Ramesh Jeewoolall is a barrister at law by profession. He practised as such and he became involved in politics.

He was elected a member of the Mauritian Parliament. He has been a backbencher, the deputy speaker, minister and speaker. He has had to give up politics as well as his legal practise because of health problems. Now he is a man of leisure. n !"#" $ir Ramesh was knighted by Her Ma%esty the &ueen.

WHO OWNS YOUR AGENDA?

'edicated to the memory of (sweenee who has been the inspirer and with acknowledgement to )ashwant and *orinne, $hyamal and Mette and Prem, +nand and Roy and Man%ula and Roshni.

Ramesh Jeewoolall

WHO OWNS YOUR AGENDA?

*opyright , Ramesh Jeewoolall -he right of Ramesh Jeewoolall to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section ## and #. of the *opyright, 'esigns and Patents +ct !"... +ll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. +ny person who commits any unauthori/ed act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. + * P catalogue record for this title is available from the 0ritish 1ibrary. $0N "#. !.2"34 254 3 www.austinmacauley.com 6irst Published 758!49 +ustin Macauley Publishers 1td. 5: *anada $;uare *anary <harf 1ondon =!2 :10

Printed and 0ound in >reat 0ritain

Prologue

+fter spending a number of years in one particular field of activity, a person feels fed up and wants to move to some other field, which he considers more interesting. + man is never satisfied with what he is doing at the moment and he feels that he deserves more and still more. ?r maybe, he should have done some other %ob, which would have given him better and greater satisfaction in life. 0ut would a man ever be satisfied with his lot@ -ake the case of my good friend, Professor John Malcolm 'ay. He was the head of his department at the (niversity yet he asked to be pensioned off before reaching the normal retirement age. He wanted to study cultureA he started to but fate diverted his attention to other matters. <ho manoeuvred everything that happened to the Professor@ <e cannot pinpoint anybody for that. -he Professor learnt much about culture, or rather cultures, and at the same time he got involved in making known to the world perfectly preserved skeletons of the dodo. Maybe some of you will take the bird to be a mythical creature, but that is another matter. -he help that the Professor got from every ;uarter is not eBceptional, it is a matter of daily occurrence and those who are ac;uainted with the ways of living and behaving in small islands can testify to such fact. -he culture of island societies is ;uite different from the culture of societies in =urope or in the (nited $tates of +merica. + careful reading of the eBperience of the professor will surely convince our readers that it is so. R.J.

Chapter 1
Preparing for the Expedition

Professor John Malcolm 'ay was siBtyCtwo years old and he was the Head of the 6aculty of Natural $ciences at the (niversity of 1ondon. -o be more precise he was at the mperial *ollege. He did not look his age, appearing to all intents and purposes to be in his early fifties. He decided to retire from his career at the university to do what he always wanted to do. His pet wish was to travel to far off countries to witness and study cultures other than his own and to interact with the local people. He started to read about the small island states that had a particular culture and civili/ation of their own, different from his own. He started to get the books about -rinidad and -obago but he found that the culture over there was too much of an imitation of his own culture. He was getting discouraged with what he read about the other small island states in the *aribbean. He then switched over to the ndian ?cean slands. He started with the $eychelles but that state did not catch his mind. He knew that it was a lovely tourist destination and those interested to stay in small hotels away from the people would be well served. -hen he started reading about Mauritius. His curiosity was aroused. He read about those who settled in the country, the 'utch, then the 6renchA about the 0ritish, about the slaves who had been imported from mainly the +frican mainland and then the arrival of the ndian indentured labourers. -his is a country with a very cosmopolitan culture and the descendants of the migrants from different countries have adapted, and ad%usted

themselves, to new and different cultures without much conflict. How this has been done is difficult to understand. However, he came across another matter of interest. He knew about the dodo especially in the saying Ddead as the dodoE. t was a big bird, which had only rudimentary wings and the bird could not fly. +nd the reason was that there were no predators for the dodo and whatever flying capacity it had had in the past was, with time reduced to nil. t is said that the 'utch ate whatever remained of those birds. Professor 'ay then made up his mind to go to Mauritius with the idea of learning essentially about the culture and to a lesser eBtent, about the dodo. He paid a visit to the Mauritius High *ommission and the officers helped him to the best of their ability, which was ;uite sketchy. He was told that he did not need a visa as he would be staying for a relatively short period. -he officers took him for a tourist who would stay in a resort hotel, en%oy the sun, the sand and the sea and then he will be back home. However, when he informed them what his intended purpose was for going to Mauritius, the officers were taken aback and they told him that because he might be staying for a longer period, he might indeed be needing a visa. He contacted his travel agent who reserved a seat on the +ir Mauritius flight for him. He needed some light clothing and he wanted to carry some books in case he would find his stay boring. Professor 'ay had been married once but now that he is happily divorced he does not have to think about his wife. His only daughter is happily married. $o with a light heart he boarded the flight to Mauritius.

