This week, NoS catches with Patryk Froissart, a writer from Reunion Island on visit to Mauritius. The versatile and prolific man suffers from a serious book addiction and spends lots of time with books. When he is not writing, he is busy reading or gardening. Read through for doses of wisdom which Patryk is keen to share with us.

This week we have an appointment with a doctor. But rest assured, you need not have to gobble your apple this time, for Mevin has promised to keep his stethoscope and his injection well away for this interlude. To don the white coat has been his long cherished dream. News on Sunday intrudes in the life of the medic to find out what it is about medics and their white coat that give them the too familiar lofty aura.

Beauty with brain... This is the best way we can describe our Miss World Mauritius 2011, Shalini Panchoo. Her elegant stature and good looks are not her only gifts from Mother Nature. She is an independent woman who stands out of by her intelligence, her determination, her pleasant and go-getter personality as well as her courage. Shalini confides to us in a heart-to-heart conversation.

Good manners, public image and etiquette are her key words. The positive energy and thinking which she conveys immediately makes you feel comfortable and learning with her becomes interesting and amusing.

News on Sunday meets Ankit Sood, an Indian who is presently in Mauritius in his capacity as an Indian Corporate Banking Consultant. His conversation is peppered with regular doses of wit and sarcasm and we discover he is as good with words as he is with bank notes. We thought we should give the money a break for once and let the man behind the money do the talking.

She is like any young girl of her age but she has that little something which makes her special in her own way.  At 19, Gwen Chan is one of the famous faces of modelling in the island. Despite her young age, Gwen has set her priorities in life and has her own opinion about the world of fashion and modelling.  As she tells us, “Fashion is more than just clothes.”

The one with the magical hands! As bragging rights, he plays over fifteen musical instruments and has released five tracks already. The passion he has for his music has driven him to outshine in his field. "The one with the magical hands", he is commonly referred to. NoS speaks to Krsvee-shain Soomary (better known as Krish) who is gradually winning a mass of fans and followers quite fascinated with his works.

She has marked the history of Fire Brigade in Mauritius. Mrs Poonam Bisto is one of the six women to become the first female firefighters. Proudly wearing the uniform, Poonam feels ready to face the future challenges of what she describes as her “noble profession.” Believing strongly in women’s potential, she represents the wind of change which is blowing on the stereotyped jobs in Mauritius.

He is a 23-year old freelance graphic designer and is one of those folks in the field who make graphic designing endearing and passionate. A complete family guy, he also prides himself on being the first person to get a degree in his family. NoS catches up with M. Jameel A. Purrahoo, who was quick to share his insights with us.

In the context of the International Women Day, celebrated yesterday, News on Sunday spoke to Nivedita Nathoo on the subject of women entrepreneurship. Nivedita Nathoo is a former Chairperson of the National Women Entrepreneur Council and current Co-Chairperson of the National Empowerment Foundation.

This leggy lass is already making her presence felt in the glam world. What is most striking about her is her innocent warmth. She is unpretentious and her child-like enthusiasm is infectious! As she enumerates her date with success, she is at her charming best, oscillating between being a picture of beatific calm and a bagful of laughter. NoS looks behind the glittering façade and sensuality and discovers there is more to Kellyna Bungari, freelance model, than just a pretty face.

In 1972, arguing in ‘The Spectator’, Trinidadian writer V.S. Naipaul concluded his essay on newly-independent Mauritius with the reflection that no theorist “…has yet devised, or attempted to devise, a political philosophy for these independent island barracoons; and it may be that their problems defy solution”.