DEV VIRAHSAWMY
5, Edwin Ythier Street, Rose Hill, 71368, Mauritius
limemsa@gmail.com https://boukiebanane.com
HOW DID IT ALL START?
Translating JOSEPH AND HIS AMAZING TECHNICOLOUR DREAMCOAT into Mauritian Creole (MC) which most Mauritians thought was not a language, was a major challenging task. The roaring stage success of this rock-opera in a despised language gave us all the greatest culture shock our country has known. The door was now open to the promotion and standardisation of what has become the mother tongue (L1) of 90% of the population and the second language (L2) of the remaining 10% and moreover, this language is also the de-facto national (not yet de-jure) language the republic.
A short while later, my very good friend, Father Gerard Sullivan, came to me with another request: the bishop of Port Louis would like me to translate the Catholic liturgy from French into MC. Try to imagine my bewilderment! The challenge was so mind and soul stimulating that I could not resist. A confirmed atheist Marxist was to translate an important piece of religious text. When the finished text was handed over, Bishop Jean Margeot told me something which eventually will change my life: “Dev, celui qui a écrit ‘Lasours’ ne peut pas être athée. Je t’aime, mon ami!”
A few years later, I had the responsibility to organise independence celebrations and I decided to break away from routine. Instead of the bland formal flag raising ceremony, I planned a one-week celebration on the Gymkhana ground in Vacoas with a variety of artistic, cultural, social, and commercial activities which would culminate in the officiel and formal flag raising ceremony. I decided to call the event ‘ZANFAN LARKANSIEL’. Everything was ready for the opening ceremony. On the eve of that day, I returned home exhausted and went straight to bed, fell asleep. In my sleep, I heard a voice: ‘To kwar to enn gran mari! To finn bliye enn zafer enportan.’ What was that? Sleep had vanished. Where did I go wrong? O Lord! I did not check weather conditions in Vacoas during the first 2 weeks of March. I had to talk to the met office in the morning. I could not sleep. I left our bed, fell on my knees to pray, and begged for forgiveness. Loga, my wife, was shocked. The man she had known for over 22 years was on his knees praying. She tried to comfort me.
Early in the morning, I spoke to the chief met officer who told me that he had tried to contact me, in vain. March was the wettest month in Vacoas. Koup mwa peyna disan! The die was cast, we had to cross the Rubicon.
A whole week, the sky was overcast with thick black clouds but not a drop fell from the sky. On March 12, at midday, while the national flag was being raised, a glorious rainbow appeared over the Gymkhana ground. As soon as the ceremony was over, there was a huge downpour.
The next day Patrick Michel wrote in l’Express: MÊME L’ARC-EN-CIEL Y ÉTAIT.
The rainbow, covenant between God and man, became the diya on my road to enlightenment and wisdom. I started to study and translate religious literature, a never-ending process.
I have reached the following belief: God is Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva) and Tridevi (Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati). Vishnu comes to us in times of woe to help us along and his latest ‘AVTAR’ (avatar) is Jesus.
My prayers are composed in my mother tongue and always begin with:
“Tomem nou Mama, tomem nou Papa (Tumhi ho Mata, Pita Tumhi ho).”
30.05.23
