Hari Punja

Mr. Hari Punja (born 1936) is a businessman and Chairman of Hari Punja Group of Companies. Hari Punja and Sons Limited is a very diversified (and probably the largest) company in Fiji.^[1]

Biography

Mr. Hari Punja was born in Cuvu, Sigatoka, Fiji and received his education in Fiji and Australia. He is a chemical engineer. Mr. Hari Punja joined the business in 1960. He has served as a mayor of Lautoka^[2] and on a number of prestigious boards such as Fiji Broadcasting Commission and Fiji Sugar Corporation.^[2] He was elected Senator in 1996^[2] for 5 years. Thakor Punja is his grandson. Thakor is currently schooling at International school Nadi in Fiji.

Mr. Punja has been married to Tara for about fifty years and has five children: Rohit, Ajai, Sanjay, Deepa, Leena.

Honors

Mr. Punja has been bestowed with many credentials and honors. Some of these include:

Order of the British Empire (OBE)^[2] bestowed by Queen Elizabeth the Second
Justice of the Peace (JP)
Order of Fiji: Bestowed by the President of Fiji, Ratu Sir Kaisese Mara
The Fiji National Millennium Committee recognized Hari Punja as an outstanding contributor in shaping the nation of Fiji during the 20th Century
He was named as one of the 10 most successful businessmen living outside India in "The Encyclopedia of the Indian Diaspora" (2006) by Professor Dr. Brij Lal (Australian National University)
Mr. Punja was rated the 6th most influential person in the Pacific region through a poll carried out by the Australian based Pacific Magazine.

References

^ "Be rich to help poor: Punja". Fiji Times. January 25, 2007. http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=55844. Retrieved 2010-07-20.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Stewart Firth, Daryl Tarte, University of the South Pacific (2001). Twentieth century Fiji. USP Solutions, University of the South Pacific. p. 198. http://books.google.com/books?ei=UaJGTNGBN43msQOc3oDcAg&ct=result&id=qFNzAAAAMAAJ&dq=order+british++%22hari+punja%22&q=order+british++#search_anchor. Retrieved 2010-07-21.

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Name	Punja, Hari
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Date of birth	1936
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