Bharat Jamnadas
One of our Asia Downunder originals, Bharat is an experienced,
highly knowledgeable journalist, a man with an opinion about
everything, and a genial and outgoing man about town. He's also
something of a wiz cooking up a curry in the kitchen.
Bharat is also involved in many social issues affecting both New
Zealand and Fiji. He was very active in anti-nuclear movements
and was involved in organizing the first major Nuclear Free Pacific
Conference in 1975.
His passion for all living things and their rights is reflected
through his involvement in Fiji with the Red Cross and the SPCA
where he successfully lobbied against the introduction of greyhound
racing in Fiji.
Bharat was also a senior reporter for the Fiji Times and came to NZ
after a hectic time reporting on the first Fiji coup.
He immigrated to NZ in 1988 and lived in Raglan for 18 months
before moving to Auckland where he worked as a Chef before joining
Asia Downunder when it first began in 1994.
Another of Bharat's great passions is music, he is often seen at
music and dance events around town, and even managed a band in Fiji
in the 1970's and George Speight played saxophone. Ironically the
band was called Racial Harmony and Speight of course went on to
stage the second Fiji coup in 2000.
In fact Bharat owes his journalism career through music. He first
began writing a weekly music column for the Fiji sun and for the
Fiji Times in the late 70s before becoming a full time
reporter.
In Auckland, Bharat was one of the organizers of the Grey Lynn Park
Festival and had early involvement in WOMAD.
He also helps organize the annual Festival of India in Auckland.
Bharat is one of the favourites on Asia Downunder.
