The Burrun family
Immigrant Burrun 321545, hailing from the Indian sub-district (pergunnah) of Chowsa in the district (zillah) of Arrah in Bihar, embarked on board the St. Hilda (ship No 1130) in the port of Calcutta in July 1865 and reached Mauritius in September 1865. The Hilda cast anchor on 21 September in Port Louis harbour and Immigrant Burrun together with the 360 other coolies on board were probably directed to the Immigration Depot on 25 September.
During his employment at Mon Loisir sugar estate in the district of Rivière du Rempart Burrun 321545 married Mungree Toolsy and a son, Chutturdharry, was born out of this wedlock on 24 March 1876. Their descendants to the fourth generation appear in the first family tree. (See family trees) 150 years after the arrival of Burrun 321545, in September 2015, a ‘Shradanjali Yaj’ (religious service to honour the memory of as departed) was celebrated, reuniting all his descendants from all corners of the island at Grand Gaube. The youngest descendants of Immigrant Burrun 321545 belong to the seventh generation. (See family trees showing evolution from the 4th to the 7th generation).
As members of the succeeding generations grew up and entered into matrimony, the alliance of the Burruns with other Mauritian families grew significantly. The following table gives an idea of the numerical importance of this progression per family during the last fifty years or so.
| Family | Families with whom matrimonial alliance concluded | Place of residence |
|---|---|---|
| Rabeesungkur Burrun | Pertaub | Mauritius |
| Beeharry | Mauritius | |
| Khadaroo | Mauritius |
The data in the preceding table indicate that the Burruns have developed matrimonial links with more than 75 families, the majority of the couples issued from these families being in Mauritius and the remaining having elected to settle abroad, in Europe and North America particularly. Naturally this trend will accentuate itself and by the middle of this century the number of families that will join the bandwagon of Burrun No. 321545 will have crossed the hundred mark.
Breejan Burrun, a member of the family, has written a book, Clinging to our Indian Roots in Bihar where he relates the story of the installation and evolution of Burrun 321545 and his descendants down to the fourth generation. A brief account is also given of the developments that have taken place in the last three generations, that is, from the 5th to the 7th generation. The tribute to his ancestor in the epilogue of the book is a fitting way to end this short summary:
Be blessed Burrun 321545! You are and will be much, much more than a number to us… “
© B. Burrun
