Background
Parmanand Singh was born in Yalalevu, Ba, Fiji in 1905.
Parmanand Singh was born in Yalalevu, Ba, Fiji in 1905.
He was educated at Auckland College, graduating in 1923.
Singh was a landlord from Ba and undertook several business ventures which included publishing newspapers. While in New Zealand, he played rugby, a game rarely played by Fiji Indians. On his return to Fiji, he took advantage of a business opportunity by leasing land from Colonial Sugar Refining Company (CSR) and sub-leasing it to small farmers.
Two weeks after being sworn in he, together with the other two Fiji Indian representatives, resigned when a motion asking for equal political rights for Fiji Indians was defeated.
He saw opportunities in the printing industry and established a printing press in Ba, which he used to publish a newspaper, Awaaz (The Voice) in the Hindi language. He was unable to keep the newspaper in circulation due to a natural disaster and poor staff
He then moved to Lautoka and in 1956, started publishing another newspaper, Jai Fiji, which remained in circulation until 1980.