{"id":43565,"date":"2025-06-13T21:53:53","date_gmt":"2025-06-13T17:53:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/?p=43565"},"modified":"2025-06-13T21:53:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T17:53:53","slug":"education-as-emancipation-the-journey-of-mauritian-hindu-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/education-as-emancipation-the-journey-of-mauritian-hindu-women\/","title":{"rendered":"Education as Emancipation: The Journey of Mauritian Hindu Women"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sheila Rughoonundon’s book, ‘<\/strong>They Dared: Education = Empowerment’<\/strong><\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

By M.A.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In an compelling exploration of historical narratives and personal journeys, Sheila Rughoonundon’s book, ‘<\/em><\/strong>They Dared: Education = Empowerment’<\/em><\/strong>, <\/strong>launched recently, offers a profound look into the evolution of Hindu women in Mauritius through the lens of education. This revised and significantly expanded edition of her 2000 work, ‘La femme indo-mauricienne\u2026 son cheminement’<\/em>, illuminates lived experiences, charting the path of Hindu daughters from immigrant backgrounds to their eventual emancipation. The testimonies within the book span from around 1855 up to Mauritius’s Independence in 1968, revealing how, despite formidable challenges, the young women forged their own paths to success and empowerment.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

After her husband’s passing five years ago, Mrs Rughoonundon was inspired to revise her book. “Why not revisit the book?” she asked herself, subsequently expanding it to nearly double its original length. The new edition, titled ‘They Dared: Education = Empowerment<\/em>‘, builds upon her initial research and notes, now integrating a political context<\/strong> at the start of each chapter. This addition enriches the narrative by showing the influence of politics on personal testimonies and broader societal forces. The book’s structure allows for reading cover-to-cover or by specific chapters, offering insights into how Hindu families prioritized education<\/strong> despite challenging circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

The crucial role of men and the drive for formal diplomas<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sheila Rughoonundon’s book primarily focuses on Hindu women, yet she emphasizes the inseparable roles of genders in this journey. Her research indicates that “it was the men who allowed their daughters or wives to go to college.” While girls were traditionally prepared for marriage, a formal diploma became a valuable asset, making an educated woman a “good match.” This highlights a pragmatic community approach where traditional values coexisted with the emerging understanding of education as a tool for social mobility and advantageous marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Early immigrant families in Mauritius faced limited educational access, with few spots in existing Catholic and Protestant schools. While some Hindu boys studied in India, their degrees were often unrecognized back home, leading to unemployment. This spurred an innovative solution: villagers opened their own colleges throughout both rural and urban areas. These new institutions allowed both boys and girls to pursue education. As Independence neared, many Hindu girls had completed primary education, some even reaching Form V, enabling them to find work. This grassroots educational movement was crucial in empowering Hindu girls, paving their way into the workforce and wider societal involvement.<\/span><\/p>\n

A personal revelation: The spark of inspiration<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Sheila Rughoonundon’s commitment to this topic stemmed from a deeply personal revelation about her own mother’s unacknowledged academic brilliance. Growing up, she often heard her mother claim she was ranked first among all girls on the island in school. “We didn’t believe her, because to us, she was a housewife.”<\/span><\/p>\n

This scepticism vanished during a trip to the archives. “One day, I went to the archives, and while leafing through newspapers, I saw my mother’s name. And indeed, she had been ranked first in the entire island,” she recounts. This discovery was transformative, fundamentally shifting her perception of her mother and inspiring her to examine the achievements of other women around her.<\/span><\/p>\n

This personal discovery ignited her passion to meticulously document the journeys of other Hindu women, recognizing the countless unsung stories of resilience and achievement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Education as the Gateway to Emancipation<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Through education, Hindu women carved a path towards emancipation, becoming vital pillars of the Mauritian economy today. For her research, Mrs Rughoonundon relied on her mother’s invaluable assistance in identifying successful Hindu women, such as the first Hindu female rector of Queen Elizabeth College. While acknowledging that some of her elderly interviewees have since passed away, their stories, carefully preserved in her writings, will endure for posterity.<\/span><\/p>\n

‘They Dared: Education = Empowerment’<\/em> serves as a powerful reminder that the journey towards emancipation in a colonised nation was far from easy. It also underscores the enduring importance of education as a tool for progress and societal transformation. By tracing the courageous strides of Hindu women, Sheila Rughoonundon’s work not only celebrates their past achievements but also inspires future generations to embrace the power of knowledge. The book is currently available in bookstores, offering readers a unique and compelling historical tapestry.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 13 June 2025<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sheila Rughoonundon’s book, ‘They Dared: Education = Empowerment’<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":466,"featured_media":43566,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16931],"tags":[27409,53665,35790,946,38433,25821,4626,53655,53659,53650,53652,53664,53651,51199,53658,119,53656,53662,53653,53661,45561,32780,2979,53654,24703,53666,53663,53649,53657,53660],"class_list":["post-43565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books-and-literature","tag-archives","tag-colonial-nation","tag-economic-pillars","tag-education","tag-emancipation","tag-empowerment","tag-evolution","tag-formal-diplomas","tag-grassroots-movement","tag-hindu-women","tag-historical-narratives","tag-historical-tapestry","tag-immigrant-backgrounds","tag-inspiration","tag-limited-opportunities","tag-mauritius","tag-mens-role","tag-mothers-achievement","tag-personal-journeys","tag-personal-revelation","tag-political-context","tag-progress","tag-queen-elizabeth-college","tag-renewed-focus","tag-sheila-rughoonundon","tag-societal-transformation","tag-successful-women","tag-they-dared-education-empowerment","tag-village-colleges","tag-workforce-entry"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/SHEILA-RUGHOONUNDON-BOOK-COVER.jpg?fit=1200%2C570&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8QzSF-bkF","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43565","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/466"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43565"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43565\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43567,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43565\/revisions\/43567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43565"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43565"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43565"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}