Dev Virahsawmy (born 1942 in Quartier-Militaire, Mauritius), is a politician, playwright, poet and advocate of the Mauritian Creole language. Though he writes easily in both French and English, Virahsawmy is most renowned for his efforts to popularize the use of Creole. Early life Virahsawmy spent his early childhood in Goodlands but after the death of his mother he went to live with his grandparents at Beau-Bassin. After having done his secondary education, he went to Scotland at the Edinburgh University to study languages, literature and linguistics. Dev's father Simadree was a minister of the Labour Party who later defected to rival party MTD. Former MMM minister Jayen Cuttaree was Dev Virahsawmy's brother-in-law. Political life Between 1966 and 1987, he was a politician and one of the three leaders of the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM). On 22 September 1970 he became the first member of the MMM to be elected to the National Parliament by winning the vacant seat at by-elections held in Constituency No. 5 (Pamplemousses-Triolet). These by-elections resulted from the untimely death of former attorney general Lall Jugnauth who had been duly elected in Constituency No. 5 at the 1967 General Elections under the IFB banner. On 23 March 1973 Dev Virahsawmy left the MMM and formed his new party Mouvement Militant Mauricien Socialiste Progressiste (MMMSP). With the help of Peter Craig, Alan Ganoo, Alain Laridon and Showkutally Soodhun, Dev Virahsawmy founded the trade union movement called Federation Des Travailleurs Unis (FTU) to assist textile workers to bargain for higher wages and better working conditions. Soon after leaving Bérenger's MMM Virahsawmy supported Anerood Jugnauth and Gaetan Duval during the 1983 elections. He became Cultural Advisor in the new MSM government, but as his passion to promote Kreol as a national language was not supported by the government, Virahsawmy left whilst Soodhun stayed within the MSM government. Activities after leaving politics Since leaving politics he has concentrated on playwriting. He is associated with the early protest theatre in Mauritius. Virahsawmy is married to Loga Virahsawmy, a feminist and chairperson of Gender and Media Southern Africa. Works Dev Virahsawmy is known for writing in Morisyen (Mauritian Creole) and translations from English and French to Morisyen. Drama Li. (préface de Dan Callikan). Rose Hill: MMMSP, 1977; (avec traduction en français de Carpanin Marimoutou, en créole réunionnais de Firmin Lacpatia). Saint-Pierre: les Chemins de la liberté, 1979. Bef dâ disab: pies â de