François Mahé
My dear readers,
Today I would like to pay tribute to Bertrand-François Mahé de la Bourdonnais, a French naval officer of the 17th century who will give his name to the street and the Hotel which I cherish so much, but also to a department of Pondicherry in India.
Engaged at an early age (at the age of 20) in the East India Company, a land of strategic conflicts between France and England, he had an impressive career.
5 years after his entry in the Navy, he was promoted to captain and showed so much courage and loyalty that he was appointed Governor-General of the Mascarenes (comprising 3 islands in the Indian Ocean) at the age of 36.
As a politician, he was just as successful as being a sailor, establishing economic growth and military power in these islands.
He showed all his life a courage and a leadership allowing him to be recognized as a strong leader of men, constantly demonstrating discipline and subordination to the French government.
The Mascareignes
His story has given me many visions that I remember again today.
First of all, because the sea and boat trips are for me a special moment in a life, where you cut yourself off from the world, where our perception of time seems to lengthen to better savor the moment.
Second, because the islands of the Mascarenes are paradisiacal islands where you can enjoy a framework and a rhythm of life, where you feel on holiday and where plenitude predominates over our worldly life.
There is also a population as diverse as its flora and fauna, many endemic species and a breathtaking coastline that allows us to describe this place as a unique and unusual wonder as if we were leaving this world to join Eden.
My dear readers, the islands are like the pearls of the Earth. They arise by its movements, to fill our minds with dreams and carelessness.
See you soon!
#INWOODLOVERS