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MELENIE CATCHES SOME RAYS WHILE BRITAIN SHIVVERS...

The bitterly cold European winter of 2009-2010 has helped Mauritius immensely. More and more people from the continent are making their annual get-away to the island where sunshine and warmth greet them. Research shows that there are more fans of Mauritius in December and January today than ever before.

One of these people, presently visiting Mauritius for the first time in five years, is Melenie Pyndiah. Born and raised in England to Mauritian parents, Melenie has thoroughly enjoyed her holiday experience in Mauritius this year. “The weather here on the island is incredibly beautiful and there are so many things to do,” she says.

While some people may argue that development in Mauritius is slow, Mel disagrees. “There have been lots of changes in the last five years. So many new roads have been paved; so many new buildings have sprung up. This is especially true of Ebene where I only remember one building. Now, so many tall structures are visible as you drive along the highway.”

She spent her early years in England where she also went to school. “I was brought up in Kingston upon Thames just outside London. It was a great place to live and study but I started my professional career here in Mauritius.

“Although I was always more interested in the production side of things, my first job was as a reporter for the Sunday Mirror. This didn’t last very long but surely jumpstarted my career and helped me get noticed in a few places.”

She experienced her fair share of language problems, having no command over French and Creole. “I was limited to a few things and events every now and then because of the language barrier. I usually covered the entertainment sector. My education had focused around broadcasting so I continued to try to get into the MBC to create documentaries, films, radio programmes, etc.”

She also felt the slower pace of life on the island but agrees that one has to adapt to it, “when in Rome”! “Like all young people, I was full of energy, ready to run into the next challenge. I would be asking for another project before one was finished. My colleagues told me to slow down. They use those terms, you know – chill out, this is island life not London.

“When I finally got the kind of job I had been looking for, I couldn’t just stay behind the camera, which was what I had always hoped for. We could not find someone to present the show, so I was compelled to host the show too. It was called ‘Get Connected’. In it, I tried to include all that goes on around Mauritius – local cooking, the environment and other things that interested me. It was the only English programme on MBC at the time.

“I got the job on merit and not because of any connections and I was relatively happy with it while it lasted. The show went pretty well and I did reasonably well too,” she says.

“My next position was scriptwriting. I worked on a few programmes for the Mauritius College of the Air. Then I decided to move on and work with my father as his administrative assistant. He is an electronics engineer by trade though he has accomplished a lot more in so many areas.

“We worked together on a programme called ‘Technovation’. This programme was his idea and how he looked at everything from a scientific, engineering point of view. You should listen to him explain one of the common, everyday things....”

Mel has to be one of the biggest fans of her distinguished father. She talks excitedly about how he can tell you about the technical aspects of making a “farata”. Gaj Pyndiah still presents his own show on local TV and is a renowned name in Mauritius for myriad reasons.

Melenie moved back to England in 1999 and started her search for a job in broadcasting, production or something close to that. She now works for the BBC Library which, she says, is the largest library in the world and contains sound archives, film archives and a number of other formats.

“I had a clumsy interview and never thought I would get a job with one of the best organisations in the world. I couldn’t believe it when they called me two days later.”

She loves children and the fascinating world of wonders they live in. “I worked with this great children’s presenter named Simon Green and unlike most people who talk down to children, he would treat them like normal people and that made such a difference.

“A better part of my job is quality control. Thousands of movies, films, documentaries, voice recordings and other material is being digitised. I have to ensure that they are of perfect quality and that nothing has been missed in the process. This gives me the chance to see unlimited documentaries and movies on sports, comedy, war, politics, animals, people and everything under the sun.”

Apart from the non-stop flow of information, there are many positives that come out of the QC aspect of her job. “I get to watch a whole bunch of programmes that the BBC does from time to time. While watching a series on sports back in February, I said to myself that I couldn’t just sit here and watch sports, I had to do something. So I went out on a cold, winter evening and started jogging. Since then, I have continued to jog regularly.”

She may not be very sporting but one of the most striking things about her is that she, along with her entire family, is a Formula One fan. You can talk to her all day about F1.

“This is the off-season and a time for behind-the-scenes activity. I can’t wait for the season to start. When it does, all weekend appointments on race weekends are set around the races, practice and qualification sessions. If we want to go out, it has to be after the race.”

Mel has been having fun in the sun and isn’t really jumping with joy about going back to England where recordbreaking snow will greet her. “I’m going to miss this place when I return home next week,” she says. Nonetheless, she says she wants to return to Mauritius when the time is right.

“In 1999 I took part in the MFDC (Festivals de Courts Métrages) and won an award for being amongst the ten best films submitted. The film was called ‘Immortel’. As I was on stage receiving the award I noticed I was the only female to get a trophy. It would be great to go back into film-making. I would love to produce documentaries on the destruction of the environment in Mauritius because this is a subject that has always been close to my heart.”

Melenie is also learning French and is rather good at it already. Speaking fluent French will definitely make it easier for her to get around Mauritius and the rest of Europe.