Sir Dayendranath Burrenchobay,

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

, CMG, CVO, GCSK (24 March 1919 – 29 March 1999) was born in Plaine Magnien,

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

and served as the fourth

governor-general of Mauritius The governor-general of Mauritius () was the viceregal representative of the Mauritian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II in Mauritius from the country's independence on 12 March 1968 until it became a Commonwealth republic on 12 March 1992.

Early life and education

Dayendranath Burrenchobay grew up in Cemetery Road, Plaine Magnien. He travelled to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England to further his education. Later he graduated from

Imperial College Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums ...

, London.

Career

After graduating from Imperial College, London he worked for the

British Electricity Authority The British Electricity Authority (BEA) was established as the central British electricity authority in 1948 under the nationalisation of Great Britain's electricity supply industry enacted by the Electricity Act 1947. The BEA was responsible for ...

. 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, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of ...

(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 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

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 () was the viceregal representative of the Mauritian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II in Mauritius from the country's independence on 12 March 1968 until it became a Commonwealth republic on 12 March 1992.

following previous

Mauritians Mauritians (singular Mauritian; ; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a melting pot of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multi-religious peoples. Mauritian is made up ...

Sir

Michel Rivalland Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

(1968), Sir

Raman Osman Sir Abdool Raman Mahomed Osman, GCMG, CBE (29 August 1902 – 16 November 1992) was the third governor-general of Mauritius from 27 December 1972 to 31 October 1977. He was knighted in 1973, and was the first non-British Mauritian governor ge ...

(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 Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985), often referred to as Chacha "Uncle" Ramgoolam or SSR, was a Mauritian physician, politician, and wikt:statesman, statesman. He served as the island's only chief minister, first ...

and then when

Sir Anerood Jugnauth Sir Anerood Jugnauth, GCSK, (29 March 1930 – 3 June 2021) was a Mauritian statesman, politician and barrister who served both as President and Prime Minister of Mauritius. He was Member of Parliament for Piton & Riviere Du Rempart. The cen ...

became prime minister. Burrenchobay was succeeded by

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 Mauritian engineers {{Mauritius-politician-stub