RAJKOT, MAY 30: As BBC and CNN flashed footage of a smouldering Govinda restaurant in the Fijian capital of Suva, thousands of miles away in Porbandar, several people shuddered.The restaurant belonged to the Raningas - a well-known family in the coastal town - which had settled down in Fiji decades ago and control vital business there. Chances are that 90 per cent of the shops and business establishments destroyed in the island capital belong to people with roots in Porbandar, Upleta and Rajkot.Frantic phone calls are being made and fax messages are bringing in bits and pieces of information as several residents who have brothers, cousins and friends in Suva wait anxiously. Fiji has a special connection with Porbandar, because more than 80 per cent of jewellers in that country are from this coastal town. Gujaratis who migrated in the 1960s and 1970s to Fiji have contributed vastly to its economy.Most of them are Raningas, traditional jewellers, who settled in Suva and suburbs like Ba, Nandi and Latuka. In Porbandar town itself, there are nearly 40 families with relatives in Fiji. Vrajlal Madhavji Pala of the Pala Watches, for instance, has a brother in Fiji. Bhagwanji Popatlal Jogia's brother Nagjibhai is also there.According to president of Girnara Fiji Seva Trust, Prakashbhai Nanda, more than 1,200 families from Porbandar have made Fiji their home. Several others are from villages in Sodana, Adiana and Bhanvad talukas. All of them migrated around the same time a large number of Gujaratis left for South Africa, Mozambique and other African countries. ``Some migrated 30 to 40 years ago, others recently. Fiji's economy is virtually in the hands of Gujaratis because they own all the major businesses. Gujaratis from Porbandar have a monopoly over jewellery, while others have taken over restaurants and the catering business,'' said Nanda.In fact, the largest restaurant `Govinda', which was set on fire in the aftermath of the coup, belonged to Madhavji Raninga who owns a network of businesses, including mills and factories, under the name of Poonja and Sons. Their ancestral house stands on the Kirti Mandir street in Porbandar. ``Poonja and Sons is to Fiji what Reliance is to India,'' says Nanda. The Raningas are also represented in Fiji parliament by Pradhuman Raninga.Though some families have few or no family members left behind in Porbandar, they continue to maintain ties with the town. ``A lot of funds come in from jewellers in Fiji which are used for various social welfare activities,'' Nanda added.``There about 35 to 40 families in Porbandar with relatives in Fiji. We are in constant touch with them. Except property losses, there is no danger to their lives,'' said president of Porbandar Jewellers Association, Mansukbhai Soni, who is closely associated with his counterparts in Fiji.In Rajkot, there are five families with relatives in Fiji. Ramesh Raninga of Kala Niketan has a cousin in Suva who runs a general store. ``We have not been able to establish contact over phone as the lines seem to be busy all the time. Obviously, watching video clippings of news worries us,'' he says.Mahendrabhai of Upleta, who has his uncle, sister and other relatives in Fiji, is anxious about them. ``When we called, they said they had been confined to their houses for a week and didn't dare venture out. Their shop and showroom have been destroyed,'' said Mahendrabhai. Mahendrabhai's uncle Leeladhar Devji Raninga and cousin Bhanjibhai own a showroom at Nandi Airport near Suva which has been razed by a mob.As news of destruction and loss continues to trickle in, relatives in Porbandar are drawing comfort from the fact that there has been no loss of life.
