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 CVO may refer to: Science and technology * Cascades Volcano Observatory, Vancouver, Washington, US * Chief veterinary officer, the head of a veterinary authority * Circumventricular organs, positioned around the ventricular system of the brain * Co ...

, 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 incl ...

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 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England to further his education. Later he graduated from

Imperial College Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

, 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 ( ; 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 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 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. She was queen ...

to hold the office of Governor-General after

Henry Garrioch Sir (William) Henry Garrioch (4 May 1916 – 18 February 2008) was the acting governor-general of Mauritius from 31 October 1977 until 23 March 1978. Legal career Garrioch joined the Colonial Service in 1936 and was subsequently appointed a Fi ...

'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 I ...

Sir Michel Rivalland (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 gen ...

(1973-1977) and Sir

(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 (in traditional Hindi: Shivsagar Ram Gulam) (18 September 1900 – 15 December 1985; often referred to as ''Chacha Ramgoolam'' or ''SSR'') was a Mauritian physician, politician, and statesman. He served as the island's o ...

and then when

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

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