The Indian Diaspora Centre in Mauritius will be hosting the Bhojpuri International Conference on 29 and 30 August this year. According to Jagdish Goburdhun, President of the Indian Diaspora Centre in Mauritius, “the conference will highlight the cultural wealth of the Bhojpuri language, its music, culture, and so many aspects. Three workshops will discuss the present situation of the language, the role of Bhojpuri in the socio-economic development of a country and the cultural wealth it carries. Debates will also highlight the possibility of incorporating Bhojpuri in the local educational curriculum at primary level”.

“We asked for the help of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Indian Culture, from various ministries and also from our members. More than 200 delegates from all over the world coming from India, England, France, Holland, Brussels, South Africa, Kenya, Canada, USA, Trinidad and Tobago, Surinam and Fiji will be in Mauritius,” he says.

Neglect

“Language is a vital tool not only for communicating thoughts and ideas but it forges friendship, develops cultural ties and builds up economic relationship. As such, Bhojpuri has a lot to bring to Mauritians,” adds Goburdhun.

“It has been a crime against our culture and identity to have deprived us of our language and we now must find ways to promote the language particularly among the younger generation”, Goburdhun said.

“The official recognition of Bhojpuri as a mother tongue is only justice. It is a 5,000 year old language which should have been recognized before Mauritius gained Independence. However, quite strangely, even though Bhojpuri has been present in Mauritius for only 175 years, our country is among the first world­wide, to have recognized this language as a mother tongue,” he adds.

Language for all

Goburdhun adds that contrary to popular belief, Bhojpuri is not reserved and spoken by people of Indian origin. He says: “I remember when I was still a kid, Bhojpuri was spoken by Mauritians of all communities particularly in the rural areas. Chinese, Creoles, Muslims, all spoke Bhojpuri because, at that time, it did not have the false connotation of being reserved to people of Hindu belief. It goes way beyond the barriers of religion and has evolved to become a symbol of unity and cultural wealth.

“I even remember Tifrère used to speak and sing in Bhojpuri. In fact, he used to speak the real language with no Kreol words in it. I was only a kid working in the family shop at that time and Tifrère used to go hunting with his pals and the Seebaluck family in Quartier Militaire. They would go hunting for deer, monkeys, and other game and when coming back with his little accordion and triangle he would start the party singing in Bhojpuri. I remember how he sang Ma bole ma, Ma bole didi, didi bole baya, Ham Kahan Jata,” Goburdhun recalls.

Through the years the language has indeed very much evolved. So much so, that the Bhojpuri spoken by Mauritians is different from the one spoken in India; so also are the songs written and rendered in Mauritius. The Mauritian Bhojpuri has absorbed many words from other languages spoken in the country, says Pratima Reesaul, Mauritian singer who has recently recorded a second album of Bhojpuri songs.

“I was invited on Mahuaa Channel in Delhi where I sang live for the spectators. I told them how our ancestors came from India and how Bhojpuri was the language that they gave to us along with many songs about our motherland,” Reesaul says. She adds that “many Indians believe Mauritian Bhojpuri to be simpler and appreciate it more.”