Africa-Press – Mauritius. The book in Bhojpuri ‘Mauritius ke Pachaas Gaon Awroo Shehar – 50 Villages and Towns of Mauritius, A Historical Glimpse’, and, the E-Publication, ‘Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Fifty Years of Dedicated Effort’, were launched today by the President of the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Prithvirajsing Roopun.
The launch event, organised by the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI) School of Mauritian and Area Studies to mark the 2022 National Day celebrations, was held at the Subramania Bharati Lecture Theatre, MGI, in Moka.
The Director General of the MGI and the Rabindranath Tagore Institute (RTI), Mr R Rampertab, and other personalities were present. The book is authored by Mr Satterdeo Peerthum, Historian and Member of the MGI and the RTI Council, while the E-Publication is a compilation of Research papers by Academics of the MGI.
The launching ceremony, which was preceded by a Poem recitation by Academics and Students of the Tertiary Sector of the MGI, was also marked by an Award of Prizes and Certificates to winners of a Quiz Competition entitled ‘Know your Villages and Towns’.
In his address, the President highlighted that it is truly important to look back and feel proud at the development journey of Mauritius whenever the National Day of the country is celebrated.
Indeed, in the past, Mauritius was just a small vulnerable island deprived of natural resources with a monoculture economy and lacked proper infrastructure with a high unemployment rate and eminent economists had predicted doomsday, he remarked.
Yet, emphasised President Roopun, as one people and one nation, we pulled together and built an equitable society that promotes social inclusion with equal rights and opportunities while maintaining a strong welfare system which is continually consolidated through the provision of schemes such as the minimum wage and free education up to Tertiary level.
Today, Mauritius has achieved a lot and the country has become one of Africa’s most lauded nation and is recognised as a full democracy, he stated. The President seized the opportunity to pay tribute to late Sir Anerood Jugnauth, former Prime Minister and President of the Republic of Mauritius, who is ascribed as the father of the Mauritian economic miracle, and whose birthday was on 29 March and would have turned 92 yesterday had he been in our midst.
President Roopun furthermore depicted the history of the creation of the MGI which was set up as an Act of Parliament passed on 23 December 1970 as a joint initiative of the Government of Mauritius and India.
For him, after 50 years of existence, the MGI can rightly be viewed as a meeting point for different cultures, driven by a vision and a mission inspired by Gandhian thought, rich in education and social values.
Gandhi Ji’s concept of Ahimsa (non-violence) remains a timeless weapon to fight the continued harms of injustice, intolerance and hatred in our times, he affirmed.
Mr Roopun also invited all to follow Gandhi Ji’s principles of Sarvodaya (universal upliftment) and Satyagrah which is built on three basic beliefs: Satya (truth), Ahimsa (non-violence) and Tapasya (willingness for self-sacrifice and patience).
Finally, he commended Mr Peerthum for the publication of the Bhojpuri book, as well as the Department of Bhojpuri, folklore and oral traditions of the MGI for having initiated and coordinated the project.
He expressed confidence that readers will be interested to know what are the essential features of the town or village they live in and the origin of their names and their historical values.
It is important to connect our children to our cultural history through the language of our ancestors as this develops a sense of belonging to their motherland, he added.
For More News And Analysis About Mauritius Follow Africa-Press
