During the early 20th century, Shri Manilall Maganlall Doctor, an Indian lawyer from Gujerat, came to Mauritius at the behest of Mahatma Gandhi. During his short stay, Manilall Doctor played a crucial role in the struggle of the island?s indentured and non-indentured workers as well as the Indo-Mauritian planters for their social, political and economic rights.

Furthermore, through his actions, he helped to forge a collective consciousness among them and his brief stay had a long-lasting impact on 20th century Mauritian history.

Between October 1907 and September 1911, Manilall Doctor undertook numerous activities to highlight and help to alleviate the terrible plight of the island?s indentured and non-indentured workers. He provided free legal advice in cases where indentured workers and former indentured workers were being prosecuted and ill-treated by their employers.

M. Doctor also campaigned for an end to immigration, the abolition of the double cut system, corvée system and vagrancy laws.

In 1909, when the Swettenham Royal Commission came to Mauritius, he acted as the spokesman for the Indo-Mauritian workers just like Adolphe de Plevitz had done almost four decades earlier. During this period, Manilall Doctor travelled through the island?s villages and held dozens of meetings with the sugar estate workers and small planters in order to make them aware of the economic, social and political issues which affected their daily lives. His actions helped to shape the consciousness of the Indian workers and small planters.

As a journalist, he founded the newspaper, the Hindustani which published articles in Hindi, English and Gujerati and focused mainly on issues concerning the Indo-Mauritian community, especially the indentured labourers. M. Doctor also published articles in Le Petit Journal, the newspaper of the Action Libérale, a prominent local Mauritian political party.

In addition, Manilall worked in close collaboration with Dr Eugène Laurent and Anatole de Boucherville of the Action Libérale, with small Indian planters and the Muslim merchants of Port Louis to highlight the grievances of the Indo-Mauritian community.

Manilall Doctor also played a central role in the establishment and growth of the Arya Samaj in Mauritius. In addition, he founded the Young Men?s Hindu Association with the objective of organizing the island?s young Hindus in order for them to know their rights, undertake community action and help the poor and downtrodden such as the indentured labourers.

In 1911, when Manilall Doctor left for India, he was accompanied by R.K.Boodhun and Pandit Kashinath Kistoe. More than thirty-nine years later, M. Doctor returned to Mauritius and saw that his struggle started bearing fruit as it help to bring about the social, economic and political emancipation of the Indo-Mauritian community especially the indentured labourers and their descendants. Indeed, the work of Manilall has inspired two generations of Mauritian leaders such as R.K. Boodhun, Pandit Kistoe, Basdeo and Sookdeo Bissoondoyal,

Dr Maurice Curé and Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.

Satyendra PEERTHUM