On the occasion of the 75th anniversary of India's independence, the MBC offered a radio program every Saturday for 28 weeks on Taal FM and Radio Maurice to showcase the rich diversity of each state of the Great Peninsula.
The Darshan program had been launched on February 5, 2022 in the presence of Nandini Singla, the High Commissioner of India in Mauritius and the Director General of the MBC, Anooj Ramsurrun. This hugely popular show, which won listeners great prizes offered by the Life Insurance Corporation of India, allowed listeners to discover the splendours of India through art, music, folklore, languages , culinary tradition and religious practices of the states of India.
The MBC was thus able to carry out interviews with personalities of Indian origin who, during these broadcasts, related the main stages of the development of their regions, the music and dance and the leading figures who shaped history. of their state. Over the course of an evening, awards were presented to those who ensured the success of these shows and the winners of two Hindi competitions.
Shashi Dookun and Sunita Pahuja, the Second Secretary (Hindi and Culture) at the Indian High Commission hailed the public's enthusiasm for Indian history, helping to strengthen bilateral ties between India and Mauritius. Sunita Pahuja has announced that students who have obtained an A+ in the Hindi exams for the HSC will be entitled to a free stay for 15 days in India thanks to the organization, Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
She proposed to the public to send articles in Hindi to be published in the magazine Gagananchal of the ICCR and that of the World Hindi Secretariat whose new Deputy Secretary is Dr Shubhankar Mishra. Articles, poems and stories will be published.
It is with a voice filled with emotions that Shashi Dookun, in the presence of Ashok Beeharry, the Head of News at MBC who replaced Anooj Ramsurrun on mission abroad, related that great efforts have been made during seven months so that the dream of presenting Darshan to the people is realized. “I cherished the dream of showing Mauritians the cultural diversity of India through its different states. A proposal was made in 2022 during the celebration of Azadi Mahotsav. During a get together, I met Nandini Singla and I told her of my desire to produce a radio program on India. »
Nandini Singla was immediately seduced by this proposal for a program focused on the history, geography and cultures of India. “The MBC board was also in favor of the day and the launch took place on Vasant Pachami day. And in consultation with Sunita Pahuja, we worked night and day on the project and for 28 weeks the public followed the program attentively and took part in quiz competitions. The technical department also cooperated fully in this project,” added Shashi Dookun.