Mauritius Youth Reflect on Hinduism
By Hinduism Today / January 1, 2022
Meet the new generations charged with maintaining and enriching their religious identity in a multicultural island nation
By Savita Tiwari, Mauritius
On the dark evening of November 2nd, 1834, thirty-six Indian laborers arrived at Port Louis, Mauritius, on the Atlas, the first ship to bring Indian indentured laborers to Mauritius. Apprehensive at the unknown lives that awaited them, they disembarked onto Mauritian soil, perhaps unknowingly embedding the footprint of Hinduism onto this foreign land. Together, they would create a cultural and religious impression that would last into the foreseeable future.
A painting depicting the Atlas
Each of these immigrants carried his or her bundle of personal possessions from the homeland: Indian clothing, scarce personal
trinkets, and copies of the Ramayana—the classic story which would serve as a foundation and anchor for Hinduism in this new country. These books, some given as departing gifts from their family and elders, carried the message that even though you are leaving everything you know behind, you must never abandon your dharma.
Mauritius was named in 1598 by the Dutch after their Prince Maurice of Nassau. However, the Hindu folk tales by our Mauritian forebears have another version of the story. They call it Marich Desh, after the demon king Marich. It is said that Marich and Subahu were brothers, the sons of the demoness Tadaka. Marich was Ravana’s maternal uncle, as Tadaka was the mother of both Marich and Kaikasi. We all know the story where Ram killed demoness Tadaka and her son Subahu, but mistakenly shot a crooked arrow towards Marich. The arrow struck Marich’s chest and threw him a hundred miles away, into the ocean.
A wide-angle view of the capital, Port Louis
In the Ramayana that story ends there; but in Mauritius it continues in the form of a folk tale. It says that Ram’s arrow threw Marich to the island of Mauritius. Marich’s life was spared, and he became a
saintly person. He lived the life of an ascetic on this island, setting up an ashram and renouncing his demonic qualities. He began to realize his past mistakes and became a devotee of Ram. When Ravana approached Marich to help him with the abduction of Sita, Marich refused. Ravana threatened him with death, but Marich chose instead to die by the hand of Ram. When Ram killed Marich in the form of a golden deer, Marich accepted his sins, and Ram gave him a boon: his island would henceforth be called Marich Desh, Indians would one day come to the island with the Ramayana, and Ram’s name would echo throughout the country. Thus, Marich died peacefully.
Our ancestors found solace in this story and considered that they were brought to this foreign land by the will of Ram. The indentured immigrants lived challenging lives under English rule. Toiling all day in sugarcane fields, at night they took shelter in Ram’s name and chanted the Ramayana’s verses in groups, forgetting their pains of the day and the problems of tomorrow. That’s how Hinduism survived those arduous old days in Mauritius. Today, 187 years later, Hinduism is as heartfelt as when it arrived on the island. The newer generation is bringing forward the teachings and rituals of Hinduism in their own way.
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