Amode Ibrahim Atchia (1868 – 17 September 1947), otherwise known as Major Atchia, was an entrepreneur and technologist in the

Indian Ocean Islands The islands of the Indian Ocean are part of either the eastern, western, or southern areas. Some prominently large islands include Madagascar, Sri Lanka, and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. Eastern Indian Ocean * Andaman Islands (I ...

who pioneered the use of scientific concepts and invented structural and mechanical advances in technology for the nationbuilding of

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...

Early life

Born in

Rose-Belle Rose-Belle is a small town of southeastern Mauritius. Location It is located in Grand Port district, ten kilometers west of the district's well known town, Mahébourg Mahébourg is a small town on the south-eastern coast of the island of Ma ...

, in

Grand Port district Grand Port () is a district of Mauritius, situated in the east of the island. The name means "large port" in French. The district has an area of 260.3 km2 and the population estimate was at 112,997 as of 31 December 2015. History Grand Por ...

, AIA was the son of a Surti Muslims merchant called Ibrahim Sulleman Atchia who had arrived from Barbodhan, a village 15 km from

Surat Surat is a city in the western Indian state of Gujarat. The word Surat literally means ''face'' in Gujarati and Hindi. Located on the banks of the river Tapti near its confluence with the Arabian Sea, it used to be a large seaport. It is now ...

, in

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

state of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

in the course of free trade. Despite little formal education, Amode Ibrahim Atchia, along with his three brothers, set about making unprecedented contributions to laying down the foundations of Mauritian society during the early 1900s.

Enterprise

AIA is credited with setting up the ''Société Atchia Frères'', reconstructing the first mosque at Rose Hill following the historic cyclone of 1892, and constructing the first ice factory and saw mill since the 1920s, with technological innovations in use of wind-energy and pre-fabricated concrete. The Atchias also opened the first Indian-run primary school near the mosque. In 1900, Major with his brother Hossen, dammed a river near

Reduit A reduit is a fortified structure such as a citadel or a keep into which the defending troops can retreat when the outer defences are breached. The term is also used to describe an area of a country, which, through a ring of heavy fortifications o ...

and built the first hydro electric plant and generated electricity, thus introducing

hydro-electric power Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

to the people of

with AIA appointed as self-elected leader of Mauritius Hydro Electric Company. In 1915, he pioneered the country's first Cinema House in Rose Hill, and thereafter in 1930, built the Cinéma des Familles, in

Port-Louis Port Louis (french: Port-Louis; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Polwi or , ) is the capital city of Mauritius. It is mainly located in the Port Louis District, with a small western part in the Black River District. Port Louis is the country's eco ...

, among several others in the same decade, such as La Salle Mon Bijou at Rose Belle, the Salle des Fêtes at

Mahébourg Mahébourg is a small town on the south-eastern coast of the island of Mauritius, having a population of 15,457 as of 2015.Digest of Demographic Statistics 2015; Available at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Pages/POPULATION--And-VITAL-STAT ...

, and the Cinema Coronation at

Flacq Flacq () is a district of Mauritius, situated in the east of the island. It is the largest district, having an area of 297.9 km², the population estimate was at 138,460 as at 31 December 2015. Places of interest The small village of Trou ...

References

{{Reflist British Mauritius people Mauritian Muslims Gujarati people 1868 births 1947 deaths Mauritian people of Indian descent Mauritian businesspeople People from Grand Port District