COMITE SCIENTIFIQUE DE LA CONFERENCE
Dr. Mrs. Saloni Deerpalsingh - Directeur de l'Institut Mahatma Gandhi

Joined the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, as Education Officer in 1975. Bachelor of Arts from Delhi University. Followed her technical training in Library Science (University of Mauritius 1977), Perfectionnement d'Archiviste (L'Ecole International de Bordeaux, France, 1986) and museological training (Musée Arts et Traditions Populaires and Musée de L'Homme in 1987, Paris). She undertook the project of setting up the Folk Museum of Indian Immigration in 1985 as Curator and the Folk Museum of Indian Immigration was opened on 11th March 1991.

Saloni Deerpalsingh

To-day, she is member of ICOM, AFRICOM and founder member of the National Heritage Trust Fund of Mauritius (1997) and active board member of Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund as from year 2001 (a site which has recently been inscribed for World Heritage Site UNESCO). She has published and co-authored in various publications on the Indian Immigration Diaspora to Mauritius.

The various publications englobe a more complete picture of the complexities of the history of indentured migration and the implantation of immigrants in the host society. She has also widely contributed in setting up of the Immigration Archives section at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute which is housed in the Folk Museum. She is actually project leader of the Computerization of the Indian Immigration Archives documents at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute.

Dr. Saloni Deerpalsingh has had a major contribution in drafting legislation for the Ministry of Arts and Culture for the setting up of the National Heritage Trust Fund, National Museum Council, Aapravasi Ghat Trust Fund, National Genealogy Institute. She has also produced National Genealogy report on 'Retracing of Ancestors for Mauritians of African descent for the Nelson Mandela Cultural Centre for African Culture, 2004 and as well as tracing roots for Mauritians of Indian descent.

She has widely worked on research, concept and realization of various exhibitions on Indian Indentured Labour, slavery, La Co-existence Culturelle, Heritage Sites of Mauritius, Coins Trove, Mahatma Gandhi visit in Mauritius and lately on Agricultural Tools and Implements and their evolution with a multi – media CDRom production – an exhibition which brings forth an identity which is discontinuing gradually given the convergence of social and economic changes. This exhibition is a living example of reminiscing and preserving a heritage from both a tangible and intangible perspective.

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