When you are in alien land, what you need most is a comforting hug. So the sooner you make friends, the better. To ease the process and help find friends, especially for Mauritian students in Pune, the Mauritian Friends Circle (MFC) has come into existence. Set up on July 17 this year, it helps make the stay for the Mauritian community more comfortable and safe here. Says Niteen Bappoo, president of MFC, “To make the hurdles of accommodation, admission  procedures, police registration less tedious, we set up MFC. Mauritian students who have been in Pune for more than a year now are better acquainted with the laws and procedures here, so they help their juniors quickly adapt to the city.”

For the past one year, Niteen has been pursuing BA (Marathi) at Fergusson College. Mauritian students, who are pursuing Marathi, find it easier to blend with the city and its people. Says Vijen Ramgolam, who is completing his BSc (Computer Science), “Those of us who can speak Marathi or Hindi have an edge over the Sudanese or other foreign students. Knowing the local language helps when it comes to finding accommodation or getting police registration.” Quips Niteen, “If you know Marathi, the broker / tout can’t cheat you. Also, you know when and why the authorities are asking for bribe from you!”

Along with Niteen, Bhalchandra Govind (secretary) and Varsha Dajee (treasurer) are heading MFC. The association is recognised by the High Commission of Mauritius in Delhi and the consulate in Mumbai. “Both the embassy and consulate are accessible anytime and offer every kind of assistance to the Mauritian community even if you approach them individually. However, things get done faster when the MFC approaches them,” adds Niteen.

MFC heads sync up twice a month and the general meeting for members is once a month. “The Mauritian student community is small in Pune and as of now, we have 25 registered members,” adds Vijen. However, MFC wants to bring together the entire Mauritian student community (approximately 50 heads) here so that they get assistance whenever needed. “A few months back, a student, who was living by himself in a hotel, took ill. He did not know who to call for assistance, so he left his name and contact address with a bookstore owner hoping to get in touch with fellow Mauritians. Unfortunately, he couldn’t establish any contact, so he left Pune and his studies mid-way. By building a close network, MFC hopes to avoid such incidents in future,” shares Niteen.

Most of us are aware of the close ties between Mauritius and India and how they celebrate almost all Indian festivals. So, in keeping with this tradition, MFC is organising Ganesh Chaturthi Festival on Sep 11 and 12. The festival will take off with murti sthapna on Sep 11 at 10.30 am at Flat No 9, Shreeraj Co-op Society, Gokhale Nagar, Janwadi. Then there will be maha aarti at 6 pm and bhajans and Jhakri dance from 8 pm onwards. Next day will be aarti and immersion. “Mauritians as well as our Indian friends are invited for the event. We hope to celebrate the festival in its real essence. So, no loudspeakers or Bollywood songs / dance. Just bhajans, keertans in praise of Lord Ganesha. And for the Jhakri Nritya all night, we’ll just have the dhol. The utsav will be more devotional, just the way we celebrate it in Mauritius,” iterates Niteen.

Other than Ganesh festival, MFC has taken part in Symbiosis food festival and dance competition. “Most of our foods are akin to the Indian cuisine, but seafood is our speciality, so we showcased our culinary skills in this category at the Symbi festival,” shares Vijen.

Those Mauritians who want to take part in MFC activities or just be a part of it, can call Niteen on 9765713085 / Govind on 9561024779 or send a mail to mfcpune@live.com.