Patna, (Bihar Times): M Choonee, Mauritius high commissioner to India, on Saturday chose to speak in Bhojpuri in a function in Patna and earned applause from the audience.
Choonee was in the state to participate in a day-long national seminar on `Bhojpuri language and literature, organised by the National Book Trust, India.
He reiterated that Indians comprise 70 per cent of Mauritius population and added Bhojpuri works as a bridge between India and his country. There was a pleasant surprise for the audience when he started speaking the language of his forethaters, who went to the India Ocean island nations many decades back: Are Ara jila ghar baa, kauna baat ke dar baa (if you are a resident of Ara, you need not fear anyone), he said amidst cheer.
Stating that Sas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi is very popular in Mauritius he said the people of his country speak Hindi and Bhojpuri well and they also watch Hindi TV serials and movies. They are eager to visit their ancestral homes as most of them belong to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Incidentally, Choonee was the only speaker who spoke in Bhojpuri.
He assured all help from Mauritius in the development of Bhojpuri. He said he had a plan to visit Gaura, said to be his ancestral village, in Bhojpur district,
|
