Meet the Expats - Shahin-Uddin Sardar : a journey of struggle to success in Mauritius

Muhammad Shahin-Uddin Sardar, 39, is the founder director of BCC School at Guibies, Pailles. Born in Bangladesh, Shahin-Uddin settled in Mauritius in September 2002. He got married to a Mauritian and since then has settled in our country as an expat. 

After graduating from the University of Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, Shahin-Uddin had planned to go to Canada. “Finally, I decided to visit Mauritius. In my first visit itself, I liked the island so much that I decided to settle down here,” he declares. His first journey from SSR Airport to Port Louis was an eye opener. He was amazed by the picturesque landscape of greenery of the sugarcane fields and the stronghold of the mountain ranges, which he says, uplift the beauty of the paradise island. 

Adaptation to Mauritian culture

Shahin-Uddin confides that in the beginning, it was quite difficult for him to settle down here due to the different cultural and social backgrounds. Mauritius, for him, is a very beautiful country with lots of potential. He compares Mauritius to Bangladesh as he finds that in both countries, people of different communities are living peacefully together. However, when it comes to Mauritius, its natural beauty, people and cultures make it unique. Some places he visited in Mauritius are so attractive that he wishes to visit them again and again. The main problem Shahin-Uddin faced, in the beginning, was adaptation to Mauritian food. In Bangladesh, they take rice or roti in the morning as breakfast while in Mauritius, it is bread. “Frankly speaking, till today, sometimes I have a problem with eating bread. I love many Mauritian foods like ‘biryani’, ‘samosa’, ‘dhol-puri’, ‘gateau piment’, chutney, ‘rougaille’, tuna salad, ‘boulette’, ‘poisson salé’, fruit salad with chilies, ‘alouda’, coconut water and the list goes on. However, I really miss the small fish that I used to eat every day in Bangladesh,” he narrates.

Another obstacle was the language barrier. He was unable to get a job that matched his qualifications. In order not to stay idle and wait for a perfect job to land in his lap, Shahin-Uddin started preparing and selling traditional sweets in different shops. He also sold shawls and other ladies’ dresses from Kashmir. At the same time, he was studying for his PGCE at the Mauritius Institute of Education. Later, he got the opportunity to work in different colleges as a Business Studies teacher for some years. Meanwhile, he also completed his M.Ed. in Educational Management and Leadership and worked as a lecturer in a couple of tertiary institutions and as an interpreter in the Mauritius Police Force.  

Mauritius v/s Bangladesh

“Mauritius is really a very small country compared to Bangladesh. Hence, people know each other. This makes it easier to start a business or get a job. People here are very helpful. Very rarely can you find people in extreme poverty,” he says.  As he sees it, owing to government policies like pension schemes, free education, free health care services, free transport facilities to students, elderly people and people with special needs, he adds, most people are able to lead quite a modest life in Mauritius. However, in Bangladesh, the scenario is completely different. Many people do not have food, they need safe water and proper sanitation. “We are very lucky that being a small island, we have good transportation and communication systems. We can travel easily and comfortably here, without any hassles like in big countries. We should be thankful to our ancestors and work hard to develop the country further,” he says.

Business in the blood

Despite a good career prospect, Shahin-Uddin had a greater vision for himself. Since childhood, he was dreaming of working on his own terms. To get a better perspective of the business world, he decided to study for a degree in Business Studies. “My grandfather was my inspiration in the field of business. My forefathers were famous businessmen in Kolkata. During the Partition between India and Pakistan, they settled in Bangladesh. My grandfather was a landlord and he had a metal factory, manufacturing different household articles. However, his children did not follow his path and preferred to be teachers,” he narrates. His grandfather had 17 children and most of them have been in the teaching profession.  Having both business and teaching in his blood, he opened an academic coaching centre in Mauritius in Plaine Verte and employed teachers to coach students in about 15 academic subjects. In 2011, after much success with the coaching centre, he opened his own private school called BCC School at Pailles. His school currently has a staff consisting of 23 employees and has 200 students.

Changes

According to the Director of BCC School, Mauritius needs proper planning. “We have to change the mindset of some people and make our population more active. Mauritius needs more entrepreneurs who can create jobs, increase GDP, and contribute in reducing our national debt. We have to encourage people to be creative and not to be copycats,” he says. Furthermore, Mauritius, according to him, has many unused lands and due to the closing down of sugar mills, more and more lands are being neglected. He estimates that these lands can be used to rear fish, cows, goats and produce fruits and vegetables. “It is very sad to see that we lack vegetables and fish although Mauritius is an island and we have plenty of unused lands,” he points out. He is of the opinion that the Government can import expertise and labour from Bangladesh to develop these sectors. 

Profile

Shaheen- Uddin is happily married and has two kids. Both his children attend the BCC School. His wife is also a teacher.  In Bangladesh, Shahin-Uddin has his parents, a brother and a sister. His father is a retired school teacher and his mother is a housewife. At least once in the middle of each year, his parents come to Mauritius and they stay with him. “I wish they could stay with me forever, as since my childhood, I left them and had very little chance to live with them. However, due to health issues and other family commitments, they have to stay there as well. I cannot be so selfish!” he advances. His brother and sister are married and they live in Bangladesh.