The story of Seewoosagur Ramgoolam spans across the twentieth century and illuminates the great moments of its modernisation process.

... ORIGINAL WRITING The story of Seewoosagur Ramgoolam spans across the twentieth century and illuminates the great moments of its modernisation process. Seewoosagur Ramgoolam, known as Kewal, was born with the century on 18 September at Belle Rive at a time when the country was being ravaged by outbreaks of epidemics, mass poverty and exploitation for the benefit of a handful of sugar magnates. His father, Moheeht Ramgoolam, an Indian immigrant labourer, lived in the small village of Belle Rive, five miles away from Bel Air, in the Flacq district. Moheeth Ramgoolam married a young widow, Basmati Ramchurn, who had two sons, Nuckchadee Heeramun and Ramlall Ramchurn. Kewal grew up freely as a child of nature, amidst plants, wild grass, flowers, the Camizard mountain which sent forth innumerable streams down the Belle Rive river, known as "Fourgett ke nadi" from where Kewal accompanied his father to catch fish and prawns in the flowing river. As

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