Jajpur: A 60-year-old man from Mauritius has arrived in Odisha’s Jajpur district with a clear purpose — to trace his ancestral roots that he believes go back to a man from this region, sent to the island nation as an indentured labourer during British rule.
The visitor, Ramrup Jagurnath, says he has come to Jajpur after finding his forefather’s name in the National Archives of India. The record, he claims, mentions that one of his ancestors, a man named Jagannath, was taken to Mauritius around 1870 through the sea route as a labourer by the British administration.
“When the Britishers took Indians to the island nation, they recorded every detail about the person. That’s why the name of my ancestor exists in the archives. However, they often omitted surnames, keeping only the first name and a number. What was probably Janaganth might have been written as Jagurnath. That later became my family name. But Jagannath was surely his name, not the surname,” Ramrup explained.
The Mauritius national, whose name and appearance bear a resemblance to people from Odisha, says he grew up hearing about his Indian ancestry through oral stories passed down in his family and neighbourhood. “Back in Mauritius, I heard stories about my forefathers who came from India as indentured labourers. That’s what led me to search for my roots. The archival document I found later confirmed the link—it mentions Jajpur village, then under Cuttack district,” he said.
Between 1834 and 1921, when Mauritius was under British rule, about half a million Indian indentured labourers were taken to the island to work in sugarcane plantations, factories, transport, and construction sites. The British also brought 8,740 Indian soldiers to the island during that time.
This is Ramrup’s fifth visit to Odisha, though his first extended stay in Jajpur. “Earlier, I used to stay mostly in Cuttack or Bhubaneswar and try to find information there. This time, I decided to come straight to Jajpur and speak to locals for possible leads,” he said.
Over the past few days, he has been visiting different areas in Jajpur, hoping to find any trace of his family or ancestral house. On Friday, he performed ‘Pindadaan’ rituals at the Siddheshwar Ghat on the banks of the Baitarani River, as a mark of respect to his forefathers.
“I wanted to pay homage to my ancestors in the land they once belonged to. I feel a deep connection here,” he said.
Ramrup now plans to visit the Maa Biraja Temple and meet officials of the Jajpur district administration to share his documents and seek help in tracing possible relatives.
Local priest Pandit Prabhat Mishra, who assisted him during the rituals, said, “People like Ramrup remind us that the connection between India and the indentured labourers’ descendants is still alive. Generations later, they still try to return to the roots.”