Each year, for more than half a century in Mauritius, Gandhi?s anniversary has been commemorated by the Mauritian people on 2nd October. Through this annual commemoration ceremony, the Mahatma?s great struggle against British colonialism and tyranny as well as his quest for independence and social justice is remembered by the Mauritian people.

The Mahatma?s philosophy and his actions have greatly influenced many of the great figures of 20th century Mauritius such as Manilall Doctor, R.K. Boodhun, Pandit Sahadeo, Dr Maurice Curé, Basdeo Bissoondoyal, and Sookdeo Bissoondoyal. Equally interesting is the fact that, at one time or another, Gandhiji had met these historic figures and he was well aware of the plight of the Indo-Mauritians under British rule.

According to Hugh Tinker, a British historian, in 1906, it was Gandhi who strongly encouraged Manilall Doctor, a young Gujarati lawyer, to travel to Mauritius in order to help its Indo-Mauritian community. Barely a decade later, the Mahatma met R.K. Boodhun, the first Indo-Mauritian lawyer, in London and encouraged him to return to his country to work on behalf of the Indo-Mauritian community.

In the 1930s, Pandit Basdeo Bissoondoyal met Gandhi twice while studying in India. During the following decade, he founded the Jan Andolan and began a campaign for the Hindu cultural revival in the island. This great Gandhian and Mauritian patriot was jailed three times by the colonial government because of his activities on behalf of the oppressed masses.

It is important to observe that during the mid-twentieth century, Pandit Sahadeo began wearing the ?Gandhi Topi? or cap and the ?Khadhi? or a crudely made hand cloth. Ever since then, a number of Mauritians followed his example.

According to the recent research of Dr Satteeanund Peerthum, during the 1940s and even earlier, Ramkhelawon Boodhun, who was such a great admirer of Gandhi that, just like his guru, he began signing his name with the initial ?R.K.? Boodhun, although it was one single name, meaning ?Ramkhelawon?. Furthermore, it is also important to mention that it was thanks to Manilall Doctor?s efforts that Ramkhelawon Boodhun was able to study law in London in the 1910s.

In 1926, the Mahatma published his famous autobiography, «The Story of My Experiment with Truth in Gujarati», which was translated in English many years later. In part three, chapter thirteen of his book, M.K. Gandhi wrote: «So I sailed for home. Mauritius was one of the ports of call, and as the boat made a long halt there, I went ashore and acquainted myself fairly well with the local conditions. For one night, I was the guest of Sir Charles Bruce, the Governor of the Colony».

Many years later, in an essay entitled «Gandhi and Mauritius», Basdeo Bissoondoyal explained that it was a «happy accident» that brought the Mahatma to the shores of our country when he was not yet a world famous figure. Thus, there was no special reason why Gandhi came to our island, but simply that the steamer, «S.S. Nowshera» was in port for an extended period. Gandhi stayed in Mauritius between the 29th October until the 15th November, or a period of 18 days. The major significance of the Mahatma?s visit to Mauritius lies in the fact that he was the most famous and important historical personality to have visited our small island.

Although, Gandhiji sailed from Mauritius on the 15th November, 1901, the memory of this small island in the Indian Ocean always remained in his heart and soul. In 1905, in a letter to Professor Gokhale, his political guru, one of the places Gandhi encouraged him to visit was Mauritius.

Many years later, in his famous work, «Satyagraha in South Africa», the Mahatma mentioned Mauritius several times and devoted a few pages to Thambi Naidoo, a Mauritian established in South Africa. Naidoo was of Tamil extraction and one of the most faithful lieutenants of Gandhi during his satyagraha campaign in South Africa between 1907 and 1911. In addition, M.K.Gandhi also mentioned that between the 1860s and early 1900s, hundreds of Indo-Mauritian traders and labourers had migrated to Natal.

In 1924, as the President of the Indian National Congress, Gandhi mentioned Mauritius in reference to the Indian indenture system. Twenty-one years later, at the height of World War II, the Mahatma wrote to Marshal Chiang-Kai-Shek, the Chinese nationalist leader, in which he revealed that he had been in contact with the Chinese and Indians who were settled in Mauritius.

In 1947, at the height of inter-religious riots in India, in one of his post-prayer speeches, Gandhi mentioned that in Mauritius, Hindus and Moslems lived in peace and harmony. Thus, it is evident that Mauritius did have an important influence on Mahatma Gandhi and his writings. Our country was a land which was dear to the heart of the Mahatma up to the day he was assassinated in January 1948.