Chapter 2
First Impressions

+fter a flight of almost twelve hours, the plane landed at the $$R nternational +irport in Mauritius. +fter going through the immigration department and the customs the professor 7that is how we are going to call him in future9 was ;uite surprised, to say the least, to see people of every hue all around and they were talking in so many different languages. +nd that was the first impression he had of the country. + number of persons surrounded him and one or two of them spoke to him in =nglish after trying some other languages. -hey told him of different hotels where he will be well taken care of, and also that they will drive him round the island. =ventually, he went in one of the taBis to a seaside hotel not far from the airport and checked in. -hat hotel was a very ;uiet place and it did not suit the purpose for which he had come to Mauritius and after three days, talked to a taBi driver who advised him to go to the northern part of the country. He took the advice of that person and the taBi driver brought him to a ;uaint little place called >rand 0aie. He was surprised that most of the place names were of 6rench origin with a few =nglish names and a couple of ndian names. He was taken to a rather small hotel and, as it was clean and the members of the staff were well mannered, he checked therein and made it his head;uarters. n the very first evening, he went eBploring the area and he met with many 6rench, =nglish and talian tourists. He heard them talking and laughing as if they did not have a care in this world. He tried to strike a conversation with a group of =nglish people but as they were drunk, they %ust wanted him to %oin them and go for

some binge drinking. However, his mind was busy elsewhere with the perspective of trying to meet some local people. +t the hotel, while he was having breakfast the neBt day, he asked one of the waiters some ;uestions about the population and their habitsA like food, festivals, religion and language. -he waiter gave him whatever information he could and he further told him that he should travel by bus, that is the normal conveyance of the common people and besides it was cheap to travel by public transport and he could get a lot of information. He was also told to start his visit with the capital city Port 1ouis and especially the *entral Market where he could get a feeling of the real Mauritius. $o the following day, he took a bus to Port 1ouis. -he people in the bus were so friendly when he talked to themA they gave him details about themselves as if they had always known him. -hey gave him the directions to the *entral Market and he very gladly went to that place. He was surprised at the sight and the smell and with what was being sold there. -here were two or three stalls selling herbal medicines with +yurvedic connotations and you could get medicine for any disease known to man. -hose medicinal plants have been on sale for over a century and they must have had their clients to keep the business thriving. -here were the stalls where all sorts of vegetables and fruits were on sale, there were stalls where you could get garments, there were stalls for spices and condiments and there were, of course, food stalls. -he whole place was different from anything he had imagined. Professor 'ay had the feeling that he was getting closer to his goal. He was satisfied that with such a diverse population, there were bound to have some miBtures from the different areas from where the original immigrants had come. He saw people drinking tea and he wanted to do the same. He saw that they were all having their tea in glasses and he also asked for a glass, not a cup, of hot tea and he did as the other persons were doing, that is drinking the tea standing near the tea stall. He chatted to one of the teaCdrinkers who told him to catch a bus

to any place and have a feel of the area especially if the area happens to be a village. His neBt step was a visit to the 0ritish High *ommission. He was informed that the High *ommission is located in 6loreal but there is an office in Port 1ouis where he can obtain the information that he needs. 6or obvious reasons he could not meet the High *ommissioner in person, but he did meet one of the officers. -he officer told him what he considered to be interesting from his perspective. F)ou see, Mauritius is a relatively safe place especially because of the miBed population that lives on the island. =ach group has its own mannerism and each group would like to miB with people of its own kind, so to say,G the officer told him. +nd he continued, F am sure that the Hindu population is in a ma%ority followed by the *hristians and then you have the Muslims and the *hinese who are *hristians as well as 0uddhists. +nd am also told that there are different sects of all the religions and some atheists as well. How is it possible for all the religions and the various sects depending on various religions to eBist side by side in such a small place@ t is difficult to understand, but yet they do. F-he interesting part is to be found in the *onstitution of Mauritius. )ou see, they have a political system whereby they have what is called the best loser system. 0y %ust looking at the population, you can guess that there are persons of different origins and the *onstitution divides them into four groups. )ou have the Hindus, the Muslims, the $inoCMauritians and the >eneral Population. -he Hindus and the Muslims have the same ethnic background, their ancestors came from ndia and in the beginning they were all considered as ndians, but over the years, they got separated into two different religious groups.G F<hat about the other groups@G Professor 'ay ;ueried. F-he descendants of the *hinese, the $inoCMauritians as they are called, follow the Roman *atholic religion or the +nglican side of *hristianity and ;uite a number of them follow 0uddhism as well. +nd in their case, ethnicity is the basis on which they are considered. +nd the rest are what they

