From Gujarat to Mauritius

From  Porbandar town in Porbandar province, came the most illustrious son of India, Mohandas K. Gandhi, the Mahatma Gandhi.
On his way to  South Africa, Gandhi made a short stop in Mauritius (from 29 october to 15 november 1901). He was  welcomed by  fellow countrymen from Gujarat, who had settled as traders in Mauritius and who  organised his stay in the colony, including my grand father A.I.Atchia. Despite his main mission being South Africa, Gandhi enquired about the conditions of life of people of Indian origin living and working in Mauritius and met many of them. Seeing their dismal condition, Gandhi asked Manilal Doctor (1881-1956) an Indian-born, London educated lawyer to go to Mauritius to represent the Indo-Mauritians in court and increase their awareness about human rights. He  edited a newspaper here and later  travelled to other countries including Fiji and Aden. Gandhi’s lessons  on non-violence and his fight for human rights were then  and remain now an example for the world!

From Vadnagar village in Mahesana province comes  Narendra Modi, long-time Premier of the State of Gujarat, responsible it is said for the economic miracle of Gujarat. As leader of the BJP, he won the last general elections and became the Prime Minsiter of India. He came to Mauritius for the first time – as chief guest on the occasion of the anniversary of our independence- on 12th March 2015.
Since Modi took over in 2001, Gujarat’s economy has vastly improved and continues to do so, although by some non-fiscal indicators such as health and overall quality of life, Gujarat has sometimes slipped. The State ranks 5th amongst Indian states. Is he able to replicate at all-India level what he did in Gujarat in his second mandate? And what lessons for Jugnauth’s second government here in Mauritius?
From Barbodhan Village, Surat province came many traders and other migrants to Mauritius, including  Major Atchia (Amode Ibrahim Atchia) a local pioneer in the field of technology : hydro-power at Réduit (1906), solar energy (salt-making at Roche-Bois), wind energy (for pumping sea-water) as well as in pre-fabricated concrete, ice-making and, with his chain of cinemas, in the entertainment field. Other families included the well known names of Rawat, Kalla, Jeewa, Patel, Ghanty. They either sailed from the port of Surat or from Bombay to come here, as from the mid-19th century.
According to local folklore the name Barbodhan comes from the Arabic BābAden or ‘Gateway to Aden‘. It is known that at one time Muslims travelling to Mecca on pilgrimage would pass through this village on their way to the seaport of Surat, hence the name. Some sources suggest that the village may in fact have been named after the Portuguese factor traveller Duarte Barbosa.
From early times Barbodhians were interested in trade and commerce and travelled to foreign lands, undertaking long sea voyages. People left Barbodhan in the early 19th century to settle in Burma, where they established many businesses and were great entrepreneurs.Then from  the 1840s many other emigrants from Barbodhan came to Mauritius, ‘where they were later responsible for introducing hydroelectric power, as well as being involved in other trading and business concerns. The first Muslim mayor in Mauritius was originally from Barbodhan’.
Later came  migration to England from the 1950s to the 1970s. Once immigration to the United Kingdom became more difficult, a number of Barbodhians  left for Canada particularly during the period from the 1970s to the 1990s. A considerable number of Barbodhians undertook further migrations from one of these countries to another; such as from Burma to England, England to Canada or Mauritius to England. Despite the fact that Barbodhan is only a small village, its people have made valuable contributions in societies around the world.
Some common surnames attributed to the village and still found in MAURITIUS are :
Atcha/Atchia/Attcha ; Adiya/Adia/Arya ; Nalla, Kala/Kalla ; Patel/Patail; Ghanchi; Essa/Esa/Isa; Rawat/Ravat; Raja, Rajah, Rajjab; Jeewa/Jeeva/Jiva, Jina; Makda, and Mulla; Attan , Ameji; Shah, Shaikh; Gulzar…

Dr Michael ATCHIA