Kisan Sangh was the first farmers' union formed in Fiji on 27 November 1937. This was the result of one man's determination to improve the plight of Fiji's Indian cane farmers. Ayodhya Prasad had arrived from India in 1929, and after a stint as a teacher took up cane farming and thus obtained firsthand experience of the problems faced by Fiji Indian cane farmers.
Formation of Kisan Sangh
Well aware that there was great fear amongst the Fiji Indian cane farmers of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company, he started organising the farmers union in secret and concentrated among the young members of the community because they were more passionate and were unlikely to be owners or lessees of property. At first, Ayodhya Prasad held meetings in secret but by 27 November 1937, he had enough support to hold a public meeting in Wailailai, Ba, to form the Kisan Sangh (Farmers' Union). The first task for the new Union was to find an existing Fiji Indian to take up leadership of the new union. A number of people which included A. D. Patel, S. B. Patel and Swami Rudrananda, Chattur Singh and Vishnu Deo were approached, but all declined the invitation. Undeterred, Ayodhya Prasad decided that the best solution was to learn from Mahatma Gandhi and live amongst the farmers while he preached the virtues of the Union to them. He decided to set up tents on Company land in different settlements so that he and his helpers could preach from it. On 18 May 1938, with the help of his young volunteers, he set up on Company land starting from Nadroga which was at the Southern end of the North Western cane growing area of Viti Levu and moving along the coast to the Northern end of Viti Levu. Initially none of the local farmers approached the tent but as the farmers saw the sacrifice being made by Ayodhya Prasad and his young volunteers and the inability of the Company overseers to stop him, they gradually started to join up. Following the success of this grass-roots campaign, Ayodhya Prasad spent the next four months organising the Sangh. First village committees were formed. These committees then met and formed district committees which selected members for the Central Committee based on the membership of the district committee. There were six district committees.
Attempts to negotiate with the Company
On 5 February 1939, 36 members of the central board of the Kisan Sangh met at the residence of Mohammed Twahir Khan in Lautoka. Mohammed Twahir Khan was unanimously elected the President. Ayodhya Prasad was elected the Secretary. An office was set up in Mr Khan's residence and a letter written to the Company asking for the following: The farmers be allowed to keep the second ratoon crop. The Company provide a statement with its payment. The Company allow the Kisan Sangh’s representative to check the weighing of cane. The price of cane not be based on sugar content, but on tonnage. The Company not force farmers to work on the train line and to cut its cane. The Company and Kisan Sangh meet and draw up a contract for the sale of cane to the Company. The Company provide lease on its land in a legal way and each block of land not be less than . The Company allow the farmers to plant rice.
When the Company refused to negotiate with the Kisan Sangh, a deputation met the Governor and informed him of the farmers' plight.
Taking control of cane harvesting
The Kisan Sangh put up candidates as Sardar for each of the cane-cutting gangs. Out of a total of 110 gangs in the North Western district, Kisan Sangh's candidates were elected in 85. The Kisan Sangh supporting Sardars refused to send farmers to work in the Sugar Mills. The Kisan Sangh Sardars also informed the Company's overseers that its members will not clear weeds from the Company's train lines. Soon more evidence emerged that the Government had put pressure on the Company to change the way in which it behaved towards to farmers. When the first cane payment was made by the Company, the farmers were also provided with a written account stating the rate at which they had been paid and the amount of deductions. The Company also opened a school for its overseers where they were taught to speak Hindi and the proper manner of communicating with farmers.