call the >eneral Population, the members of this group are made up into the whites, the descendants of the slaves, that is the +froCMauritians, those of miBed descent and those ndians who have become *hristians.G F0ut why is it that the *hristian ndian element is not counted with the other ndians@G F0ecause they do not want to be counted as ndians, this is what have been told. +nd also the Hindus do not want to associate with those who have turned traitors to their religion. $o also the Muslims who keep a close watch over their fellow Muslims.G F s there any ma%or social conflict among the various religious and ethnic groups@ 0ecause all the ingredients for such conflicts are very much present here, as understand it.G F t is surprising that there are no ma%or conflicts in the country. )es, there were some social conflicts in the siBties and in the eighties but they did not last long. >enerally speaking, Mauritians are very tolerant of each other and they seem to send the message that Dyou do your duty and will do mine. do not want to meddle in what does not concern me and you should do the same.E G F-his is what have come to study and that is what will study.G He thanked the officer and he had the feeling that he was on the right track. <hen he came out of the office of the High *ommissioner, he bought a pen from a hawker and he asked him about the neBt town and how to get there. He was directed to the bus stand and he caught a bus to Rose Hill. -his town is full of shops and there is a market that is as busy as the market in Port 1ouis. He wanted to make out the various languages the people were talking but it was an impossible task. 0y them it was time for Professor 'ay to have his lunch but he could not find any restaurant attractive enough where he could have a decent meal. He had to go back to the market where he bought some sandwiches and a bottle of soft drink. He did not want to buy any local food because he was not sure

if what Mauritians eat will be tolerated by his delicate stomach. He felt like going back to the hotel and he did so. He had a shower and then had a nap. +t around eight oEclock in the evening he went to the restaurant at the hotel for dinner and en%oyed the meal. He was not alone for long when the people at the neBt table invited him to %oin them and have a couple of drinks with them. -hey were rather surprised that he was not an ordinary tourist but rather a person with an intellectual bent who has come to study the different facets of Mauritian culture. He was happy that these people understood him and on leaving them his companions wished him good luck with the hope that they will have the pleasure to meet him again. -hat night he en%oyed a peaceful and ;uiet sleep.

Chapter 3
Serious Things Start

-he neBt day Professor 'ay went to Port 1ouis by bus again and from there he caught another bus, which was plying along route no !". -his bus was going to a place with a name that sounded like D0reak my HeartG and in 6rench it was D*reve *oeurE. -he bus was nearly full when he got on and he sat down neBt to a gentleman who appeared to be of the same age as he was. -he gentleman was reading a maga/ine and he did not pay any attention to the professor. 6or want of anything better to do, the professor very politely started some conversation with the gentleman who appeared to be ndian. He guessed that he was one of the descendants of the ndians who came to Mauritius on contract to work in the sugar industry, which later on became the backbone of the countryEs economy. F am sorry to bother you but may ask some information about where the bus will go@ )ou see, have %ust come to this country and havenEt got my bearings yet.G -he gentleman looked at him and asked, F<here are you from@G F am from =ngland and have %ust arrived. would like to eBperience a little bit of your culture. +nd understand that it is a multiCfaceted culture that is nowhere to be found.G F)ou can say so because our roots go back to all the continents but the ma%ority of us are descended from immigrants from ndia.G FMy name is John. John Malcolm 'ay. was teaching at the mperial *ollege in 1ondon and have %ust retired from my profession in order to travel to some of the far off countries in order to learn something about the different cultures.G

