<B>A blend of music and marketing</B>

Mriganka, also known as “Maggi”, arrived in Mauritius in 2004 when he married a Mauritian. He is a graduate in marketing and Indian music.

When you meet this man, you wonder why he is called Maggi by his peers and relatives, when his real name is Mriganka. However, the story behind is very simple. “When I went to school in India, I very often used to bring Maggi soup and noodles. Therefore, my mates started calling me Maggi. But I was also given this nickname as my name is quite difficult to pronounce, even in India. The only problem here is that, when people call and find out the manager’s name is Maggi, they think it is a woman!”

In his working environment, although he is in a managerial position, he remains modest. Indeed, he is so accessible, flexible and friendly that his colleagues do not hesitate to knock at his door whenever they need him. They even call him “Maggi” as he prefers. Furthermore, his approach to the students is very particular. He is very caring and kind to them.

Mriganka was born on 27th July 1979 in New Delhi, India where he did both his primary and secondary education. He then did a Bachelor of Arts and post-graduate degree in Marketing. He got married in 2004 to Seema. He started working for an advertising agency just one month after he arrived in Mauritius and stayed there for eight months. He then joined the Advanced Education Academy, a private educational institution in Port-Louis.

Maggi has many hobbies. But his favourite one is playing percussion. This is the reason why he also did a Bachelor of Arts in Tabla. However his hobbies are different in Mauritius. For example, he liked to play cricket but there is not much cricket around here.

He has no hesitation in explaining why he cannot practise his other hobbies. “In India I used to watch television. The problem is that the series that I used to hate in India is what is on television in Mauritius.”

He has good multi-lingual skills. His mother tongue is Bangla and he speaks Hindi and English as well. As his wife Seema is a French teacher, he is trying to learn from her. The only problem he encountered at the beginning was that it was difficult for him to differentiate between Creole and French. Now he is more used to both. But his gentle side always makes him apologetic when he has to say that he cannot speak either French or Creole.

When Mriganka first arrived in 2004, he does not deny the fact that it was hard for him to settle down. But today he loves being here. “Initially it was hard to settle down like any expatriate. But now I have got used to life here. Mauritius is beautiful place. And the people are superb and so kind. Now I feel as if I have been here for thirty years. I would like to die in India. My roots are there. But I will see how things go…”