Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay, KBE, CMG, CVO, GCSK, (24 March 1919 – 29 March 1999) was born in

Plaine Magnien Plaine Magnien is a village in southeast Mauritius located in the Grand Port District. Landmarks The sole airport of Mauritius, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, is located in the village of Plaine Magnien. In addition, it is th ...

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 ...

and served as the fourth

governor-general of Mauritius The governor-general of Mauritius (french: gouverneur général de Maurice) was the representative of the Mauritian monarch in Mauritius from the country's independence in 1968 until it became a Commonwealth republic in 1992.Plaine Magnien Plaine Magnien is a village in southeast Mauritius located in the Grand Port District. Landmarks The sole airport of Mauritius, Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, is located in the village of Plaine Magnien. In addition, it is th ...

. He travelled to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England to further his education. Later he graduated from Imperial College, London.

Career

After graduating from Imperial College, London he worked for the British Electricity Authority. On his return to Mauritius he joined the Civil Service as a teacher. He eventually became Permanent Secretary at Ministry of Education & Cultural Affairs (1964-1967). This was followed by his appointment at Permanent Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office (1967-1976). He also was Chairman of the

Central Electricity Board (Mauritius) The Central Electricity Board (CEB) is the power generation and distribution agency on the island of Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an is ...

(CEB) (1968-1976). He became Head of the Civil Service and in 1976 he was knighted. Over the same period he was Secretary of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute (MGI).

Legacy

On 17 May 1984, the Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay Foundation Act was enacted in Parliament with the objectives of promoting and encouraging research in all fields and to reward and financially assist works of importance to the economic, social and cultural development of Mauritius.

Appointment as Governor-General

Dayendranath Burrenchobay was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II to hold the office of Governor-General after Henry Garrioch's retirement. Thus Burrenchobay became the third Mauritian to hold the position of

Governor-General of Mauritius The governor-general of Mauritius (french: gouverneur général de Maurice) was the representative of the Mauritian monarch in Mauritius from the country's independence in 1968 until it became a Commonwealth republic in 1992.Mauritians Mauritians (singular Mauritian; french: Mauricien; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a multi-ethnic society, with notable groups of people of South Asian (notably ...

Sir Michel Rivalland (1968), Sir Raman Osman (1973-1977) and Sir Henry Garrioch (1977-1978). During his term as Governor General from 1978 to 1983 he oversaw two governments, first under Prime Minister Seewoosagur Ramgoolam and then when

Sir Anerood Jugnauth Sir Anerood Jugnauth, Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean, GCSK, Padma Vibhushan, PV, (29 March 1930 – 3 June 2021) was a Mauritian politician and barrister who served both as President of Mauritius, President and Prime Minister of ...

became Prime Minister. Burrenchobay was succeeded by Seewoosagur Ramgoolam himself.

Publications

In 2000 Dayendranath Burrenchobay's book "Let the People Think: A Compilation of the Thoughts of Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay" was published by Editions de l'Ocean Indien.

References

Governors-General of Mauritius 1919 births 1999 deaths Alumni of Imperial College London Alumni of the UCL Institute of Education Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Commanders of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Mauritian Knights Bachelor Mauritian Hindus Mauritian politicians of Indian descent People from Grand Port District Mauritian scientists Mauritian expatriates in the United Kingdom {{Mauritius-politician-stub