Vijay Mishra considered indenture, or girmit, to be a foundational ideology for Indo-Fijian writers, but viewing girmit in terms of false consciousness leads him to read Indo-Fijian anxieties in terms of political blindness and cultural insularity. For many Indo-Fijian writers rootedness in Fiji was voiced through the traumas of indenture, which they invested with mythic valence, and which can be understood as operating as an origin story for Indo-Fijians.

This period of increased agency and autonomy was also a time of political uncertainty in Fiji, as questions of the nation's identity and direction were raised. The momentum for critical and creative response grew in tandem with the wave of publications inspired by the end of colonial rule in many Pacific Island countries. The centenary of indenture in Fiji was celebrated with public displays, speeches, parades, and publications. This book will therefore serve as an invaluable guide for readers from all walks of life seeking to better situate and understand the impact of Brij's scholarly activism on Fiji and beyond. The essays, whose contributors are drawn from across the globe, do more than review Brij's work they also probe his contribution to both scholarly and political life. This Festschrift volume celebrates, reflects upon and extends the life and work of this colourful scholar. He is also one of the leading Pacific historians of his generation and an internationally recognised authority on the Indian diaspora.

He also remains the most significant public intellectual of his country, despite having been banned from entering it in 2009.

Brij is without doubt the most eminent scholar Fiji has ever produced. His work has spanned disciplines- from history to politics-and genres-from conventional monograph history, to participant history, political commentary, encyclopedia, biography, and faction.

Victor wong mighty vikings