<B>From Chennai to Campus abroad</B>

Rajeshwari has been very active since her arrival from Chennai in 1998. After helping her husband in his business, she is now the happy director of an agency recruiting students to study abroad.

One person may have many facets as far as her personality is concerned. More generally, he or she has both a positive and a negative side. No one is perfect. But it would be hard to find something wrong with Rajeshwari. No matter the attitude you have towards her, she will remain the same and will always show a positive side of herself. To be more precise, despite looking quite shy at times, she is actually open and very friendly. Rajeshwari can also be very humoristic at times. The perfect example would be when she talks about the ways she keeps herself busy.

“My hobbies are work, work and then work again. Sometimes I tend to read some fiction books, but only when I have time. What I also like to do is to cook. The only problem is that I am vegetarian but my husband is not. Hence, we do not cook any meat at home. But we do not need to, because my food is so good!”

Although Rajeshwari did a bachelor’s degree in chemistry, she went into different fields after. Her first job was as assistant administrator at the Bank of America in Chennai. She spent only two years there before getting married. Then, she worked for nine years for a British company. In fact that company’s role was to supply shoes to Marks and Spencer. Rajeshwari arrived in Mauritius in 1998. Despite the difficulties of settling down at the beginning, she never felt as a foreigner in Mauritius.

“I have to admit that when I was first told by my husband that we had to come to Mauritius, I was reluctant. But when we came, we noticed that Mauritian people are very friendly and very welcoming. Today I really do not regret being here. Fortunately my husband’s business is doing well.”

At the beginning of her arrival here, she helped her husband to make the business flourish. But, five years ago, a great opportunity came to her. Indeed, an agency recruiting students who want to go and study abroad was set up in Mauritius. Therefore Rajeshwari joined them and today she is the director of the agency called Campus abroad. So she deals with Mauritian students who want to carry on their studies abroad. And they have not left her indifferent.

“Our aim is to counsel students and give them the appropriate information they require if they are to study abroad. For this, we have arrangements with a lot of universities all over the world. But what is good, most of the students already know what they want to do and show a very positive attitude. A lot of them are really bright. But to be very honest and very objective, it is a pity Mauritius does not have a wider variety of subjects. And also that it cannot take all students. I know a lot of students who want to stay here. On the other hand, there are some students who get brilliant results and cannot stay here because there is no course in the subject they want to study.”

Rajeshwari’s birthday is coming soon, as she was born 26th December 1957, in Kerala, a state in the Southwest of India. She grew up in Chennai and did all her primary, secondary and tertiary education there. She got married in 1981 to Seshadri and they have two boys - Rohit and Sandeep. Right now, as both sons are abroad, she is thinking of going back to India. But it will not be before five years.

“My husband and I love Mauritius a lot. But I miss my family. For the time being, I am committed to work. Campus Abroad is very well positioned. We have managed to make a name for ourselves.”