Chandra Sen

November 7, 1939 – Tavakubu, Lautoka, Fiji
September 3, 2024 – Modesto, California
Chandra Sen was born in Tavakubu to Shivnarayan and Sukhia. He was the eldest son following the births of his five elder sisters, and he was followed by four brothers and one more sister.
In 1955, Sen enrolled at Lautoka's prestigious co-educational Natabua High School and earned a top prize for singing during that time.
After graduating in 1958, Sen worked in customer service at Miller's Grocery in Lautoka. In 1960, he joined the Penang, Rakiraki, Mill of the Colonial Sugar Refining Company as the first Weighbridge Clerk of Indian origin at a time that Indians were only just being hired into jobs previously reserved for colonialists. He married his beloved Madhu, daughter of Mangal Ram, on April 21, 1962, in Toko, Tavua, with whom they had two children. Sen was promoted to Traffic Officer (for sugarcane rail transport) in 1962 and moved in 1968 to the main sugar mill in Lautoka and, subsequently, to the Rarawai, Ba, mill in 1969.
Fiji became an independent country on October 10, 1970, prompting Sen to take a three-month leave in 1971 to consider moving to Vancouver, Canada, but decided to stay in Fiji. He rejoined the company as a Field Officer where he determined harvest time and logistics for rail transport of sugarcane. He commenced as Field Officer at the Labasa mill in 1971 followed by Cuvu, Sigatoka, in 1973, and back to Ba in 1973, followed by promotion to Field Superintendent in 1974.
Sen brought his family to Calgary, Canada, in 1979, where Sen sold insurance for Manulife before becoming a Shipper/Receiver in a vinyl siding manufacturing plant that converted to Building Products of Canada (BPCO). Sen and Madhu moved to Everett, Washington, for half a year and then settled in Modesto, California, where they set up the Fiji Market in 1994 and sold in 1999. Sen then worked in car sales at Alfred Matthews until retirement in 2009.
Sen enjoyed social activities and had a delightful sense of humor. He relished challenges and enjoyed problem solving, especially fixing things and keeping up with computer technology. He had a wondrous memory, storing a wealth of knowledge, and an uncanny navigational ability and innate sense of direction. He was helpful and caring to all those around him and brightened everyone's lives with his smile and a glint in his eyes.
From a young age, Sen's passion for music was profoundly shaped by the musical environment of his upbringing. The melodies and rhythms that filled his home ignited a lifelong love for music that accompanied him through every stage of his life. His enthusiasm went beyond personal enjoyment, becoming a gift he generously shared with those around him. At spontaneous gatherings, he would play his harmonium and sing, creating memorable experiences for everyone around him.
He is survived by his wife, Madhu Sen, their children Anand "Bob" Sen (Roselyn Kumar) and Shanno Lata Sanders (Barry Sanders), their grandchildren Joshua Sen, Nicole Sen (Adrian Malkowski), Yuval Rishu Sanders (Mária Kieferová), and Sapna Lailah Sanders and their great-grandchildren, Camille Lata Brumeaux and Shimon Arjun Kiefer-Sanders.