Star Journal d'information en ligne 
Assad Bhuglah, as an author and historian, needs no introduction. He has, over the years, come to make a name for himself as such and also as a prolific writer with an impressive output of books on the social history of Mauritius and its multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society. In fact, the bulk of Assad’s work is a vibrant testimony to his talent as an avid researcher and chronicler of our history. Besides, Assad Bhuglah is a raconteur par excellence. His dozen books, produced over the past decade, on Mauritius history and some of its unsung heroes, have helped generate renewed interest in Mauritius’ cultural and social history.
Assad Bhuglah is a trained Economist by profession and has also been a seasoned Trade Diplomat, who served as Mauritius top International Trade Negotiator at the Mauritius Ministry of External Affairs, for many years prior to his retirement in 2016. As a matter of fact, soon after his retirement, Assad burst on the literary scene of Mauritius as a seasoned and respected historian, who took the Mauritius literary world by surprise with a well-researched book on a long-forgotten ‘hero’ in Mauritius history: DR. IDRICE AMEER GOUMANY, a descendant of the lascars, who lived in what is now known as Plaine Verte, in the east side of Port Louis. Dr. Goumany, who had just returned home to Port Louis, Mauritius, after completing his medical studies in Scotland, took employment as Head of the Quarantine Station at Pointe aux Canonniers, near Grand Bay, where he, unfortunately, soon after fell victim to the epidemic and eventually died as a result. He was in his early thirties.
Dr. Goumany became a classic example of “victime du devoir” and he would be interred in the compound of the Quarantine Station, where his grave-site has now become a place of annual visitation in memory of his ultimate sacrifice in the service of his patients. Unfortunately, for many years, Dr. Goumany’s name would remain almost ‘forgotten’ in Mauritian history — that is till Assad Bhuglah wrote his book on his life-story in 2017. In fact, Assad Bhuglah devoted his first book to Dr. Goumany’s short life; how he sacrificed his life in providing care to his patients – mostly Indian indentured labourers infected with the epidemic and quarantined at the Station. Ironically, for many years, Dr. Goumany’s name would literally remain ‘forgotten’ to history.
That first book of Assad on the late Dr. Idrice Goumany, would be the beginning of Assad Bhuglah’s dabbling in Mauritian history and some of its unsung heroes who, in their own ways, had made significant contributions to the evolution of Mauritius as a country, thus evolving as a model of harmonious living with its multicultural society.
It is, in light of this that Assad Bhuglah’s bulk of his work should be viewed because what is Mauritius after all? It is the sum of its parts, of its communities and its rich cultural mosaic and its citizens are ever at home in any society in the world because we are open to all cultures, faith and ethnicity. In fact, Mauritians, who have opted to settle overseas, namely in Canada, U.S.A., Great Britain, France and other European countries, all feel perfectly at home in their adopted country and they participate à part entière in all activities as full-fledged citizens.
Assad Bhuglah’s new book, aptly entitled “COMMUNITY IDENTITY IN A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY: An Overview of the Muslim Way of Life in Mauritius” is set to be released on April 15, 2026 at the Park Hennessy Hotel at Ebène City, in the presence of an elite crowd of Mauritians and well-wishers. That launching will be Assad Bhuglah’s thirteenth book in as many years. Indeed, Assad is a shining example of ‘there is life after retirement!!!’
As an aside, I would like to add here that my relationship with Assad goes beyond friendship. We are also family.
As a matter of fact, he is my first cousin. But more than family ties our friendship and our common interest in the arts and history and literature has kept us always close as family and friends. We have both always shared a passion for history and the arts. Although, we did not grow up together because by the time he joined high school and university, I had already moved to Canada, where I have been happily settled now for more than fifty years. In the meantime, Assad completed his university education in Pakistan and came back to Mauritius and joined the Civil Service of Mauritius where he served as an Advisor on International Trade till his retirement in 2016.
However, every time I would visit Mauritius, Assad would always make time to see me. As always, we used to talk mostly of current events, history and the arts. And, when he started writing, he would not hesitate to call on me to edit his Manuscripts or contribute the ‘Introduction’ or the ‘Preface’ or even the ‘Back-Cover’ synopsis of his books. I have always done it with pleasure. Assad is a gifted writer and the rich variety of his work is ample proof of his talent.
Ever since his youth, Assad Bhuglah, I know, was active in Cultural and Social activities – a passion which he has carried since his university days in Karachi and even after he returned to Mauritius. In fact, Assad Bhuglah has always been a popular figure among his friends and colleagues and in the community. So much so, it is interesting to add that Assad’s other passion has always been Writing – which, he continued to pursue, on and off, through magazine-articles and, later, through a regular column in the weekly STAR, under the heading “ENTRE NOUS!”.
The forthcoming book of Assad is a social history of Mauritius, which, as a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic society is, in many aspects, a unique example of mutual co-existence in the world. Indeed, a society where people of diverse ethnicity, faith and culture have lived in literal peace and harmony for generations. Mauritius, as a colony, NEVER had any native population per se. Those who form the population of Mauritius to-day, are the descendants of the people who were brought to the island by the French and British colonizers. And those people were from Africa (the slaves) and India (the indentured workers, merchants and lascars/seamen) and who, to-day, form the two largest segments of its diverse population.
Assad Bhuglah’s new book delves, into the cultural and religious lives of the Muslims of Mauritius and how they all blend with the larger diverse Mauritian community while preserving all the essence of their faith, traditions and culture. The book takes us into a wonderful journey on the rich cultural and religious mosaic of Mauritius – the more so on the lives of the vibrant Muslim community of Mauritius, who have brought and contributed the wonderful features and values of their culture and traditions, just like the other segments of the larger Mauritian community have done. They all have added to what is already its rich and, in many ways, unique multi-cultural society. Indeed, his book offers us another ‘winner’ from his prolific pen. Way to go, Assad!
By MOOMTAZ EMRITH
(Windsor, ON, Canada)