FMy name is Premchand Hurruck and am a teacher now on leave prior to retirement.G F<here did you study@G FMauritians study in Mauritius as well as all over the world, that is wherever and whenever they have the chance and the luck and the opportunity. did my university degree from the (niversity of 1ondon, to be more precise from the HingEs *ollege. studied History.G F am very glad to hear that and especially as have been lucky to meet a person like you. Please do tell me something about your culture, or should say about your cultures@G F<ell, itEs a tall order that you are giving me, however, let me try to give you a very brief and sketchy idea. belong to the ndoCMauritian group and profess the Hindu faith. -here are other groups who have their own faith. )ou say my culture. 'o you mean the ndoCMauritian culture or do you mean Mauritian culture generally@ think that you have to give a meaning to the term. have learnt that when two people discuss any sub%ect, they must first agree on a common definition on the sub%ect matter otherwise they will be talking at cross purposes.G FHow right you are. am sure that we can agree on the meaning of whatever terms that we shall be using.G 6or some time, both of them kept ;uiet. -he professor was thinking that he would get along well with the teacher if only he had the opportunity to interact with him on a few occasions and the teacher was thinking that as he had plenty of free time, he would not mind talking to him lengthily. Professor 'ay was absorbed in the scenery, the houses, the plantations, sugar canes everywhere and the narrow roads. +fter about half an hour the bus reached its destination. +ll passengers alighted and the professor appeared lost in the new surroundings. F<hat would you do now@G asked Mr Hurruck. F will take a walk, and then stay for some time if come across something interesting, otherwise am planning to go to the hotel. do not want to bother you anymore, and must

thank you for the conversation. f we ever meet again, we shall continue the discussion.G F f you do not have anything better to do, you can come with me to my place. tEs a twoCminute walk and you can freshen up.G -he professor gladly accepted the invitation and they walked to the teacherEs place. 6rom outside the house looked beautiful. t was in an open field and it was surrounded by various kinds of trees, some bearing flowers and some fruits. n the closed DverandahE two ladies were sitting. +s soon as the two gentlemen entered, the ladies stood up and the teacher talked to both of them. He introduced them to the professor. -he ladies were introduced as the wife and the sisterCinClaw of the teacher respectively. -he ladies wore colourful clothing that the professor knew as DsareesE. -he ladies went inside the house. -he professor went to the washroom and when he came back, the teacherEs wife served them tea and some sort of snacks. $he went back inside and the men had their tea. -hey then indulged in small talk until the professor brought up the sub%ect of culture again. F<e shall talk about it later but let me tell you about this village where we are. +ll the inhabitants are Hindus eBcept for two *reole families, and one of these two families has adopted the customs and manners of the Hindus surrounding them. Near here, in !.!8 there was a fierce battle between the 6rench and the =nglish and the =nglish defeated the 6rench. $ince then till !"3. the country was a colony of >reat 0ritain. -he village is called *reve *oeur and donEt know for what reason. -he inhabitants are very peace loving and we do not have any ma%or social problem. F)ou can see right in front of you a mountain and this is the famous Pieter 0oth mountain, a name derived from one of the first 'utch to climb the mountain. )ou too can try to climb it, my two attempts ended in failure to reach the top. reached up to the shoulder of the mountain, the last part, that is the head, is really difficult to ascend.G -he mountain really looked like a giant ogre s;uatting on the ground. -he teacher said that there are many legends

surrounding Pieter 0oth the mountain. 0y then, the teacherEs wife came to inform them that lunch was ready. -his was another surprise for the professor and he was told that he is the guest and for the Hindus, guests are treated like deities. 1unch was vegetarian and it was made of rice and five or siB different curries. ?f course a good curry must be made with lots of spices and here it was no eBception. t was hot with chillies and the professor managed to en%oy the rice and the curries. +nd he also had some local fruits. +fter lunch, the professor and the teacher talked about life in =ngland and also about education. -he Mauritian children still sat for the *ambridge $chool *ertificate and the Higher $chool *ertificate and the 1ondon >eneral *ertificate of =ducation both at the ?rdinary level and the +dvanced level. +nd it was agreed that the standard of education was going down in =ngland compared to what it was in the past. Professor 'ay did not know what to do and he thought that it would look impolite to take leave of his host so soon after a hearty meal. 6ortunately, the teacher asked him if he would like to go for a walk in the village and the professor was very happy at the suggestion. +nd they went for a walk in the village. -he road was narrow and winding. t went up gradually and in an hourEs time, they had reached where the road sort of ended because from there the construction of the road had %ust been abandoned. -hey sat by the roadside and ga/ed at the mountain. 1ooking at the top, it seemed that the sky was moving at a fast speed and the mountain was providing the backdrop. F f one of these days you are free we can climb the mountain but am not prepared to risk my life to reach the top,G said the teacher. <ithout giving the suggestion a second thought, the professor said, F am grateful for that, you are giving me so much of your time. ?f course am prepared to accompany you any time you decide to go upG. -hey then came down and they had tea. F do not know how to thank you and your wife for the wonderful time had.G

