Former Vice Chancellor Prof J. Manrakhan

Demise of Former UoM Vice-Chancellor

 
Mauritius has lost just one of its Great Souls. May he rest in Peace and I convey my sincere condolences to his family friends and acquaintances. We need more of Professor Manrakhan to make sure we are going in the right direction.

Professor Jagdish Manrakhan has died at the age of 75.Professor Manrakhan held the post of vice-chancellor of the University of Mauritius from 1979 to 1995. He holds a MSc in Agricultural Economics from the University of Reading. He has also been a Fellow of the Agricultural College, now known as the University of Mauritius (UoM). Professor Jagadish Manrakhan also shares a rich history with the UoM. He was Vice-Chancellor from 1979 to 1995. He then served as the Director of the Mauritius Research Council until 1998. In 2000, he was appointed Chairman of the Sugar Insurance Fund Board.
 
 
The former Vice-Chancellor of UoM has also served with the former Minister of Finance Rama Sithanen on the Commission of Inquiry into the Sugar Industry and has produced a report entitled The Human Factor, the sugar industry and Mauritius: a vision for the future. Professor Manrakhan is known for his passion for writing and history. He has written several books on the history of agriculture in the country and the UoM.
Those who knew him will always remember Professor Jagadish Manrakhan as a scholarly person who left his mark both in academia than in agriculture.

List of Books (Source Amazon Website) 



Manrakhan J., Sithanen R., 1984. The human factor, the sugar industry and Mauritius: a vision for the future : report. Govt. Printer.
Manrakhan, J., 1982. Mauritius and the Idea of a University. University of Mauritius.
Manrakhan, J., 1990a. The university in search of past and future: a tale of unsurpassed resilience. Editions de l’Océan Indien ; Réduit : University of Mauritius.
Manrakhan, J., 1990b. The challenge of biotechnology. Editions de l’Océan Indien.
Manrakhan, J., 1991a. Autonomy and Freedom in Academe. Editions de l’océan Indien.
Manrakhan, J., 1991b. The Mauritian School for Scientific Agriculture, 1914-89. University of Mauritius.
Manrakhan, J., 1992a. Mystique Mathematical. Editions de l’océan Indien.
Manrakhan, J., 1992b. Sindhu’s Quintessence. Editions de l’Océan Indien for the University of Mauritius.
Manrakhan, J., 1992c. Varsity at Réduit. Editions de l’océan Indien.
Manrakhan, J., 1993a. Vice-Chancellor’s Address to Court: Varsity at Réduit : 1992-93, the Year of the MBA. University of Mauritius.
Manrakhan, J., 1993b. Campus Chorus. Editions de l’Océan Indien.
Manrakhan, J., 1994. A Reading of the Law at Réduit. Editions de l’océan Indien for the University of Mauritius.
Manrakhan, J., 1997. History of Agricultural Research in Mauritius. Editions de l’océan Indien.
Manrakhan, J., 1993. Varsity at Réduit, 1990-92. Editions de l’océan Indien .

Given his exceptional career, he was appointed Grand Officer of the Order of the Star and Key of the Indian Ocean (GOSK) in 2002. Termed as honest and brilliant by many, he has served on various commissions of inquiry, including that of the transport industry (1976-77), education (1982-83) and the sugar industry during the same years. He was also a member of the National Economic and Social Council from 2002 to 2011.
Professor Manrakhan was known throughout the industry for his passion for writing and history.
He wrote several books on the history of agriculture in the country and the UoM (see amazon,com)
He will be always remembered as a scholarly, brilliant, modest and intelligent person who left his mark both on the education agriculture field.


By MAuritius Times

In Memoriam: Professor Jagadish Manrakhan

Fading of a bright light

He was a person of great versatility. Professor Jagadish Manrakhan was usually known for his academic involvement, his fame in this field having outlived his term as Vice Chancellor of the University of Mauritius. During his time, the University built up a strong international image for itself, extending the number of faculties at work.

His basic training was in Agriculture and Agricultural Economics, from the Mauritius College of Agriculture but he earned his degrees more extensively from the University of Reading in the UK. He became widely known for his involvement in various institutions such as the Sugar Insurance Fund Board, the Mauritius Research Council, the Agricultural Marketing Board and various educational establishments such as the Mauritius Institute of Education of which he was the Chairman in the early 1980s.

Jagadish Manrakhan’s professional career spanned such a broad field that this alone should have given him a deep sense of fulfilment. The great moment came when he pronounced his dissent over the recommendations of the Avramovich Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry. That was in 1982-83 when a newly formed MMM government had commissioned an inquiry to look into the state of finances of the sugar industry and to consider whether the export duty that was applicable to it should be abolished in view of the stated fragility of the industry. Mr Avramovich recommended in favour of the industry but it was not convincing whether the financial statements the sugar units produced before the Commission to stand up their claim was reliable enough. At this time, there was a generalised feeling in the population that the sugar industry was on the lookout for a hand-out from the newly constituted government under the powerful sway of the MMM. The dissenting voices of Prof Manrakhan and Rama Sithanen made sense to the population at large.

Prof Manrakhan was a keen observer of current events. Readers of Mauritius Times will recall the various occasions when he penned down his views on certain burning issues. Not content with prose, he had even accustomed our readers to read some of his poetry. His demise in Germany on 1^st March 2013 by the side of his daughter will create a gap that it will be difficult to bridge. Our only solace is that he lived a full life whether at the level of the family or in his professional capacity and that he is one of those who will be remembered for his highly scintillating path at the national level.