Biltoo – Ian Louis Harris

A Letter From Mauritius, Anil Gooly, 22 November 1979

Subsequent to my visit to Mauritius in July & August 1979 to visit the Biltoo family, now documented at length on Ogblog…

…I received several letters from the good people I met there. My transcriptions of these letters received might dabble a little with the grammar and spelling but are largely verbatim transcriptions.

This one, from Anil Gooly (one of Anil Biltoo’s cousins), is the second of two letters he sent me.

First my dictated transcription and then a scan of the airmail letter itself.

Hello Ian,
I hope that you are alright and so are your parents. By the way, are they already back or are they still visiting France? Please give them my kind regards! Yes, on our side everything is more or less alright.
Ian thanks a lot indeed for your email dated 14th instant . It’s quite interesting and amusing to read your letter, the only dark point being that you were burgled, I mean your house. It was quite fortunate that you were not at home or else…
I understand from your letter that you very much like parties and enjoy yourself – that’s fine especially when one is young, but I hope that the small problem with your girlfriend did not last. Things Similar to those you have described always happen. Well let’s forget that.
I am quite glad to learn that you are now doing economics at the advanced level. I think that it will be quite interesting and help you in the long run. I myself have done economics and like it.
Furthermore, you will be at a great advantage, since you have all books and other materials in the United Kingdom and examples which examiners of economics look for may be had with facility. It was quite difficult for me when I started economics. Firstly I had asked Anil’s father to buy the textbooks for me as they were not available in Mauritius and I had to read much about UK economy to have examples to support examination answers.
For your information many of those taking economics in Mauritius do not succeed or simply have poor grades.
Yes, you are doing economics and it seems to me that you are quite interested in knowing the economic situation of other countries –
You are interested to know about the recent evaluation of our rupee.
In fact Mauritius is going down the drain. Things are becoming difficult from day to day. Balance of payments deficit is growing at an alarming rate and devaluation has been thought of as one of the corrective measures. Prices are going up the ladder. Rice and flour have nearly doubled in price after the devaluation of the Rupee. Fuel has also been increased to twenty two rupees a gallon.
Ian , I asked you to look for some old copies of The Times ( nineteen seventy six ) and I’m sorry for the trouble if it is difficult – leave it as I have been able to contact with The University of Mauritius and they have been told that some copies are available. However , if you are in a position to send some new copies I mean the ones which have just started to be published, please do so.
You know, Ian, studying sociology which I am going to sit in January 80 and I think UK newspapers and magazines may help me to know certain details about the UK. Once again you will notice that British examining bodies stress to have details and examples from UK. Some questions come out directly on UK.
I have learnt from these papers that the college/university fees overseas students have been increased. This will no doubt affect the chances of overseas students to come to UK for studies. I myself have been thinking to come to UK to read for a degree course in economics and sociology but now I think it is hardly possible – too expensive especially for me coming from a big family as you know.
What about dal-puris, wouldn’t you like to have some with chilies!!!!!
This is no doubt watering your mouth. But but patient! We could have gone a bit further but due to the line you see below I’ll have to end.
Bye
Anil Gooly
PS please write when you have some time.

A Letter From Mauritius, Garçon Biltoo, 29 October 1979

Subsequent to my visit to Mauritius in July & August 1979 to visit the Biltoo family, now documented at length on Ogblog…

This one is from Garçon Biltoo, Anil’s uncle.

First my dictated transcription and then a scan of the airmail letter itself.

