Bihari Mauritian
Encyclopedia
Bihari Mauritians are the descendants of Bihari migrants to Mauritius
. A majority of Indo-Mauritian
s are Bihari, and a majority of Mauritians are Indo-Mauritian (the Hindus:Brahmin, Rajput, Koery, Kurmi, Bhumihar, Yadav, Banias, and Kayastha castes are well represented. ). Most Mauritian prime ministers have been Bihari. The community includes a Hindu
majority, followed by Muslims (Sunni Islam
) and the rest are Christians (largely Roman Catholic).
Bihari Mauritians were mainly from the Gaya, Chapra, Bhojpur and Gopalganj and East and West Champaran districts. In those early days of Migration, the labourers referred Mauritius as 'Marich'.
Amitav Ghosh
wrote an acclaimed novel set in this period, based on extensive research, called the 'Sea of Poppies
'. This fictional account tells of a ship, called 'The Ibis', which brought the Bihari bonded labourers to Mauritius. The main characters who embark on the ship include a widow saved from enforced Sati
by a man of lower caste, the daughter of a famous French botanist and a former aristocrat sentenced to penal transportation
after going bankrupt. It also describes the devastation of the farming community in the region by the monopolistic British East India Company
. According to the book, many small land owners were forced to cultivate poppies to produce the opium that was trafficked to China. This created a supply of hungry and impoverished Bihari migrants who were desperate enough to brave the hellish journey to Mauritius and even more distant colonies of the empire. Somewhat ironically, Mauritius now ranks near the top of the list of countries by prevalence of opiates use.
About 60 percent of the 1.2 million population of Mauritius is of Indian origin, a large number of them from Bihar, with Bhojpuri
as their mother tongue.
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. A majority of Indo-Mauritian
Indo-Mauritian
Indo-Mauritians are people of Indian descent living on the island of Mauritius, where they represent a majority comprising 68% of the population according to the July 2007 statistics...
s are Bihari, and a majority of Mauritians are Indo-Mauritian (the Hindus:Brahmin, Rajput, Koery, Kurmi, Bhumihar, Yadav, Banias, and Kayastha castes are well represented. ). Most Mauritian prime ministers have been Bihari. The community includes a Hindu
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
majority, followed by Muslims (Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
) and the rest are Christians (largely Roman Catholic).
Bihari Mauritians were mainly from the Gaya, Chapra, Bhojpur and Gopalganj and East and West Champaran districts. In those early days of Migration, the labourers referred Mauritius as 'Marich'.
Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh
Amitav Ghosh , is a Bengali Indian author best known for his work in the English language.-Life:Ghosh was born in Calcutta on July 11, 1956, to Lieutenant Colonel Shailendra Chandra Ghosh, a retired officer of the pre-independence Indian Army, and was educated at The Doon School; St...
wrote an acclaimed novel set in this period, based on extensive research, called the 'Sea of Poppies
Sea of Poppies
Sea of Poppies is a novel by Indian novelist Amitav Ghosh which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It is the first volume of what will be the Ibis trilogy....
'. This fictional account tells of a ship, called 'The Ibis', which brought the Bihari bonded labourers to Mauritius. The main characters who embark on the ship include a widow saved from enforced Sati
Sati
Sati may refer to:*An alternative name for Hindu goddess Dakshayani, Shiva's first wife*Sati , an ancient Indian tradition of the immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre, now illegal*Mindfulness...
by a man of lower caste, the daughter of a famous French botanist and a former aristocrat sentenced to penal transportation
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
after going bankrupt. It also describes the devastation of the farming community in the region by the monopolistic British East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. According to the book, many small land owners were forced to cultivate poppies to produce the opium that was trafficked to China. This created a supply of hungry and impoverished Bihari migrants who were desperate enough to brave the hellish journey to Mauritius and even more distant colonies of the empire. Somewhat ironically, Mauritius now ranks near the top of the list of countries by prevalence of opiates use.
About 60 percent of the 1.2 million population of Mauritius is of Indian origin, a large number of them from Bihar, with Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
as their mother tongue.