By Moomtaz Emrith
Assad Bhuglah needs no introduction. He is now, we can safely say, an established chronicler of the history of the Muslims of Mauritius – having already published almost half a dozen books on eminent Muslim personalities and their contributions to the evolution of the Muslims of Mauritius, as a religious and cultural group, and also to the political and economic growth of Mauritius as a whole. Like all Mauritians, the Koknis are part and parcel of the greater Mauritian community. As such, they quietly and without 
fanfare, play their full part, at all levels, as citizens in the affairs of the country.
Assad Bhuglah, as a historian, already has to his credit a book on the life and times of “Dr. Idrice Goumany”, the selfless doctor, who sacrificed his life at the Pointe Aux Cannoniers’ Quarantine Station, in 1889, in the line of duty. That work was followed soon after by an excellent profile on the life and times of “Gassy Sobdar” the cultural and religious leader of the small Muslim (lascar) community of Camp des Lascars, Plaine Verte, during the French colonial occupation of Mauritius.
In fact, Gassy Sobdar was the motivator and driving force behind getting the French colonial authorities to accede to the request of the small group of Lascars in the colony for a permit, in 1805, to build “une chapelle pour l’exercice de leur culte” at a time when no other religion =but Catholicism was allowed in the island. Gassy Sobdar would also 
become the first Imam of the historic mosque, which is operational till to-day and is known as the Al-Aqsa Mosque – and, at the time of its foundation certainly marked a first in French colonial history.
Assad would follow that book by another one within a year on “Dr. Hassenjee Joomye”, the philanthropist, who himself had earlier made history in 1922 as the first winner of the ‘English Scholarship’ (lauréat de la Bourse d’Angleterre) of Indian descent and later, became the founder of the Islamic Cultural College. And Assad’s last publication came out last year on “’Maulana Abdullah Rashid Nawab”, a Muslim erudite and educator who, among others, brought radical reforms in Islamic education in Mauritius as a whole through the creation of the Muslim Educational Society and the establishment of the Muslim High School in 1926 — institutions that are still functional to-day and which are gearing to celebrate their centennial in two years’ time. The Maulana, with a group of young enthusiasts and collaborators, will revolutionize both early and advanced Islamic education in the island. Needless to add that those publications of Assad, have helped consolidate his reputation as a historian and chronicler of the Muslims of Mauritius.
Now, in the coming weeks of September, Assad Bhuglah is getting set to release his latest chronicles on another important — though less visible group of Muslims in Mauritius — who have made a most significant contribution to the economy of Mauritius through the yeoman work they did in the past in the port and harbour of the City of Port Louis in early 20th century. They are the Koknis of Mauritius, who have always been an integral part of the larger Muslim community of Mauritius and have always worked ‘sans tambour ni trompette,’ contributing significantly to the economy of our island. The Koknis, who worked in the port and harbour as moors-men, which consisted of them getting the cargo ships moored and anchored securely at the bottom of the sea at a time when every work in the harbour was done manually. These risky jobs were done by a small group of Kokni-migrant workers, who all hailed from the western coast of India. They came on their own and, at the beginning, most of them were single and lived in dormitories called ‘Lathis’. They worked in the harbour helping, among others, in the loading and unloading of cargo-ships. They were not bound by any contractual obligations. They would go back to their homeland after two or three years often to get married to Kokni women and return to the island to settle down for good.
Who are the Koknis? We are tempted to ask. They are migrants from the State of Maharashtra in the west of India. The Koknis, as far as I know, are all Muslim by faith although they are so called because of the Kokni-dialect of Maharashtra they speak. Also, the Koknis generally claim to be the descendants of Arab and Persian navigators/traders, who used to trade in the Arabian Sea in the fourteenth/fifteenth centuries plying the East African and South-Western coasts of India for spices, gold, silver and iron among other stuffs and to whom the Indian authorities gave permission to establish settlements along the coasts. Many of the Arabs traders would settle in the area, some men would get married to local women and speak the local Kokni language/dialect and, thus, were called ‘Koknis’ like everybody else in the region. Many of their ancestors, it is said, were converted to Islam by the Arab traders. So much so, their religion had nothing to do with their appellation as ‘Koknis’ although, as I have observed earlier, all the ‘koknis’ I know, have always been Muslim by faith.
To-day, Koknis are settled, beside Mauritius, in the Middle East countries, South Africa, Canada, Great Britain and U.S.A., among other places. Although they are no longer prominent as employees in the harbour and port, they have diversified their occupations going into trade and commerce with many running their own businesses like owners of textile stores, teahouses, and restaurants although a few are still involved with the port and harbour as owners of boats and, as such, provide water to ships or shuttle workers to and from ships anchored in the harbour for loading and unloading of cargoes. The Koknis, because of the toughness and the risks involved in the performance of their jobs, made good money – notably more than the Indian field labourers, who were brought to the colony on contract to work on the sugar-cane plantations. The Koknis, on the other hand, arrived in Mauritius on their own and were not bound by any contract. They certainly moved up the social ladder faster than the indentured workers.
Assad Bhuglah, in his new book “KOKNI DIASPORA IN MAURITIUS” brings to life the crucial role the Koknis have played in the harbour and port of Mauritius through interviews of elderly Koknis, many of whom were only too happy to make oral presentations to him of their family’s tale and the crucial role they have played in the economic evolution of Mauritius. 
In fact, the Koknis, in their own way and by themselves, constitute an interesting chapter of the unsung heroes among the builders of Mauritius by virtue of the crucial contribution they have made to the island’s economy through the important work they did in the harbour and port of Mauritius at a time when all work was done manually. Would Mauritius have been the same without the Koknis? The answer to the question is probably in Assad Bhuglah’s new book.
Sure, the book is a labour of love as it heightens the very crucial role the Koknis have played in the economic rise of Mauritius over the years. A modest and very quiet group, who mostly keep to themselves and participate as an integral part of the larger Muslim community of Mauritius while quietly adhering to their Kokni traditions and Islamic cultural values. They have now diversified in their occupations having moved out of working in the harbour because of mechanization and automation, and are now encountered in all walks of life playing their full role as citizens of the island. Some established “Eating Houses” and “Lotel Dite” – which became household names in the city and defied time and continued operation for years. Names like Hotel Providence, Hotel Pakistan, Hotel Chrystal, Hotel de Luxe… among others, were all owned by Koknis and were always popular with customers. Besides, Kokni Cuisine is reputed for its variety of delicious dishes and also its delicacies and pastries – hence the lasting popularity of those joints. Besides, Assad Bhuglah has a full chapter devoted to Kokni Cuisine in the book – with the support of illustrator Nasreen Banu Ahseek and graphic designer Azhar Moosoody. I have no doubt the readers will welcome Assad’s new book with the same enthusiasm as they did for previous ones.
