The unforgotten soul

We just celebrated the 110th birth anniversary of Professor Basdeo Bissoondoyal who saw the light of the day on 15 April 1906. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"15645","attributes":{"class":"media-image alignleft size-full wp-image-26308","typeof":"foaf:Image","style":"","width":"300","height":"443","alt":"Professor Basdeo Bissoondoyal"}}]]He has been such a fountainhead of nationalist pride, such a static emblem ever since one can remember that we forget he was clearly aware, as a writer, of living in a unique and transformative time. Pr Basdeo Bissoondoyal, one of the epoch-making figures in Mauritius of the twentieth century, had a constant acknowledgment of the power of the past, and of the canonical riches of Indian tradition, and constant inquiry about the terms in which these are transmitted to us. In this, he is distinct from any other Hindu reformers, for whom tradition has a veracity and comprehensiveness, and is a given to be improved upon or invoked in the services of politics and identity. Professor Basdeo educated in Calcutta. He studied philosophy, history, Sanskrit literature, Gita and the Vedas very deeply. He was an impressive speaker and his wonderful ability of explaining the Vedas and other sacred scriptures of Hinduism to the laymen soon made him immensely popular among the younger members of that time. He was a tireless fighter and devoted most of his time with the people and books. In his writings, I can flair Benjamin Franklin’s encomia to democracy; to Tom Paine’s liberalism and Thomas Jefferson’s democratic principles; to James Madison and above all to Nehru and Gandhi. Basdeo met with the towering figure like Gandhi on his passage to Mauritius and with Doctor Manilall who was delegated to this island to evaluate the conditions of living of the Indian immigrants. However, he was not just a mere writer; he was also the harbinger of Upanishad and Vedas which elevated him to the stature of the cultural ambassador of Mauritius. Even today, years after his death, this saint-like man lives through his works in the hearts of the people of Mauritius who are forever indebted to him for enriching their heritage. Basdeo’s ideology had many changes throughout his life. He gave emphasis on different issues in different times. Sometimes, he gave more emphasis on the religious issues and sometimes, he spoke more about the social changes. The villages where he mostly toured were Lallmatie, Bon Acceuil, Laventure and BrisséeVerdiere. At Lallmatie, he christened a building as Swaraj Bhawan and he firmly believed in Swaraj unlike some Historians who try to distort the fact. These people want to change the course of history. I vividly remember those songs which he himself sang and later there was a CD mounted all of his songs by Mr Nandkumar Ramdin, the then head Department of Music and production at MGI and under the direction of Dr Ms Suchita Ramdin. There was a song “Om kajandhahatahein….” Sung by late Professor Uttuma Bissoondoyal, the then Director of MGI. It was the favourite song of the youths during those times. These songs were being sung all the way in the procession. It was an atmosphere filled with a Kranti soon. For him, ignorance is the poison of the soul and knowledge is the food for the soul. He was not like the politician who would strike back but put the blame on the system. He went house to house to converse to people not to ask for votes but to educate them through his parchar. He taught them how to sign their names in Hindi so that they could become voters. He also spurred the indifferent youth of the village to voice their opinions against rampant corruption. The Bissoondoyals staying at Saint Denis Street, Port-Louis, were a progressive family, and their home was a hub of social activity and culture. Many followers across community came there to learn. I believe that the most vibrant homage which could be offered to Professor Basdeo is to introduce Basdeo Bissoondoyal studies at least in the secondary schools. There are enough reading materials available and more research could be carried out. “All men who repeat one line of Shakespeare are William Shakespeare”, said Jorge Luis Borges said that. Well, all Mauritians of a certain generation were, at one point or another, Bissoondoyal.