent rather than Indian English. The gentleman started talking in Hindi and to my surprise, his Hindi was unlike anything heard in north India. This was my first lesson about the Fijian Indian—we look like them and can also blend into the crowd in Suva or Nadi but the moment we open our mouth, we can easily be differentiated from the local population.
The British shipped Indian labourers from north India in the 1880s to work in sugarcane fields. Indians now constitute about 38 per cent of the population and control much of the economy and resources in this beautiful country of 333 islands.
This story is from the September 2016 edition of Outlook Money.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2016 edition of Outlook Money.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
7 Steps To Refresh Your Finances In The New FY
Setting goals and then making your money work to achieve them can be a gamechanger for your financial life
Turn Of The Tide: Should You Invest In Debt Funds Now?
The past few years have been challenging for debt fund investors, but the case for adding them in your portfolio is now more compelling than ever
Who Should Choose An Index Fund?
Index funds’ returns are similar to their underlying index, so if cost and protection are high on your list and market-beating performance is secondary, they could be an ideal choice.
What Is Depreciation?
Depreciation indicates a reduction in the value of an asset over time. Typically, it occurs due to wear and tear of the asset over time as a result of continued use to calculate the depreciation of an asset, one needs to consider several factors, one of which is the useful life of the asset.
REGULATORY ROUNDUP
Change: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) directs asset management companies (AMCs) to conduct stress tests on small and mid-cap funds and disclose key findings on liquidity and other aspects.
Plan Repayment Before Taking Loan
I have a home loan running but need a loan of around `10 lakh for renovating the house.
Fund Life Goals Before Business
I am in my late 20s and want to invest in the real estate sector.
SECRET ROAD TO FINANCIAL DIGNITY
Dignity is something most retirees want once their active work life comes to an end and it is closely tied to the individual’s financial well-being
'Combined Life, Health Plans Won't Increase Complexity'
The life insurance market in India has recorded a consistent premium growth over the years, but insurance penetration is yet to reach the desired level. Quite in line, HDFC Life Insurance has shown a growth of 5 per cent year-on-year in its total annual premium equivalent in the nine months until December 2023 and has grown on other parameters as well. Its assets under management (AUM) went up 20 per cent, while it recorded a net profit of 16 per cent y-o-y, in the period. Even in terms of penetration, the company’s growth in Tier II and Tier II cities are positive. Vibha Padalkar, managing director and chief executive officer of HDFC Life Insurance shared the secret sauce for the growth in a conversation with Nidhi Sinha, editor, Outlook Money, talked about the challenges the insurance industry faces, and the road ahead in view of recent regulatory proposals. Edited excerpts:
BUCKET YOUR WORRIES AWAY
Once you have accumulated a decent corpus in your working life, the next big task should be to smartly deploy it across different schemes through a bucketing strategy so that your regular expenses are taken care of while your corpus keeps growing. This will ensure that you do not outlive your corpus
