If the immigrant Boolell had not left his native village of Singarmau, in Jaunpore, a district of Uttar Pradesh, which his grandson, Sir Satcam, as Minister of Agriculture, was to visit in Jan. 1976, nobody would have heard of the distinguished SSB and the destiny of Mauritius might have been different, particularly the survival and victory of the Labour Party, still in power.

Satcam?s father, Sahadewoo, started as a policeman and he increased his family income as a small trader and entrepreneur in New Grove. He was also a supervisor at the Dookhee Gungah property where he sold nursery plants and was engaged in horticultural activities, including litchi, mandarine, lemon, palm plants mainly on orders. He died at the age of 61 in 1940.

The second child in a family of three brothers and three sisters, Satcam was born at Gros-Billot propriété, an annexe of Rose-Belle-New-Grove and Gros-Bois on 11th September, 1920 in a straw house which was later roofed with iron sheets.

«My father became an Arya Samajist through his contact as a policeman with the Punjabi policemen. He fell under their influence. He was quick to see the many benefits of the movement as a social manifesto to uplift the Hindu community, which was still trapped in superstitions, illiteracy, servility and social stagnation», said Sir Satcam.

«Father was a pragmatist Arya Samajist. He took what he thought was the best, the dynamic part of this movement, particularly its stress on education, the education of girls, the emancipation of women, its focus on self-improvement, on social welfare, its adoption of the principles of truth and honesty and its ethics of hard work. As a local leader, he dedicated himself with much zeal to the propagation of the Arya Samajist creed in Rose Belle.

«My father?s entry into the Arya Samaj had many dimensions, social, religious and political. Personally, it gave us, particularly my brother Bhoomitra, myself and my sister, Mrs Bhuckhorry, an edge in terms of assuming leadership position later in life. It also set the pattern in the Boolell?s family to live not only for themselves but to dedicate themselves to the service of other people and of their country.»

Brought up as a strict and disciplined Arya Samajist, his mother ensured that all her children were properly educated, including the girls. That?s how the Boolell?s family is well known as having produced successful professionals for three generations.

However, those were very hard days for the labourers. They were illiterate, superstitious, believing in witchcraft and as they fell under the positive influence of the Arya Samaj, their lives began to change for the better. Satcam?s family kept up the tradition and later in life, as a lawyer and politician, Satcam was elected as the president of the Arya Sabha.

«They were always poorly clad. They wore gunny bag clothes at work. They slept on gunny bags and used these as articles for blankets. People were scared to visit the local doctors who were mainly from the White. The doctors never cared for their patients. They just looked at them from a distance, stopping at the threshold of their consulting room», explained Sir Satcam.

During 1933-34, he completed his «Petite bourse» at Rose Belle Government School where he studied English, French, Arithmetic, History and Geography. At that time, the petite bourse was considered to be a sort of lower secondary schooling.

<I>«My father?s entry into the Arya Samaj had many dimensions. Personally, it gave us an edge in terms ofassuming leadershipposition later in life.»

Unlike his elder brother, Bhoomitra, who attended the Royal College, Satcam never attended any secondary schooling but pursued his education through private tuitions. In 1934-35, he completed his «Grande bourse» and took tuitions from Mr Ballah and Mr Prodano. In 1936, Satcam passed his Teachers? examination where he came out first. In 1938-39, he became a Second Class teacher and he had to work as a voluntary teacher as it was very hard to secure a job. He worked at Plaine-des-Papayes Government School on a salary of twenty rupees a month, including his transport.

«So, I had to cover the journey from Port-Louis to Plaine-des-Papayes and back on bicycle. Then, I was transferred to Cassis Government School and lastly to the Aryan Vedic School, Vacoas.

While working, I continued my studies by taking tuitions from Sookdeo Bissoondoyal in languages, Mathematics with the aim of joining the teaching profession after passing the fourth, third and second Class.»

He managed to get through to the third and second class and he came out first. After that he completed his London Matriculation through private tuitions in

English, French, English Literature, Mathematics, History where he took a special and life-long liking to English Literature, particularly Shakespeare?s Julius Caesar and As You Like It. He went for Inter BSc (Economics) by taking correspondence tuitions from Wolsey Hall, London. His subjects included Economics, British Constitution and Geography. Then he had to do Latin in order to get admission for Law studies.

He taught as secondary school teacher at Rose-Belle and joined primary school teaching as teacher at Cassis Government School, Port-Louis and later at the Aryan Vedic School, Vacoas.

In 1943, he joined the Civil Service at the Treasury department, and was later attached to the Department of Agriculture where he stayed for four years.

In 1946, he got married to Premila Indurjeet, daughter of Sadanand Indurjeet of Port Louis.

Helped by his elder brother, Bhoomitra, in 1948, Satcam left for the United Kingdom where he won admission at the London School of Economics, his aim being to complete his BSc Economics. Among his fellow passengers were Frank Chorley and Derblay. The latter was to study medicine in UK.

«But as fate would have it, I met Pandit Jugduth, my travelling companion from Reunion Island on the ship, Eridan. The Pandit was travelling to Britain on overseas leave. He advised me to drop Economics and go for law studies, explaining to me the comparative advantage. That advice was to change the course of my life.»

It was London that changed the village boy into an educated, cultured, self-confident student, with a keen interest in the English language, English literature and British politics. His interest in the English language, English speech was to flower later into innumerable articles which he was to write for Mauritius Times in 1958,1959 and ever since to his last days. This also led to his writing a few books, the most famous of which is «Untold Stories» in a distinct flawless style. He had also a good mastery of spoken English. He was also a much travelled man, the story of which he has beautifully told in Reminiscences of Travels abroad, EOI, 1998.

The career of SSB spanned over an unusually long stretch of four decades, including as Minister of Agriculture for 15 years, as Minister of External Affairs, as Minister of Economic Planning and Development and as High Commissioner in Great Britain. He has worked with SSR, has known all kinds of politicians from Seeneevassen, Rozemont, Bissoondoyal, Jagatsingh, Walter, Ringadoo to Gaëtan Duval, whom he had survived until the 23rd march 2006.

But his greatest achievement, besides his innovations at the Marketing Board, agricultural diversification, Young farmers? Club, was his rescuing the Labour Party from the dustbin of history by his single minded determination and tenacity . He saw to it that it survived the challenge of the rising MSM, its re-emergence in 1987 with 16 elected members and its coming to power in 1995 and again in 2005.

BY Anand MULLOO</B>