Dear Ian,
Hoping that you are well as well as your parents, as for us we are in good health.
We miss you a lot as well as Anil and think that you talk a lot about your first trip abroad. When you will pay us a visit, perhaps in a couple of years?
Geeta, Ratna and others send you their compliments and think to see you again among them. Manjula and Vanisha always talk about you and Anil., they ask me when you will come again. I always told them on the next plane.
Hoping that you have already developed all the films taken by you in Mauritius to show your family and friends over there.
The horse racing will be closed on the 4th of November 1979, it’s the last race on 4th of November 79 and will start anew in May 1980. Do come and we will make a lot of money. The last race held on 27th of October 79 one of the races was won by Karim Khan it cost Rs.30 to win Rs.500.
I just learnt from Anil that some thieves came into your house while your parents were absent And stole some clothes and jewels belonging to your dear mother. I am very sorry for it, but nevertheless the police will find the thieves and imprison them.
Have you already finished the good Rum Made In Mauritius which you brought with you. I hope that you made your friends taste it when you were celebrating your birthday. Anyway how is Anil? Does he always tease you or is he very pacific these days?
You will soon have school holiday, because Christmas and New Year is approaching. When you come to Mauritius you will have more money to your pound because our government devalued its money.
I leave you and say goodbye to you and your parents. I am going to write to Anil and his dad.
Love
Garçon

A Letter From Mauritius, Anil Gooly, 8 October 1979

Subsequent to my visit to Mauritius in July & August 1979 to visit the Biltoo family, now documented at length on Ogblog…

Mauritius, July & August 1979, Overview, Summary and Picture Links

This one, from Anil Gooly (one of Anil Biltoo’s cousins), is the first of two letters he sent me.

First my dictated transcription and then a scan of the airmail letter itself.

A fortnight has already elapsed since we received your letter stamped the 22nd of September. It’s only now that I have taken pen and airmail for the purpose of writing to you.
Well, my apologies for not writing earlier, and thanks a lot for your letter.
Well, before going on further, Ian, I am quite happy to learn that you enjoyed your stay very much in our island and you are giving talks about Mauritius in your country. Personally, I think it’s a good idea to sell Mauritius – as you seem to be doing through your talks – this may or will no doubt help our tourist industry.
I hope that you are quite fine and so are your parents. Over here, in Mauritius, we are all okay and everyone is back to duty, studies and so on. I myself have now resumed work at the beginning of September. Actually I am quite busy with the preparation of examination papers and so on.
Yes, Ian what about the photos that you had snapshot in Mauritius. Are they all fine? I think that they must mean much to you and reflect, so to say, your stay in Mauritius.
It would be a good idea for you to send a copy of them (I mean those you took for us) or better the negatives so that we may have them developed locally.
Ian, I am seizing this opportunity to ask you to do something for me. I don’t know whether it will be possible or you are taken up completely, but please try your best. You know, I need some old copies of the magazine New Society for years 1976 or 1977 and some copies of The Times (daily newspaper) for year 1976 (preferably March – April) and I will ask you to look for them. Ask Anil [Biltoo] to help you. If, however, you lay hands on the above material, please buy them for me and give me the bill (the overall costs) so that I might send your money. If you have them please post them without delay.
By the way, have your parents already left for Yugoslavia? Convey my kind regards to them.
I hope that you are writing in the near future,
Bye
Anil

A Letter From Mauritius, Nanda Soniassy, 6 October 1979

Subsequent to my visit to Mauritius in July & August 1979 to visit the Biltoo family, now documented at length on Ogblog…

This one is from Nanda Soniassy, one of Anil Biltoo’s cousins. Here is a picture of me and Nanda:

First my dictated transcription and then a scan of the airmail letter itself.

Dear Ian,

I must first thank you very much for your letter which I received two weeks ago. I hope that you are enjoying good health; at home, we are all fine. Anil’s father wrote, a week after his arrival. We also got a postcard from Colette who is in France.
Hope you’ll be sending us the photos as you promised.

Have you been talking to your friends about Mauritius? We had a nice time together didn’t we? Unluckily time went away quickly.
I’m now preparing for my school certificate. My exams begin on the 22nd of October and as you see, there is not much time left. I also have a lot of things to do and I am very busy.

You are also busy with your studies and I wish you the best. What about Anil? I’ve not heard from him since his departure. When you meet him, tell him that I am still waiting for a letter for from him.

Your parents were glad to see you back. Did they like the gifts you brought for them? I did not have time to thank you for the present you gave me before your departure. I must thank you very much for it and every time I look at it, I think of you.
Hope Anil has stopped teasing you. You remember <Ian l’Âne>. You and Anil were always fighting in Mauritius.

