Anjani Murden’s ‘Le Bhojpuri mauricien’: Unveiling the Story of Bhojpuri in Mauritius

Identity, Culture, and Language

By Nandini Bhautoo

On Thursday 6th February 2025, saw the launch of Anjani Murden’s book at Hennessy Park Ebene called ‘Le Bhojpuri mauricien… Étude sociolinguistique du bhojpuri à Maurice : Histoire, situation, survie’. The book is a condensed version of her doctoral research conducted under the auspices of the Open University.

\Anjani Murden’s ‘Le Bhojpuri mauricien’ launched by Minister Kaviraj Sukon

Anjani Murden has used classic sociolinguistic methodologies to assess the current situation of a language that is often compared to Creole, as it exists in a similar dyadic relationship with Hindi as Creole does with French. However, it is important to stress here that this equivalence is not totally correct. For whereas Creole was created as a language of contact in plantation societies, using the semantics of French and the basilectal grammar of African languages, early forms of Bhojpuri were already in use in North Eastern India, mostly among the rural folk, who brought their dialect with them in the middle passage of indenture. From there it has evolved by adopting new vocabulary, semantics and phonetics, while in turn infusing Creole with some of its own cultural colours, this process of mutual interconnection, being a natural process of dynamic language use and evolution over time.

Anjani Murden’s book uses interviews, focus group discussions, ethnographic interviews, studied social variables in order to study the evolving attitudes to the language over the generations. One element which emerges is that Bhojpuri is very much related to affect and intergenerational intergroup relationship permitting bonding over the generations within the family circles. But the data seems to indicate a lessening of use. One of the worrying aspects which the sociological study highlights is that the old people have preserved the memory of their times through Bhojpuri. Once these speakers suffer the inevitable passage of time, we might lose precious knowledge about the past of lived communities and their narratives of struggle and survival.

Bhojpuri and the Indian Indenture System

It is good here that we remind ourselves that Mauritius is far from being the only territory where Bhojpuri is spoken outside India. The migration of Bhojpuri speakers to various colonies was primarily driven by the British colonial system of indentured labour, which replaced enslaved African labour after the abolition of slavery. Between 1834 and the early 20th century, thousands of Bhojpuri-speaking labourers were taken to sugarcane plantations in the Caribbean, Fiji, and Mauritius. These migrations not only led to the linguistic and cultural dispersal of Bhojpuri but also resulted in its transformation through sustained contact with European languages and local vernaculars.

Bhojpuri’s evolution in Mauritius

Mauritius, home to a significant Indo-Mauritian population, became a fertile ground for the development of a distinct Bhojpuri dialect influenced by Mauritian Creole, French, and English. While Bhojpuri was historically a primary spoken language among indentured labourers and their descendants, it has gradually declined in usage due to socio-linguistic shifts and the increasing dominance of Creole in everyday life.

Mauritian Bhojpuri has experienced phonetic, grammatical, and lexical changes due to prolonged contact with Creole. For instance:

• Many Bhojpuri words have been absorbed into Creole, such as “bhai” (brother), “roti” (flatbread), and “dal” (lentils).
• The original Bhojpuri case system and verb conjugations have been simplified, aligning with Creole’s more neutral grammatical structure. Derek Bickerton and Sydney Mintz say this is because the conditions of plantation contact forced users to resort to the basic grammar of present, past, future in wielding the new language, in a sense going back to the roots of language formation.
• Code-switching between Bhojpuri and Creole is common, particularly among older generations who still retain Bhojpuri fluency.

Hybridization with Creole and decline of Bhojpuri

The sociolinguistic relationship between Bhojpuri and Creole in Mauritius is one of convergence and shift. Similar to the way Mauritian Creole emerged from contact between French and African languages, Mauritian Bhojpuri has integrated Creole elements, leading to a Creolized form of the language.

This hybridization has contributed to the erosion of Bhojpuri as an independent linguistic entity. Younger generations are increasingly shifting toward Creole as their primary spoken language, and Bhojpuri is often relegated to cultural and religious functions. Scholars like Sarita Boodhoo and Suchita Ramdin have highlighted the importance of preserving Bhojpuri cultural expressions, particularly in folk music and oral traditions.

Bhojpuri Customs and Songs: A Cultural Repository

Despite its linguistic decline, Bhojpuri remains a cornerstone of Indo-Mauritian identity, particularly in music and folklore. Bhojpuri folk songs, deeply embedded in Mauritian cultural traditions, narrate themes of migration, labour struggles, devotion, and festivities. These songs have been adapted into local musical styles and continue to be performed in religious ceremonies and festivals.

Sarita Boodhoo has extensively documented Mauritian Bhojpuri folk traditions, emphasizing their role in maintaining a link to ancestral heritage. Suchita Ramdin has also contributed to understanding how Bhojpuri customs have adapted in the diaspora, showing that while the language itself may be fading, its cultural impact remains strong.

Comparing Bhojpuri’s diasporic trajectories

The fate of Bhojpuri in Mauritius reflects broader trends seen in other Bhojpuri-speaking diaspora communities:

• Trinidad and Tobago & Guyana: Bhojpuri evolved into Trinidadian and Guyanese Hindustani, incorporating English and Creole influences. While still a cultural marker, these Bhojpuri variants are no longer widely spoken.
• Fiji: Bhojpuri and Awadhi merged to form Fiji Hindi, which remains an official language and a vital part of Indo-Fijian identity.
• Mauritius: Bhojpuri has been more extensively hybridized with Creole, leading to its gradual decline in everyday use, though it persists in cultural expressions.

Sociolinguistic parallels: Bhojpuri-Creole and Hindi-French Dyads

In Mauritius, Bhojpuri exists in a sociolinguistic dynamic similar to the French-Creole relationship. Both Bhojpuri and French were languages brought by migrants (Indian labourers and French colonizers, respectively), while their creolized forms (Mauritian Creole and Mauritian Bhojpuri) developed as vernaculars in response to linguistic contact.

Some key parallels and differences:

While Mauritian Creole has gained linguistic legitimacy, Bhojpuri continues to struggle for recognition and survival. Scholars like Boodhoo and Ramdin advocate for Bhojpuri’s revitalization, recognizing its deep cultural significance despite its diminished spoken role. This is also the position taken by the scholar Anjani Murden.

The history of Bhojpuri in Mauritius is a story of migration, adaptation, and transformation. Though its everyday use has declined, its cultural legacy persists in music, religious practices, and identity formation. Building on the insights of her research and the work of scholars like Sarita Boodhoo and Suchita Ramdin, Anjani Murden’s book underscores the importance of preserving Bhojpuri as a living heritage.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 14 February 2025