OBITUARY: Former CWA General Manager D. Soobrah passes away

It was with deep sorrow that I learnt about the sudden and untimely demise of Dhaneshwar Soobrah, at the age of 65, on Wednesday. His funeral were held the next day. Mr Soobrah has served in several senior positions, namely as General Manager of the Central Water Authority (CWA), as chairman of the ex-Development Works Corporation (DWC) and as Resident Manager during the construction of the new building of the Dr. A.G. Jeetoo Hospital. He was an active social worker and was the chairperson of the Hindu House in the early 1990’s. It was through a common friend, Mr Trilock Dwarka, that I made the acquaintance of Dhaneshwar Soobrah. He was looking for an editor in chief for a publication, Le Trident, which he had founded a year ago. Le Trident, a bi-monthly, had as main objective the promotion of Hindu culture. We agreed to work together and I served as chief editor of Le Trident for one year. M. Dhaneshwar Soobrah had high ambitions for the Hindus in Mauritius. He wanted to get the Hindu intelligentsia to participate actively in all matters of national interest. It was a real pleasure working with him. He was very professional in his approach although at times he would lose his temper and vent out his feelings. However he would almost immediately calm down and share his past experiences in his baritone voice. I wonder why he never joined politics; he was such a powerful orator and a competent person as well. Our heartfelt condolences to his widow and their three daughters.