Centuries ago when the Indians arrived in Mauritius

Long before the Mahatma Gandhi made a stop at the stand in Mauritius in 1901, when he went to India from South Africa, his compatriots had landed on the banks of the island nation in the 1700s itself. During its visit, from October 29, 1901 to November 15, 1901, the Mahatma had three messages for Indian workers, mainly Bihar, residing in the island nation: the importance of education, political empowerment and the stay linked to India.

The chief minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, with Maurice PM Navinchandra Ramgolam during the inauguration ceremony of the statue in Patna in 2008. Express Archive

The first documented arrival of Indians in Mauritius dates back to 1729 when it was under French occupation when craftsmen and masons of the Indians were sent to the Nation of Pondicherry, then a French colony in India.

Between 1834 and the early 1900s, Mauritius was under British occupation. Meanwhile, almost half a million Indians under contract were sent there. The first batch of 36 workers arrived there on November 2, 1834 on a ship named Atlas. To date, November 2 is observed as Aapravasi Diwas in Mauritius. About two thirds of these workers would be permanently installed in Mauritius.

But it is the arrival of an Indian Immigrant adolescent of a family of Coolies of Bihars Harigaon who would forever change the fortunes of the islands. Attracted by his older brother Ramlochun Ramgoalams Tales on Rose Life in Mauritius How we could tear off gold handles by lifting Just Stones, Moheeth Ramgoilm, 18, was deposited on the coasts of the nations in 1896 by a ship named Hindustan.

Having started as a worker under contract on the sugar field of Queen Victoria, Moheeth will rise in the position of an Sirdar (supervisor). Two years after his arrival, in 1898, Moheeth married Basmati Ramchurn, a young widow born in Mauritius who had two sons with her first husband.

The couple, Moheeth and Basmati, had two daughters, but the two did not survive early childhood. Then, on September 18, 1900, Basmati gave birth to Seewoosagur Ramgolam in Belle Rive. Condaantly called Kewal Child, Seewoosagur, the father of the outgoing Prime Minister, would become Mauritius' first Prime Minister.

The statue of Seewoosagur Ramgolam was inaugurated on February 18, 2008 by his son Navinchandra Ramgolam, the Prime Minister of Maurice then, during his visit to Bihar. (Himanshu hard)

Often called Chacha, Seewoosagur would remain Prime Minister for years. His years of power included the supervision of the emergence of the country as a successful Democratic Providence. Years later, Moheeth's grandson, Navinchandra, then the Prime Minister of Mauritius, would return to Harigaon at Bihar to trace his roots.

An invitation from Minister -in -chief Nitish Kumar saw Navinchandra arrive during a three -day visit to Bihar in February 2008. During this trip, Navinchandra visited Patna, Siwan, Nalanda, Bodh Gaya and Harigaon.

On February 18, 2008, he unveiled a life -size bronze statue of his father in Patnas Gandhi Maidan, a historic site near the Ganga, in addition to inaugurating a street in his name. In Harigaon, he laid the foundations for three projects a lake, a high school and a hospital, named after his grandfather, father and himself, respectively. On behalf of the government of Mauritius, he promised a donation of $ 2,50,000 for the development of beans.

Currently, Mauritius has 22,188 Indian nationals and 13,199,19 of card holders of India citizenship (OIC). During President Droupadi Murmus, visit to Mauritius in March 2024, in a special gesture, an OIC card for Mauritians with a traceable Indian line until the 7th generation was announced.

In 2024, Mauritius presented a visa -free diet for Indian tourists visiting their country up to a month. Before Covid, around 80,000 Indian tourists visited Mauritius each year. Mauritians are entitled to a free visa (issued without consular costs) during their visit to India. Before the pandemic, 30,000 Mauritians visited India each year.

On what he thought of his visit to the Bihar, Navinchandra said, it was great. It seems even if I am far from the Bihar, it's like getting home.

The writer is a senior deputy editor -in -chief