From filmmaker to author of poems and fiction, Ajay Ramphul has tried everything. But in the small Mauritian literary world – and especially for any English author – happiness often comes from elsewhere. Thus, after a 10-year hiatus, this resident of Goodlands, with an atypical career, marks his return with the launch of his four works of fiction at Frankfurt Bookfare 2024.
“Having my books at Frankfurt Bookfare is news that really warms my heart. It is my American publisher John Fowler, marketing manager at Primix Publishing, who will find opportunities at the Frankfurt Book Festival 2024 from October 16 to 20. It will be an opportunity for great visibility for my four books,” explains Ajay Ramphul who arranged to meet us at the Heart of the City of Goodlands.
With a tight bandana on his head and a salt-and-pepper goatee, the always debonair fifty-year-old confides that he has experienced a big interruption in his life as an author over the last ten years. After the launch in Mauritius and in ebook in 2001 of his collection of poetry “Islander Poetry” and his novel “Time To React”, he continued with the production and direction of the ambitious series intended for television “Horizon D’ love,” which included a large cast, including foreigners. “Unfortunately, it was a financial failure, because there was no market in Mauritius and I had not found ‘the right person’ for marketing abroad. Even today, it remains difficult, the local market not being profitable for local production,” he concedes.
However, he will not give up writing. He will alternate between philosophical writing (Stanley’s Noble Deeds), poetry for the younger generation or even novels mixing horror and detective intrigue. “I have never had a particular register, my passion is writing. I write with a pen, like the old fashioned way. I throw the sheets that I don’t like in the trash and when I’m finished, I give them to two friends, Keshav Gujadhur and Bhishan Beeharry, to print, whom I pay,” he confides.
Online publishing house
During these difficult years, he was able to count on several people, including Sunil Booroah, Deepo Daya, Devanand Bahadoor, as well as a close friend. “I had family problems. In addition, I had to finance the tertiary studies of my two daughters. However, I was lucky enough to meet people who supported me morally and financially every time I knocked on their doors. I think of my sister Indira Devi who was there for me. There are always people ready to help in Mauritius. We must not despair,” he observes.
After this period, he reconnected with John Fowler, of Primix Publishing, an online publishing house always looking for new authors, but also for innovation in order to expand their catalog. “To this day, I am still in contact with him and we have discussed the possibilities of adapting my works to the cinema,” he explains. According to him, “it will probably be the book ‘Sorry Dear’. I have already reworked two others as scripts for production. John Fowler told me he’s currently looking at the best deals. He has already received two, but he needs my agreement, especially since I own all the copyrights since I had them published on my own account.
« Stanley’s Noble Needs »
Another work that Ajay Ramphul will follow up with is “Stanley’s Noble Needs” in which he tells the story of a man who, during the last judgment, is questioned about his actions on earth. “He had two acts left to accomplish, so he returned to human beings to complete his earthly passage during World Food Day. It is an initiatory tale where an individual is confronted with his actions on earth, with his duty. It’s a story with a universal vocation,” says Ajay Ramphul, doubly influenced by Shakespearean writing and Paulo Coelho’s bestseller “The Alchemist.” However, to these influences, he intends to give them a real local touch without ever neglecting certain Mauritian authors, including Bhisma Seebaluck and Shakuntala Hawoldar. “At school, I was not at all a brilliant student, I took time to understand. I passed sixth grade in the 4th round, then I had teachers like Santosh Kumar Mahadeo and Goodaye who made me love the English language. At 14, I wrote my first poem, in English of course. I have always fought against adversity, obstacles. I get that a little from my mother who was an entrepreneur, a lively woman who practiced Zumba while she attended the University of the Third Age. When she died, I was terribly affected and it took me a while to get back on my feet,” he admits.
Far from certain extravagances
Deeply rooted in his native Goodlands, Ajay Ramphul likes to say that he lives on little, far from certain extravagances that he witnesses on a daily basis. “It is true that Goodlands is living in an era of economic, social and cultural changes which are likely to modify the habits specific to rural areas. These changes lead people to consume more than reasonable. Another component is the omnipresence of social networks which deconstruct forms of human contact. With my wife, who is in the restaurant sector, we try to keep our feet on the ground. And this further encourages me to deepen my creative writing skills. My inspiration often comes in the evening, as if someone is whispering in my ear. I say it in one of my poems in ‘Flames Of Our Passion’.
cWith an income coming from a rental space on the Royal Road in Goodlands, the sale of vegetables from his garden and his wife’s income, Ajay Ramphul recognizes that he is not to be pitied. “I’ve had my lean times, today it can’t be worse. The most important thing for me is to maintain the passion for writing,” he says.
