- Razdeo Utchanah

           It is hoped that this article will give the Andhra People living abroad and to all readers, a genuine picture and a good understanding of the social, intellectual, economic and political condition of the 50,000 Telugus living in this country.

           The Telugus, as all the other immigrants, came to Mauritius from South India in the nineteen century, as indentured labourers to work in the sugarcane plantations. They worked for the white people along with the other Indianb immigrants for a very low wage. Most of the Andhras used to live in the Sugar Estate working as agricultural labourers, mill drivers, boilers, sirdars etc. The Andhras were very hard-working and did their tasks with zeal and enthusiasm and thus won the esteem of their masters and got promotion with higher wages. In this way the Andhra people were able to send their children to secondary schools and in the long run there was a good number of Telugu people with Secondary School Education. This has helped them to get jobs in all the sections of the country – clerical officers, teaching profession, medical officers, land surveyors, business men etc.

           The Telugus living in this island in those days were very religious people. They had built a few temples and community halls where they used to meet during festivals, prayers and other socio-cultural activities and also use dto talk and give lectures to those who could not read or write on matters pertaining to Religion and Culture. In this way the Telugu people were motivated to be interested in their language, religion, culture etc., and thus helped for the construction of two well-known and the oldest Telugu Temples. The Bear Vallon Andhra Mandiram and the Vishnu Mandiram of St. Pierre which were build in 1925 and 1928 respectively.

           The Telugu people were scattered all over the sugar estates of the country and there was alck of communication among them. Still some good spirited Andhra people wanted to bring all the Andhras under one banner. This is how the Andhra Jana Sahaya Sangam of St. Pierre was formed grouping all the Telugus of St. Pierre Village. S. K. R. Pydiah, who had noticed that the Andhra people needed to be grouped and encouraged to work for their own advancement as far as their language and culture was concerned was determined to do something in this field. He wrote letters to the Editors of Trilinga and Andhra Patrika of Andhra Pradesh, appealing to the Andhra leaders of A. P. to send Religious Missionaries to help the Andhra People here to preserve their culture. The latter was advised and encouraged to form a society for the Andhras and through it introduce Pandits and Swamijis from A. P. for the purpose.

           S. K. R. Pydiah convened a meeting of Telugus from all over the country in February 1930 at Port-Louis, which meeting was attended by some 800 Andhra People. The meeting was a fruitful one and the leaders spoke on the must of the grouping of the Telugu people and the importance of having missionaries from India. From then onward, the Telugu leaders went round from place to place to motivate the Telugu people to group together.

           It was not until 1947 that a real Association for the Telugu people was established. Some educated and influential Telugu leaders, after several meetings at L. Appadu's place and K. T. Appadu's place in port-Louis decided to set up the organization. Thanks to the pains taking devotion of tjhese two people and others like K. Kamayah, G. Viraswamy, L. Gooniah, R. Ramaswamy, Pandit Rammoorty and a few others, that the "MAURITIUS ANDHRA MAHA SABHA" came to lighton the 8 August, 1947, with Kistamah Kmayah and Romriky Ramasamy as the President and the Secretary respectively. The aim of the Association was, and still is, to group all the Telugu people in the country uinder one banner and fight for its proper place in the Mauritiun Society. The M. A. M. S. had its Head Office in Port-Louis.

           Since 1947 onwards, the Telugu Leaders worked hand in hand, and in order to group all the Telugus, worked as ambassadors throughout the island, and thus created branches of the Sabha. The branches have schools where Telugu language and Culture is taught in the evening and also temples for prayer.

           It was in fact a very hard task for the leaders in those days to recruit members, to work for their uplift and betterment and to work for the propagation of the Telugu language, Culture and Religion and in this regard , the pundits did much to raise the status of the Telugu people. Unfortunately, most of the pioneers have died, among whom pundits Ramoorty and Ottoo, but still they had trained a good number of people and same are leaving no stone unturned for the good of the Andhras.

           Some ten years after the creation of the M.A.M.S the Government of Mauritius came to recognize its existence and its aims and objectives and thus introduced the teaching of Telugu in Primary Schools in 1958.

           The M.A.M.S has, at present, 65 branches all over the island, where there is hall, a temple and a school. The schools run evening classes in Telugu, which classes are taken due care of by reaches trained by the M.A.M.S. and they are doing their level best to teach and propagate the Telugu Language and culture.

           The M.A.M.S had in fact been doing its best to work for the progress of the Telugu Language and Culture and for the whole Community in general. It caters for almost every family of the Telugu Community. It has been celebrating Andhra Day, Ugadi regularly with great pomp at National Level. It also prepares special programme on Saint Tyagaraja's Birthday and encourages the celebration of Rambhajanam every now and then.

           The leaders of the M. A. M. S., since its creation, have been a sort of torch bearers of the Andhra people. They have been struggling hard to safeguard and promote the Telugu Language and Culture.

           Through fraternal visit to branches, the leaders look into the problems of the people of every branch and try to find solutions to these problems. Such visits also help the leaders to be in regular contact with their affiliates and these help in better mutual understanding.

           Through fraternal visit to branches, the leaders look into the problems of the people of every branch and try to find solutions to these problems. Such visits also help the leaders to be in regular contact with their affiliates and these help in better mutual understanding.

           To encourage the Telugu children to love and work for the uplift of the language and culture, the M. A. M. S. gives a financial help to each branch Telugu Youth Club participating in the Telugu Drama Festival organized by the Ministry of Youth and sports each year.

           It has also started giving a souvenir to the first Telugu Candidate in all classes at the Local Telugu Examination held annually.

           It also gives a souvenir to children of its members who come out with flying colours at the Cambridge School Certificate and Cambridge Higher School Certificate Examination each Year.

           This souvenir, we believe, gives sort of incentives to our Teluigu children to study harder and also love our language and culture.

           The M. A. M. S. has also started purchasing or taking on lease Telugu Films to be screened in all the corners of the island.

           Telugu records are also being purchased by the M. A. M. S. regularly. These records are played on Radio and also lent to branches/members on request.

           The M. A. M. S. has an Education Committee to help in the field of Education – teaching of the Telugu Language and Culture, Coaching/Training Sabha Teachers, Supervising Sabha Schools.

           It also has a Finance Committee to look into the financial situation of the Sabha and Branches loan, donation, fund raising etc.

           The M. A. M. S. has been in contact with the International Telugu institute since some six years and this relationship is being strengthened day after day. Magazines/booklets are being sent to despite the goodwill and enthusiasm of the leaders of the M. A. M. S. to work for the uplift of the Community there is a great need to have more Telugu Education Officers (we have only one presently) here so as to help Telugu students to pursue higher studies in Telugu. Hence need for regular scholarships in Telugu for university studies also prevails. A few scholarships in Drama, Social Work and Administration will also be greatly welcome.

           Short Course for Telugu Teachers will also be much appreciated.

           The M. A. M. S. is getting difficulties in conducting Overseas Exams in Telugu (from Parishat) as these Exams are not held regularly. Hence regular Overseas Exams conducted through the M. A. M. S. is a must.

           The needs for more Telugu books, magazines, records etc., are felt.

           The need for documentary films in Telugu is felt and if possible Telugu Feature Films at a subsidized price would be much appreciated.