He said that Aryabhatt, a noted scientist from Bihar, was a source of inspiration for him. Not only is Bihar the land of Aryabhatt but also of Chandragupta Maurya, Mahavir and Gautam Buddha. He said that he felt proud to be here in the land of greats. He appeared very much impressed by what he said the beautiful land of Bihar.

Ms. Patil visited the Maha Bodhi temple and said that Lord Buddha’s teachings were an inspiration to Mahatma Gandhi in his pursuance of ahimsa and peace and that these tenets were still relevant for mankind. She later inaugurated the cultural programme of 12 universities on the campus of Magadh University and called upon teachers to prepare their pupils for the challenges ahead. She also called upon the youth to maintain their unity and strength in making the country a power to reckon with.

The Mauritius prime minister spoke in Bhojpuri - a dialect of Hindi common in western Bihar - to say good evening and convey the good wishes of the people of Mauritius at a civic reception here Monday evening. He said that though his ancestors went to the Indian Ocean island nation from Bhojpur district, for him the entire Bihar was the birthplace. Ramgoolam's grandfather Mohit was among those taken by the British in 1871. Most of the workers then were from Bhojpur, Chapra, Gopalganj and East and West Champaran. About 60 percent of the 1.2 million population of Mauritius is of Indian origin.