When you send me the photos, send some photos of your parents as well. I also do not have much time to spend nevertheless. I will try to write to you as often as I can.

I leave you here as I have nothing else to tell you. Give my kind regards to your grandmother and your parents. Kiss Anil for me (on the two cheeks).
Hope to hear from you soon.
Lots of love and kisses to you. Bye sincerely, Nanda
[many X’s]

A Letter From Mauritius, Beena Mohonee, 19 September 1979

Subsequent to my visit to Mauritius in July & August 1979 to visit the Biltoo family, now documented at length on Ogblog…

This one is from Beena Mohonee (one of Anil Biltoo’s cousins by marriage through Janee Biltoo, Garçon Biltoo’s wife’s family). I am pretty sure she is one of these two young ladies:

One of these two is Beena, I am fairly sure

First my dictated transcription and then a scan of the airmail letter itself.

Dear Ian,
It’s a great pleasure to send you this letter. I do hope that you are enjoying yourself very much as well as your mum and dad.
As far as I am concerned, me and my parents are all well.
Well Ian, I hope that you have well reached England and that you have not forgotten us. Here we are awaiting a letter from you but since now no letter has come. What about you relate me a bit about what you’re doing if you are busy studying.
Ian, here we think of you and Anil very much, and Auntie Janee has got a letter from Anil in which he sends his best regards. Hope that Anil is also well and that he is studying more seriously.
Well Ian what about your pictures which you took in Mauritius?
Those at the seaside and of the party. I would like and I am waiting impatiently to see the photo I long to have seen and to have our photo. Specially those we took together with you and all the family.
Ian please send me the photo on my own address. Well Ian here I’m working as you know I’m studying at the same time. So life is more complicated for me as I have so much to do.
Well, I hope that you will be happy on receiving my letter and I do hope that you will send me a reply as soon as possible. I send you all the best regards of my sister and mum. Please do not forget my picture.
I and here hope to hear from you very soon.
Please send my kind regards to Anil and others.
Bye-bye.
From your unforgettable friend,
Beena

Mauritius, July & August 1979, Overview, Summary and Picture Links

I spent several weeks of the summer of 1979 in Mauritius, with my good school friend Anil Biltoo and his dad, staying with many branches of their interesting family.

I want to write quite a lot about this trip, as it was the most amazing experience for a 16/17 year old youngster. It was hugely formative for me in many ways, not least sparking my lifelong interest in travel and cultures other than my own.

This posting is a quick summary and overview piece, linking to artefacts already available on-line:

the photographs I took on that trip, which were transparencies but are all scanned and available here on Flickr for all to see;

a standard 8 cine film I took in Mauritius – the only holiday movie I made myself in my youth. Nowhere near dad’s high standards, but you get a feel and there are some good bits. For the Youtube, linked here, I have added the sound of sega (Mauritian dance music) records I bought while I was there and which still evoke the memories whenever I hear them.

All of the letters I wrote home while I was there, which doubled up as my diary/travelogue, have now been scanned, uploaded and transcribed as Ogblog entries. They make fascinating reading for me and I hope are providing interesting reading for others.

The first letter and transcription can be found through this link or below – you can work forward from this one:

First Letter From Mauritius, 16 July 1979

A transcription of my diary entry from the last day – which was a day full of gatherings and parties – can be found here and below – you could work backwards from this one:

Several Farewell Parties, Palmar, Belle Mare & Rose Hill, Mauritius, 17 August 1979

I also want to write up a few additional stories and thoughts with the benefit of hindsight, including some memories that have been triggered by going through these documents relating to matters undocumented in them.

Postscript

I have subsequently (autumn 2019) Ogblogged my journal and recollections from this whole trip, so the above links can get you started on the whole lot, if you wish to read them.

Mauritius, Music During Our Visit July/August 1979

Music in Mauritius is currently described thus in Wikipedia.

While we were there, one might have been forgiven for thinking that sega was the only local style. Wikipedia specifically describes sega thus. Indeed, one might have been forgiven for thinking that Cousin Cousine by Joss Henri was more or less the only record in the charts.

