One could wonder how the Kitchen braces itself when it comes to Divali. Well, to remain sweet, let’s assume that one cooks. Let’s say Gérard Sanspeur is pushed forward. The objective is to show that Divali is a national celebration regardless of ethnic belonging. As a result, we have a plat de résistance from Chef Gérard, his magnum opus of sorts, bound to be remembered as a classic of modern literature.

“La diya intérieure” from Gérard Sanspeur brought such grave joy in me that right after reading it I almost threw up my emotion and was not sure if I would take Imodium or Panadol. Given Mauritian standards, I obviously went with the latter. I knew there was something profound on the island and then Sanspeur comes and scores the goal of the century, dethroning Lionel Messi as the best player ever to hit a ball. Thank you for lighting the Diya, Mr Sanspeur.

He finally points out what is great with this cherished little conservative island. The larger than life egos who are able to selfdeprecate. Developing such a humble spirituality (especially when one becomes rich, connected and adviser/emperor extraordinaire). Bringing back such big icons like Gandhi, Duclos, Dalai Lama and, without respite, using the obvious one everyone likes: Jesus Christ himself.

I was not sure after finishing the article if Sanspeur himself was Christ or Gandhi. The son of Gandhi maybe. Why not? The article tells us flatly what Ganesh Sitaraman, a prominent law professor, had also told The Guardian about oligarchy in Greece. Based on this wonderful article from The Guardian, it is difficult to understand what Sanspeur is trying subtly to achieve.

One might think that he is simply protecting his acquis, his fine position of power, by deflecting the argument in the press, criticisms against government, major cockups by so many government officials, in juxtaposing an appeal to a mysterious “higher truer world”, supposedly living eternally as the ultimate justice in our inner deeper beings. This is a rich scripted lecture from a man who is not at all grossly pretentious, from an unsung guru who has the courage to lecture the masses on how they should take examples from the “greats”.

In a nutshell, Sanspeur is saying this: “People of Mauritius, you do realise we are hypocrites. Do not, I repeat, do not criticise us. In fact, feel free to criticise yourselves, by looking into your inner beings. This is where the tectonic fault in fact lies. In you, not in us. In you. Inside of you. Not in our failing parastatal bodies, unethical parliamentarians, and scandal-infused government. This is all your fault. Not ours.”

However, what Sanspeur misses out completely in telling us is that the “greats” were not super Prime Minister’s Office advisers. They were absolute misfits who rejected the hypocrisy and blurriness of being too close to power. They rejected hot bathing in lies. Take Gandhi as example, or Tagore or even Tolstoy. They shied away from their own big egos and introspectively challenged themselves first – not us mind you, themselves – before lecturing others.

They experimented with their inner souls, they did not indulge in lighthearted banter and lecture others on “this mysterious inner light”. What they said came across as purely authentic, as if their voices were purged of hidden agendas. What you say could appear purely inauthentic! You will be accused of trying to lull us to sleep. Please read Kerouac, Mr Sanspeur. Enough of lectures… Brace yourself against the heat coming out of the Kitchen, especially during Divali.

What you say is and will always be inauthentic Mr Sanspeur, because like you I also love Vedanta, Madhyamika and the Gita, but like you I am conscious of these eternal lines from the Upanishads: “It is not this, it is not this, it is not this… neti, neti, neti…” Happy Divali Gérard.

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