F-hank her in person if it is your wish.G +nd he called his wife. $he said that there was no need to thank them, as they did not do anything special for which they deserved his thanks. F1et us say that on <ednesday neBt, we can climb the mountain and it would be better if we were to start early, say at eight oEclock. <ould that be suitable to you@G F<hatever you sayG was the reply of the professor. F<hy do you want to climb the mountain when you know that it is dangerous to do so@G said the wife of the teacher. +nd he said that this is going to be his last attempt. 0efore leaving, the professor said to the teacher, F<e still have to discuss about culture in Mauritius and hope that you will enlighten me somewhat about the diversity that eBists here.G <ith that they parted and the professor returned to the hotel. He had a feeling of satisfaction though he did not do much that day. He had a peaceful sleep that night.

Chapter 4
Climbing the Mountain

?n <ednesday, the professor had an early breakfast and started for *reve *oeur at around siB thirty. He had to catch two buses and with the traffic %am, he arrived at the teacherEs place at a ;uarter to nine and he apologi/ed for the lateness. -he teacher said he understood the situation and a ;uarter of an hour later they were off on their adventure. -hey took the same route they had walked the other day because the teacher told him that this is the route to start the climb. F<e are in front of the mountain so to say. <e cannot climb from the front because it would be more or less impossible to even try it. Now we are in the district of Pamplemousses of the country and we have to go to the Moka district, which is one of the districts in the middle of the country. <e shall then be on the side of the mountain and we shall climb on the side,G the teacher said. F+nd how are we going there@G F*reve *oeur is in a sort of depression and we have to climb out of it. <e continue on the abandoned road and we shall be on a plateau on the other side.G -hey went up the hilly part and soon they were away from *reve *oeur. t was difficult to believe that the plateau and the depression were part of the same small country. -he country all around them was really flat eBcept for the mountain range. F-he mountain range that eBtends to your right is the Moka Range and you can see for yourself the different shapes of the mountains ranging from a human form to the form of animals. -hey are very small mountains but for us they are mountains for which we are proud,G said the teacher. F<hat is the village where we now are called@G

F<e are now in the village of Malinga. t appears that the name of the village is of ndian origin but would not be surprised if were told that it is of 6rench origin. <e are no longer in front of the mountain as you can seeA we are rather on the side. +bout a century ago, an =nglishman known as +ustin built his country home overlooking *reve *oeur and the northern part of the island.G FHe must have been a nature lover to have chosen such a beautiful place to build a house.G -hey moved in the direction of the mountain, passing by a few houses, some sugar cane fields and some vegetable plantations. -here were also some abandoned fields as well. F-hese are our fields and they have not been cultivated for a number of years. ?ne of these days must do something about them,G said the teacher. Now there was no proper road and they had to pass through the fields until they had to look for a way through the bushes proper. FHave a look, you can see the countryside stretching to *urepipe and Iacoas. 0ut be careful. <hen you are climbing a mountain, you must look at every step you are taking, as the slightest inattention will cause you to go tumbling down. f you have to look around, stop in a secure place and then focus on the scenery, you must never look at the scenery and walk at the same time,G said the teacher. F-hatEs sound advice to be heeded by everyone.G +nd the talk veered on a completely different sub%ect. How it started, well neither of them could say. However, the professor %ust said, F see many places of worship in every area pass through. 'oes it mean to say that the inhabitants are deeply religious@G -he teacher replied that, F=very Mauritian likes to show to others how religious he is but in fact do not believe that they are as religious as they make themselves appear to be.G F would like to ask you an indiscreet ;uestion,G the Professor said. F6eel free, go ahead.G F+re you deeply religious in the Mauritian conteBt@G

