Greetings from Geneva

MT @ 70

By PN (Udai) Fulena

I was delighted to read Paramanund Soobarah’s article in last Friday’s (16 August 2024) 70th anniversary edition of the Mauritius Times, to which I subscribe. The thoughts he has meticulously penned reflect an important part of Mauritius’s history. They also reminded me of my own childhood years growing up in Mauritius. I had similar experiences at home. We had one added factor to consider: since my father was a constable in the Police Force, discipline at home was “de rigueur”. Plus, as per the Police Force rules of those days, most policemen were transferred from one police station to another, as decided by Police HQ, at regular intervals of about two and a half years (no “ifs”, no “buts”).Courtesy call on then Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam at the Prime Minister’s Office. Present were Udai and fellow airmen, along with then Commissioner of Police Jugmohunsing Fulena and Clerk to the Cabinet Dayanand Chuttur

When a transfer occurred, this meant that the policeman’s family, who lived in Police Quarters, had to move from one quarters to another too, and similarly, his children had to move from one government school to another! (again, no “ifs”, no “buts”). We moved from Rose Belle Police Station (where my sister and I were born), to Riviere des Anguilles, then north to Goodlands, a very l-o-o-ng way from Riviere des Anguilles, almost the other side of the world! We had the additional thrill of travelling there by train operated by the Mauritius Govt Railways.

For some reason, I recall that the malaria eradication campaign, which the British government was implementing in the colonies at the time, was in full swing in Goodlands. People wearing special clothes were busy spraying bushes and inspecting stagnant water in oil drums, “bacquets”, “bassins”, and ponds. Our quarters was equipped with a hand pump and spray, called a “fl-i-i-t”, and liquid DDT to catch rogue mosquitoes. We were also one of the few with a small “Delco” DC generator for lighting the main rooms – there was no national electrical grid at the time, although some electricity was supplied by Goodlands sugar factory. The Delco was an attraction to some village kids.

From Goodlands, we moved to Port Louis (Rue Jonction, then Line Barracks), then Rose Hill – by that time, our parents had seven children, Beau Bassin (Shand Street, then two houses on Church St), and finally Quatre Bornes.

The yearly pilgrimage to Grand Bassin from some of these houses was an adventure we all looked forward to; we took turns hitting the “gong” while walking from Grand Bassin to Riviere du Rempart over two days, chanting prayers!

While in England, I had the opportunity to visit Mauritius twice on official visits: once on a RAF VC 10 carrying the British delegation for the Independence Celebrations in March 1968 when Princess Alexandra was advised not to attend because of racial disturbances at the time, and once on an RAF Vulcan nuclear bomber on a navigation “showing the flag” exercise from Cyprus in August 1971. I attach a few pictures of these aircraft at the old, nostalgic Plaisance Airport.

We were also very privileged to have the opportunity to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam in his office for a brief explanation of the role of the Vulcan. The world and the UK’s role in it were different from what they are today! There was, for example, a defence treaty between Mauritius and the UK.

A few years ago, Mr Ramlallah kindly asked me to write an article on my “parcours professionnel”. I promised him that I would do so, but then did not get round to it. Until I do so, I wanted to let you know that Paramanund Soobarah’s article was a source of inspiration!

PN (Udai) Fulena
Geneva, Switzerland

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 23 August 2024