“Greatness of a nation is not measured by the square kilometres. Nor by its millions of inhabitants but by the quality, the tolerance and understanding of the people, and but the efforts each one makes. In this day of celebration I invite every Mauritian to do his best everyday so that each one of us feels proud of his contribution to our country,” Dr Navin Ramgoolam in his message to the nation on 12^th March Independence Day.

Mauritians are found scattered across the four corners of the world. As always as far as possible they get together on the 12^th of March to celebrate Independence Day of Mauritius.

This year to mark the 40^th anniversary a special effort by members of the Benevolent Society of Mauritians in Scotland (BSMS) founded some 25 years ago was given a special boost and support by a well-known Mauritian businessman, Mr Dev Fowdar. He sponsored practically every thing needed to celebrate this occasion. Carmichael Hall in Giffnock, Glasgow was booked for the occasion and special guest singers and musicians (Sona Noyan & Co) from Mauritius were flown to Scotland at his own expenses.

With his financial assistance the BSMS organised a Dinner Dance on the 12^th of April within the Mauritian Independence celebration programme to raise fund to support two charity organisations; i.e. the BSMS itself and the Ramalingar Illam, a Day Care Centre at St Croix, in Mauritius. The Day Care Centre’s representative in Scotland is Mr Diva Sockalingum, a member of BSMS; he has already raised some fund for this centre with the support of his Scots and Mauritians friends here through an earlier Dinner Dance project.

• The benevolence and largess of Dev Fowdar is well-known in Scotland; he has wide contacts and connections through his business that have equally come to his assistance to make this occasion a success. Mr Dev Fowdar, a progressive Mauritian business man based in Glasgow. Dev has always had a keen interest in helping the community and has been actively involved in raising funds for the local Hindu temple, the purchase of a mobile medical unit in Gujarat and in contributing to the construction of a temple at Grand Bassin, Mauritius.  Dev Fowdar of Thistle Healthcare won the businessman of the year not so long ago; this man came to Britain from Mauritius with £25 and today employs about 700 staff. He is one of the Directors of the Scottish Academy of Asian Arts. He has recently set up a website for the BSMS; see www.mauriscot.org.

Mauritians here as elsewhere feel passionately about their motherland. They are prepared to make sacrifice in order to improve the lots of our brothers and sisters in Mauritius. Marking the 40^th Independence Day of our motherland in this way is worth doing to demonstrate unity and harmony that exist among us in Scotland; we hope that this very sentiment prevails at all times in our motherland as a mark of greatness in all walks of life.