F+h, that is a very difficult ;uestion to answer. )ou see, it all depends on the meaning you ascribe to the word DreligiousE and then to the word religion and also to the meaning of the term D>odE. ?f course am a Hindu, believe in my religion as was done by my ancestors. f you ask me whether am a deeply religious man, that maybe am not. 0ut if you were to accept me as an ordinary religious person, then maybe can ;ualify for that. 0ut one matter on which will insist is that am definitely not a religious fanatic and do not interfere in the religious beliefs and practices of anybody. -his is my credo and live by it.G -he professor was somewhat taken aback at the vehemence of the teacherEs reply and he took some time to digest what his friend had %ust said. He wanted to say something but he did not know what. +t last the teacher asked him, F'o you believe in religion or should ask if you are a practicing *hristian belonging to the =stablished *hurch of the +nglican faith@G FMy parents were religious in the sense that they used to go to *hurch on $undays, but were they religious@ do not know, but at the relevant time, was bapti/ed. +t times my parents used to take me to *hurch when was a kid, but when started growing up, my interests turned to other activities and since then have not attended any *hurch $ervice. do not know how to ;ualify myself. -hat is the long and the short of my ventures in the religious field.G -hey were surrounded by bushes, but they could find a sort of path in between the bushes and their progress was slow. -he professor looked up the mountain and the result was that he started to feel di//y. t was a very nice day, with the sun shining in a sky that carried a few specks of cloud and the blue of the sky was a beautiful match to the white of the cloud, which was not blackish on any account. -he two climbers came to a huge boulder, which sort of invited them to have a little rest before continuing their climb. +nd they climbed on the boulder and sat down. -hey had a drink of water and the teacher pointed to the professor some of the far off towns and villages.

0oth climbers moved rather slowly from then on as they were feeling tired. +ge was a factor that prevented them climbing with the easy pace of youngsters when five of such young people overtook them. -hese young boys were talking and laughing and %oking loudly, giving the impression that they were out to amuse themselves. However, they did not fail to greet the two elders and eBchange a few words with them. F?n religious matters think that Mauritius can stand as an eBample to the world, especially concerning tolerance of all the different religions that we have here.G -he teacher was trying to tell the professor that he is not a foreigner in various religious matters. F'o you have any personal eBperience of religions other than your own@G F never practiced any other religion but my own. However, when was in primary school, we were taught what was called the Lords Prayer. )ou know that which starts with D?ur 6ather hallowed be thy name thy kingdom comeJE +ll the pupils were of the Hindu faith eBcept one who was a Roman *atholic. -he pupils dutifully recited what they were taught and still remember when the teacher was absent, one of us Hindu pupils would take the lead in reciting the prayer.G F<hat about your parents@ 'id they not lodge any ob%ection or protest to the authorities@ mean that the families were good Hindus and yet their children were taught prayers that were foreign to them@ How is it that they tolerated that their children were so eBposed to a religion foreign to them@G F-he parents were not concerned so long as the children were not forced to accept conversion. -he children were sent to school in order to pass their eBamination and get a good %ob thereafter. +nd the Hindus and Muslims as well as the *hinese lay emphasis on the education of their children. -his has always been the policy that they have followed. -hey say that education is the only path that will give them the opportunity to progress in life.G F-he atmosphere in which you were educated must have been tailored to suit =uropean children, at least this is the impression that have.G

F$ure, but the essence of our education has always been to educate the pupils and so far we have not done badly. n fact our school had the reputation of having the best teachers and this fact attracted pupils from far off villages. was telling you about the prayer in our school. +bout five or siB kilometres away from my village in a village called Notre 'ame, there is a Roman *atholic *hurch and in the days when was about nine or ten, the priest in the *hurch was a white man. Nearly every week, he used to come to *reve *oeur in his small car supposedly to preach what you may call the good news. <e all used to attend the sermon. <e would listen and then we would say that the priest tells very good stories. 0ut the real purpose of our standing before the priest was to get a book. -he priest used to bring with him the >ospels, which he would distribute after his preaching, and remember there were the four >ospels and the +cts of the +postles. <e tried to collect all the five books and of course we had to eBchange with friends the double copies that the priest unwittingly gave us.G FHe never tried to convert you to *hristianity,G the professor asked him. F-hat he did. Maybe he thought that would be an easy prey as used to stand right in front of him when he was telling us of Jesus *hrist and later on he used to talk to me about his *hurch but think that he never knew that was only interested to have all the different books concerning the doings of Jesus *hrist and of his +postles. +s told you am still as good a Hindu as have always been.G