Years later, I recall a very funny sketch by Barry Grossman at NewsRevue about the Tudor charts, the punchline of which was that Greensleeves was the number one for the 2,157th (or some such) week running. That sketch always reminded me of my trip to Mauritius and Cousin Cousine, which had been number one for as long as anyone could remember while when we arrived and was still number one when we left.

Of course, the whole idea of Cousin Cousine was very suitable for Anil, who was basically on a voyage around the island visiting a myriad of cousins (and cousines) he had not met before, so I’m sure that song must conjure up our trip in his mind as well as mine.

I have found this YouTube, which shows some good photos of people dancing the sega to the sound of Cousin Cousine, recorded pretty well.

I did buy three other records as well as Cousin Cousine, all of which can be heard on the soundtrack to the standard 8 movie from our trip to Mauritus, which I put up on YouTube.

Here is an instructional YouTube video on how to do the modern zumba version of the sega dance. Don’t try this on a full stomach.

While here is a UNESCO YouTube explaining the history, look and sound of it all in educational terms, complete with soporific schoolteacher voice to minimise the chance of you watching this video through to the end.

Suffice it to say, we had some fun listening to and dancing sega while we were in Mauritius in 1979.

Remaining Journal From Mauritius, 12 to 17 August 1979

A very brief background to this travel adventure is covered in the overview posting linked here, which contains links to photos and cine.

I wrote letters to mum and dad which doubled as my diary/travelogue. By 10 August, it was clear that I’d arrive home before the letters, so I concluded my journal using scrappy note paper. Here’s a scan of the four pages that remain.

I should point out, to completists in search of my diary entries for 10th and 11th August, that it seems those have got lost. I know that, on 10th August, I did track down the Jewish businessman in Port Louis whom I had sought in vain on 9th. I strongly suspect that my notes for 10th and 11th August were stored with the article I wrote about my 10th August encounter, which, sadly, my mother threw out with other items of my juvenilia which she decided I couldn’t possibly wish to keep. No, I am not over it.

Several Farewell Parties, Palmar, Belle Mare & Rose Hill, Mauritius, 17 August 1979

An overview of my 1979 trip to Mauritius, courtesy of the wonderfully hospitable Biltoo family, can be found by clicking here or below:

Here is an extract from my “Remaining Journal”, which is in effect my diary entry for 17 August 1979 – my last diary entry written during the Mauritius trip.

Friday 17th of August 1979 –
Having stayed at Marraz’s, we went on a grand family picnic at Palmar (and Belle Mare). Had a terrific time there and in the evening we ended up with a sort of improvised party with Janee’s nephews, nieces and cousins. We stayed at Garçon’s last night, with a mind to finishing our shopping in Curepipe with the help the chauffeur.

Even now, with dozens of hotels along that coast, both Palmar and Belle Mare still have public beaches, where lovely people such as the Biltoos and their extended families might well still party, as we did.

This looks like Manjula’s belated birthday party. Whether this is the same as the “impromptu evening party” at the end of our trip or not I cannot be 100% sure, but based on other diary entries mentioning its postponement several times, I think it might well be

Manjula looks as though she has been at her daddy’s bottle of rum, but perhaps she was just tired out from all the excitement of the day.

Elements of the beach party – playing ball games, dancing, eating and generally having a good time – are charmingly recorded on cine film – to be seen towards the end of this video – c8:30 to c11:15

These gatherings/parties at the end of our stay were a highlight among many highlights for me – the culmination of unforgettable and life-forming experiences over five weeks in Mauritius.

Shopping With Ahalia, Then Dinner With The Biltoos And Goolys, 16 August 1979

An overview of my 1979 trip to Mauritius, courtesy of the wonderfully hospitable Biltoo family, can be found by clicking here or below:

Here is an extract from my “Remaining Journal”, which is in effect my diary entry for 16 August 1979.

Thursday 16th of August 1979 –
Went out shopping with Ahalia (bought a tablecloth and one or two gifts). Moved back to Marraz’s about noon, whiled away the afternoon and in the evening we had a dinner party there ( Garçon, Janee and kids, Narrain, Tiffin and most of their kids).

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Postscript

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