AMODE IBRAHIM ATCHIA (‘MAJOR’), 1868-1947: MAURITIAN PIONEER IN ELECTRICITY, INNOVATOR, AND PHILANTHROPIST

Abstract

Known affectionately as ‘Major,’ A mode Ibrahim Atchia was born of an immigrant father from Barbhodan, a village15 km from Surat on the Kirkland, Ibrahim Sulleman Atchia, and a Mauritian mother. Even in his youth, ‘Major’s howed an inner talent to innovate and create unusual gadgets, although he received little formal education. With his three brothers, Mamode Ibrahim, Hossen Ibrahim and Suleyman Ibrahim, ‘Major’ successfully launched a prefabricated concrete business which provided an invaluable service to Mauritians after a particularly strong cyclone in 1892. However, today, A mode Ibrahim Atchia and his brothers are best remembered for their vital contribution in the field of Hydro-electricity, when they founded the ‘Mauritius Hydro Electric Company’ in Rose Hill in 1900. This led to the construction of the Reduit Hydro Electric Power Station in 1906, a short distance from the State House and the University of Mauritius. As a self-taught ‘technician,’ ‘Major’ oversaw the entire operation, though with the invaluable help of his brother, Hossen Ibrahim, the genuine engineer. By 1920, the Station was providing electricity to the towns of Beau Bassin /RoseHill, Phoenix, Quatre Bornes and Mangal khan/Floreal, and most of Lower Plaines Wilhems District. Two other Stations were set up in the South of Mauritius by ‘Major’ Atchia in Mahebourg/ Rose Belle and at Cascade Cecile, near Surinam. Furthermore, the Atchias were innovator sin picture houses which they constructed all over the island of Mauritius, after the initial creation of the ‘Cinema Hall ‘in 1914 through the ‘Mauritius Cinema Corporation.’ In recognition for his pioneering work in Hydro-electric energy in Mauritius, the Government took the unique decision of renaming the Reduit Station the ‘A mode Ibrahim Atchia Hydro Power Station’ in 2014. This article deals with the multifaceted talents and laudatory achievements of ‘Major’ Atchia who has been hailed by local Historians as arguably “the great Mauritian genius”.