This year marks the 110th birth anniversary of Beekrumsing Ramlallah (1915-2000). A visitor to the Aapravasi Ghat World Heritage Site might wonder why his name is associated with the site which became a world heritage site in 2006. The Beekrumsing Ramlallah Interpretation Centre was so named to honour the indefatigable perseverance of Beekrumsing Ramlallah to unearth this site from the neglect into which it had fallen and rehabilitate it as the space where the dolorous journey of indentured workers to Mauritius began in the nineteenth century. The Centre features a permanent exhibition area which retraces the experience of indentured labourers in Mauritius and highlights the key role of Mauritius in the history of indenture. The Beekrumsing Ramlallah Interpretation Centre was inaugurated on 2 November 2014 in the context of the 180th Anniversary of the arrival of indentured labourers in Mauritius. The Centre was named after Beekrumsing Ramlallah (1915-2000), journalist and member of Parliament, in homage to his commitment to recognize the Aapravasi Ghat as a landmark in the history of the nation. He campaigned for the protection, preservation and restoration of the Coolie Ghat, now known as Aapravasi Ghat, and inscribed since 16 July 2006 on the UNESCO World Heritage List of the Convention concerning the protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. I did not know B. Ramlallah personally although we came across and greeted each other at times in official functions. In this paper, I would like to pay tribute to him for the impact of his actions in the formative years of my life as a secondary school student in the 1980s at Bhujoharry College, located at St Georges Street, Port Louis. I am sure I am not the only student who benefitted from the outcome of his actions.
The Man
Beekrumsing Ramlallah (1915–2000) was a Mauritian schoolteacher, social worker, journalist, politician, and minister. Born in Long Mountain in 1915, he was the son of Seenarain and grandson of Ramlall, both small planters. His great-grandfather had migrated from Ballia, a village in northern India, to Mauritius as an indentured labourer.
Ramlallah began his career as a teacher and social worker. He joined the Arya Samaj movement and later became chairman of the Port-Louis-based socio-cultural organisation, Hindu Maha Sabha (HMS). In 1940, he founded the youth movement Sewa Samithi to train young members in civic engagement.
Passionate about knowledge and culture, Ramlallah imported books and newspapers from India for resale at the Central Market of Port Louis. In 1946, he opened Nalanda Bookshop on Bourbon Street, Port Louis. Later, in 1954, he founded the weekly newspaper Mauritius Times.
Nalanda Bookshop
Nalanda Bookshop stood among other well-known shops of the time, such as Bonanza, Bourbon, and University Bookshops. Bonanza and Bourbon allowed students to exchange used school textbooks when moving up grades, while University Bookshop catered largely to distance-learning students enrolled with London Universities or UNISA (South Africa).
Nalanda, however, had a unique appeal. It stocked textbooks by Indian authors for subjects like English Literature, Economics, and Accounting. Though not prescribed by Cambridge syllabi, these books were accessible, affordable, and easier for us to understand. For instance, Indian editions of Shakespeare texts like Hamlet and As You Like It included paraphrases and specimen questions that greatly assisted HSC students.
I vividly recall one particular day during my visits to Nalanda. I was in Form 5 when I encountered Mr Ramlallah himself. With his spectacles, long-sleeved shirt, and black trousers, he looked serious and imposing, and I felt quite intimidated. Yet, to my surprise, he came over, noticed me browsing, and pointed to a book.
On Myself
Mr Ramlallah showed me the pocketbook ‘On Myself by M.K. Gandhi’, edited and published by Anand T. Hingorani by Gandhi Peace Foundation, New Delhi & Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay, Year 1972. The book is a collection of excerpts of writings by Gandhi or interviews he gave between 1921 and 1948. It forms part of the Gandhi Pocket Series (N0.24). Mr Ramlallah told me they just received the book, and he recommended me to read the book. I took the book from the shelf and shyly looked at the price. It was Rs 7.84. In those days apart from my daily ‘tifin’ (bread) and Dowlut juice, my one-week pocket money was Rs 5 note. I had saved enough money during over two weeks. I could buy the book. What a treasure this 176-page pocketbook! With years, I realise it is probably not ‘un hasard’ that I got Mr Ramlallah indicating me this book. This book became one of the elements in the formative years of my secondary student’s life and for my social and militant youth activism. Three insights from the book remain with me.
Wisdom N0.1: On being
a Mahatma
When asked whether he was only a Mahatma or also a statesman, Gandhi replied:
“In my view, anyone who is a Mahatma is bound to be a statesman. A statesman is one who can serve and protect the State—the people. An Atman may be Mahan (great) only to the extent that the person has become a servant of humanity.” (Navajivan, May 15, 1921)
Wisdom N0.2: My statue!
Writing in Harijan (7 October 1939), Gandhi dismissed the idea of statues or portraits in his honour:
“The only praise I would like and treasure is the promotion of the activities to which my life is dedicated. He or she who does a single act to produce communal harmony, to fight untouchability, or to advance the cause of the villages, brings me real joy and peace. I am nothing without or apart from my activities.
Wisdom N0.3: On the quest for Truth
“The seeker after Truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet, but the seeker after Truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then will he have a glimpse of Truth.” (p.43) Confronted with the colonial situation in his country, Gandhi does not see things in terms of just a fight against colonialism but as a quest for truth.
For anybody looking for truth, he says: The seeker after Truth should be humbler than the dust. The world crushes the dust under its feet but the seeker after Truth should so humble himself that even the dust could crush him. Only then, and not till then, will he have a glimpse of Truth. (p.43).
Father Souchon and the
Mauritius Times
At Bhujoharry College, Father Henri Souchon acted as a mentor and counsellor to many students. Seeing me struggle with English for my School Certificate, he recommended reading the Friday weekly Mauritius Times. This proved invaluable. Unlike Times or Newsweek, which were unaffordable and only available in the municipal library’s reading room, Mauritius Times was accessible and student-friendly. Its dedicated student section offered vocabulary tips, study strategies, and insightful articles.
In 1984, the very year I sat for my School Certificate, Mr Ramlallah, as founder-chairman of the Mauritius Union of Journalists (MUJ), led a protest against the government’s proposed Newspapers and Periodicals (Amendment) Bill, which sought to impose a prohibitive Rs 500,000 security on print media owners. This would have silenced small independent presses. Alongside 43 other journalists, including Father Souchon, he demonstrated outside the Legislative Assembly. The protest was dispersed by the Police Riot Unit, and the journalists were arrested.
A Dedicated Life
The life of Beekrumsing Ramlallah stands as a shining example of dedication to education, culture, and social justice. Through Nalanda Bookshop, the Pocket Gandhi Series, and the Mauritius Times, he left behind a legacy that nurtured generations of students, thinkers, and activists. His actions continue to inspire us to strive for truth, justice, and communal harmony.
For this, we owe him our gratitude.
Hence, such a life of people like Mr Ramlallah is a dedicated life for upliftment of our society. We can look up to them for inspiration. I wish to express my thanks and the gratitude of our country to such persons.
Dr Jimmy Harmon
