Pahlad Ramsurrun
Manilal Maganlal Doctor, the envoy of Mahatma Gandhi, and the emancipator of the leaderless Indo-Mauritians, set foot on our soil 115 years ago in October 1907, stayed for nearly five years and left in December 1911. His stay in our midst is full of historic events that have become the rich ingredients for historians to delve into at all ages. He is remembered among Indo-Mauritian historians to have founded the ‘Young Men’s Hindu Association”, the ‘Local Arya Samaj Movement’ and the ‘Hindustani’, a bilingual daily, all these to defend and safeguard the interests of the working class Indians in this country. 
Manilal Doctor had phenomenal success in the five court cases emanating from the Labourdonnais unrest in 1909 in which he had won three, lost one and one was to be tried later. He also fought three other historic court cases and all of them have become classics of the Mauritian Judiciary. Twice he deponed before the Swettenham Commission and twice he intervened in the annual meetings of the Indian National Congress in India and spoke against the Indenture system prevalent in Mauritius and elsewhere.
Manilal Doctor’s presence in the colony had served as a catalyst to end the ”Double Cut” and the “Corvée” system that was a tool in the hands of the sugar magnates which they used to declare the workers as vagrants and with the help of the district Magistrate, the workers were sent to prison handcuffed in batches. And out of this evil and reprehensible system the big planters were making huge financial gains.
Hence two documents (translated from Hindi) relating to Manilal Doctor Celebrations are being given for the first time from Janata, a Hindi weekly, dated 13th October 1957 and 10th October 1961 under the heading: “ Manilal Memorial Celebrations” and “Manilal Day Tomorrow Is 11th October Don’t Forget It”.
“Manilal Memorial Celebrations”
“The celebrations of 50 years of arrival of Manilal Doctor will be held on 13th October, 1957 at 1.00 p. m. at Gymkhana, Champ de Mars, Port Louis, under the chairmanship of Hon. Renganaden Seeneevassen. People are kindly requested to participate in it.
Major General Chatterjee, the Commissioner of India, the Mayor of Port Louis, and Hon. Dr Seewoosagur Ramgoolam have kindly consented to be present at the function.
Hon. Renganaden Seeneevassen, Hon. Guy Forget, and Messrs. Jainarain Roy, Hassam Toorawa, Vel Govinden and Pandit Ram Murti will express their views on that occasion. Special seating arrangements were made for the ladies.
As both functions were to be held during day-time, people are requested to attend in great numbers. The first ceremony relates to the installation of the Statue of late Manilal Doctor, which was held at noon in Company Garden, opposite the Hindu Maha Sabha.”
“Tomorrow is 11th October: Don’t Forget”
“The second celebration is a Fancy Fair, which will take place in Taher Bagh, Champ de Mars, under the patronage of Hon. Edgar Millien, the Mayor of Port Louis. Major General Chatterjee will open the Fair. It will remain open until 11.00 p. m. in the night. There will also be a musical programme and a film show at 8.00 p.m.”
Perhaps you know that the month of October has turned symbolic in a unique way for the whole world. The socialist/ communist country – Russia – became independent in October, freeing itself from the clutches of the capitalists.
The red Communist Government was established in that vast country – China – in October. Mahatma Gandhi too was born in October and Manilal Doctor also arrived in Mauritius in October.
To mark the event, we are holding a big meeting in Port Louis Theatre in the memory of Manilal Doctor, our great leader. Manilal Day Celebrations are being organized to keep his name and memories alive in Mauritius.
On this occasion Hon. Dr. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, our leading socialist leader will gracefully preside over the function. The function will start exactly at 8.30 in the night. Vanparasthi Dhurundhur will pay tribute to shri Manilal with garlanding his statue. Smt. Vinaya Teeluck will deal with the significance of the celebrations in her address. Other gentlemen will also speak on that occasion.
Messrs Guy Forget, Razack Mohamed. Vel Govinden, Ramawadh Shivgovind Sharma, Veeraswamy Ringadoo will also address the gathering. Brejandra Kumar Bhagat will recite his poems.
There will also be a musical programme on that occasion.
The general public is invited to participate in Manilal Day Celebrations. It is expected that people will turn up in large numbers to discharge their duty and to pay their tributes to the great leader, Manilal Doctor, who had helped them to break the chains of slavery.”