The Mauritius Telugu Association UK

Diaspora

The accounts of the diaspora in the UK continues with a trail of success stories. This article gives an overview of Mauritius Telegu Association (MTA) in London run by a group of dedicated British-Mauritians who live in and around London.

The MTA was founded in 1989 to serve and help fellow Mauritians promote their culture. At that time, when state support was not available, many Mauritians who were settling in and around London, took it upon themselves to do something about it. The MTA started to get involved in philanthropy activities – more precisely in seva (serving) and giving back to the communities. The association’s members have to this day played a major role in promoting cultural activities, organising religious celebrations and are visibly proud of their history.

A celebration of Rambhajan puja – a very auspicious one amongst Telugu-Hindus

Some of the founding members of the MTA have sadly passed away since the early 1990s, but younger ones have held on and modernised the association. As a democratically run association, elections are held regularly for the appointment of office bearers, all of whom play no small part in the different activities of this charitable organisation, including the preparation and distribution of Maha Prasadam, the organisation of religious ceremonies and other events. Most importantly, the Mauritius Telegu Association has also made sure that its women members are and remain at the forefront of the organisation.

Regular social activities are also organised by the MTA for its members, namely visits to other mandirs such as Venkateshwara temples in Birmingham, Hare Krishna temple in Watford and seaside trips. 

Just like millions of people in today’s globalized world who must reconcile two or more different cultures from which they derive their overall identity, the second-generation British-Mauritians living in the UK are also proud about the ‘parcours’ of their parents – from Mauritius to the UK – and their sacrifice and hard work for a better life. Their stories of success will hopefully inspire other fellow Mauritians back home and those in the UK.

The MTA is also doing its best to immerse the younger generations in Hindu/Telugu culture. We are all happy to see that despite their hard-pressed lives, lots of the British-born children participate in the rituals and have embraced the cultural traditions of their parents and grand-parents.

Kishore Teelanah is an experienced Science Lecturer, having worked mostly in Further and Higher education. He taught Biological and Chemical Sciences, with responsibilities as a Manager and Head of Science in his recent job. Together with Science and Industry, he is very keen to write on the Mauritian Diaspora.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 4 August 2023