“Ki finn arrive, to na pa finn ekrir azordi?” This was my dad’s usual question when I don’t write on some rare Fridays. Thanks to Skype, Washington, DC, was never really far from Mauritius. Some 8-9 hours of time difference, or, only “two airplanes away”…

My dad passed away on Thursday the 1st of December 2011 in an accident as unforeseen as all accidents are. He became a grand-father on the 6th of July 2011 when Danielle gave birth to my son Sami-Lee, who was born in the States. They were supposed to meet each other shortly in Mauritius as we planned… but life did not allow this dream to come true.

Samba, our father, was a low-key, hard-working and passionate person. He was a big fan of Manchester United, the
 Gujadhur stable, and family outings. He studied Parasitology in London and shared his expertise to train local laboratory technicians at the University of Mauritius, but he is perhaps best known as a member of the former leadership team at the Central Laboratory in Candos.

My dad was also well versed in politics, but did not brag about insights and knowledge he gained from behind-the-scenes. As a senior civil servant, he supervised electoral procedures throughout Mauritius, but his political acumen was also a result of his unique experiences from childhood. 

In the 1940s, Samba, his two brothers, and four sisters became orphans at a relatively young age. They were raised up by Renganaden Seeneevassen and other close relatives. Samba knows all of the vision and passion that Tonton Renga had for Mauritius as a nation, not a mere country. He cherished those values all his life, quietly, and respectfully. Samba was a witness of key gatherings and discussions that took place at 20 Mgr Gonin Street, Port-Louis, where he grew up, under a splendid and gigantic Dauphine Tree. He at times would share some anecdotes on SSR, who was the family doctor - he still had in mind the then, the three-digit phone number of Doctor Ramgoolam. He also told me how Tonton Renga pushed Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo to overcome his shyness and to jump into politics. On Sunday, Renga invited his friends, Rozemont and Osman, for a traditional chicken curry with white rice or farata…“Who I am today is also a lot of Samba, with his particularly soft and wise words,” confided Sarojini Seeneevassen, the daughter of Tonton Renga, in an e-mail of sympathy.

Samba will be cremated today. These few lines are for him, from Nishi and I, his grandson Sami-Lee, my wife Danielle, his son-in-law Sanjiv, and all the nephews that today are in disbelief. Most of all for Sheila, my caring and sweet mother, who is always by his side…