The JV terminal would be constructed at an investment of around $130 million to facilitate re-export of petroleum products from Mauritius to Indian Ocean Islands and mainland Africa, thereby making Mauritius a petroleum hub while also increasing the oil security of Mauritius. Soodhun, who gave a speech in Hindi at the World Hindi Day celebrations on January 10, referred to India as “Bharat Ma”.

The Indo-Mauritian population of the island nation is an overwhelming 68 percent of 1.3 million, all descendants of indentured Indian labourers who were taken to work in the sugarcane fields in the former British colony. Soodhun said Mauritius would support India at international fora and that India and Mauritius were going to work together in all aspects.

The Mauritius minister also said his country would give its full support to India for popularizing Hindi across the world. “On the world stage, for popularizing Hindi, if there is a need to support Bharat Ma, then Chhota Bharat (as Mauritius is known) will lend its support wholeheartedly,” he said in Hindi. Soodhun said he felt great pride in his Hindi roots. He confessed that he was an “aashiq” of Hindi, along with other languages like English, French, Arabic, Bhojpuri and Swahili. He said Mauritius had launched a Hindi union in colleges and universities to teach Hindi and popularize it. He said Mauritius wanted to spread Hindi, which was “as sweet as ganna” (sugarcane juice), across the world.

Soodhun said both Mauritius and India want to give their people “roti, kapda aur makan” (bread, clothes and houses). “This is what we are doing.” Soodhun met Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and other ministers during his India visit.