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Mausio’s journey
Managing the relationship you have with your customer is crucial to many businesses and even more so in the fashion industry where clothes are more than something to wear. Michael Mausio has used the pandemic and the lulls and lows during the crisis to get to know the people who wear his “House of Mausio”...
Backtracks: Prasad’s passion for religious songs
Patrick Prasad’s love for music started at a very young age. Prasad, reputed to be one of Fiji’s most prominent bhajan singers, says his thirst for spiritual knowledge and traditional music has led him a long way. “I first started singing kirtan when I was in Year 6 in my village mandali, and at that...
‘Strategy to work together’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the approach behind the Indo-Pacific strategy was not about opposing any country but rather about working together to deliver concrete results for people on issues that actually affect their lives. He outlined this in his recent address in a joint news conference on Denarau Island after a one-day...
Personal struggles – The best emotional medication
In 1965, The Beatles released a song called ‘Help’. The lyrics and the beat were so catchy, everyone loved it. The popularity of the song rocketed it to the top of the charts. When I first heard the song, I was 13 years old and blown away like millions of others with their music. But...
Backtracks: Song of ancestral gods, gold deposits
The song Lolo Mai Naua composed by Eminoni Qarailawaki, manager of village music group Seniboro Junior, relives the life of their ancestral god, Ratu Vunibula – the eight-headed snake – and the villagers of Sawanikula in the district of Muaira, Naitasiri. Passed down through the generations, Qarailawaki composed a song about the legend in 2011 while singing for another group, Drodrolagi kei Delainava. For...
BACKTRACKS: A family affair
If you follow The Fiji Times Facebook page, and were scrolling through your newsfeed on New Year’s Day, you would have come across a video of a family band playing at Namadi, in Suva. They were the Kaloucava Family Band, made up of Taione Kaloucava, his daughters Leba and Jan, his brother Alden Kaloucava, niece Maria, and his friend Atu Luvena. They formed their little band during...
Fijian Government to provide $250 cash to affected farmers
The Fijian Government will provide $250 cash to all cyclone-affected farming households for land preparation, cultivation, and procurement of planting materials. Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum their estimates showed they had 20,000 households that would qualify. He said the Government had allocated $5million for this purpose. He said recent flooding had been tough on farmers. “Many of...
BackTracks: The dynamic couple
Live music, there’s just something about it. The way the volume and timbre of the raw sounds of the instruments stir feelings within and bring out that urge to jive and swing out across the dance floor. The people who make their living using their God given talents to share the gift of song with those who would listen, whether it be...
Royalties for Fijian musos
The Fiji Performing Rights Association (FIPRA) received royalties of $200,000 this year for the use of local music which will be distributed among members this month. Making the announcement, FIPRA president Eremasi Tamanisau explained they recently received a payout of more than $30,000 goodwill from two foreign organisations for the use of members’ music compositions....
Backtracks: The birth of Waikoula kei Tavua
In 1974, a number of young men from Tavualevu Village joined the Methodist Youth Fellowship (MYF) and got into singing church hymns. They fell in love with how the different voices, when put together, formed a rich chorus of harmony and how the ensemble was able to create emotions and set the atmosphere for prayer with just the power of their voices. Choir practices and taking part in...
Motibhai Group 90th Anniversary: Prouds unveils refurbished flagship store and logo
PROUDS unveiled its newly-refurbished Suva Central flagship store and it also unveiled its new logo with the tagline ‘Exclusively Yours’ in 2019. The company embarked on a massive refurbishment program of its chain stores starting with the outlet at the BSP Suva Central complex. Prouds director Tejash Patel said they were excited about all the...
Motibhai Group 90th Anniversary: Duty-free trade
As the world marks the 70th anniversary of the duty-free trade, the pioneer of duty-free outlets in Fiji also marked a milestone with the completion of its brand new departures store at the revamped Nadi International Airport. The Motibhai Group has been providing world-class duty free services for travellers arriving and departing our shores at...
Motibhai Group 90th Anniversary: New airport shop complex
Motibhai and Company Ltd’s new-look duty-free shopping complex at Nadi International Airport is being billed as the best and biggest in the southern hemisphere. The two-floor shopping complex covers an area of 20,000 feet and was re-designed for $750,000. The company first became a duty-free concessionaire at Nadi International Airport in 1971 with a staff...
Motibhai Group 90th Anniversary: The purchase of Pacific Mercantile Co. Ltd
Motibhai and Co. Ltd bought Pacific Mercantile Co. Ltd, the holding company of the Stinson Pearce Group and it was to continue to trade under the name of Stinson Pearce Ltd. “Motibhai and Co. Ltd valued the long association the two families have had with trading in Fiji,” Motibhai’s managing director Mahendra Patel said. The...
Motibhai Group 90th Anniversary: 85 years of charity work
The Motibhai Group has a long history of charity work that spans over a period of about 85 years. Over the years the company has made numerous donations in various fields. Up until today the company’s goodwill work has reached many sectors including education, health and providing relief to those affected by natural disasters. Education...
