This is not the Leguan I knew as a child

Dec 06, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
One of the oldest, most likeable and popular priests in Leguan, Pt Jairam Maharaj (Bata)passed away on Deepavali night  Nov 2nd at the age of 71.The late Pt. Deonarine Sharma was his Cha Cha. Pt. Mukesh, who follows in his father’s footsteps, was instrumental in ensuring that at   the “wake” only appropriate Bhajans and discourses were rendered by the various Satsang Groups  and sympathisers.The community, families and friends, many of whom travelled from abroad, turned in in large numbers to offer their respects. Even President Ramotar was in attendance one evening and offered his condolences. There was absolutely no card or domino games, a refreshing break from the norm. That this trend continues is the dream of many.
The passing of Pt.Bata has left a large void on the island where there is a shortage of Hindu Priests and little co-operation to stop the forces of conversion which are so rampant in the country. On the island there is a great urgency for families to regularly attend and support their temples and make a commitment for their young ones to practice the teachings of our Dharma. We seem to forget verse Ch 3 v 35 of the Bhagavad Gita which states:
Sreyansvadharmovigunah,paradharmatsvanusthitat
Svadharmenidhanamsreyah,paradharmobhayavahah
Better to perform one’s  own duty even though imperfectly than to perform the duties of others in a perfect manner. Destruction in the course of performing one’s own duty is better than engaging in another’s duties, for to follow another path is dangerous.
Pt. Deodat (Munesh )Dhanrajh, my nephew, performed the final funeral rites at Uniform beach. Hundreds attended, myself included as I happen to be visiting the island at the time. Soon after the funeral rites were completed it started to rain  very heavily.Mourners, children and elders  were slipping and sliding on the mud dam  as they left  to seek shelter. Gigantic holes and ditches were left by heavy machinery and areas of the beautiful beach were strewn by all sorts of garbage, empty bottles, household items etc. certainly not a good impression to visitors and foreigners visiting for the first time. Some clean up and maintenance needs to be done. A lot of the debris can be easily burnt at home as an alternative.
I was so disappointed with the condition of the area that I attended the local  council office and asked what can be done.  I was told that there is abundant supply of free sand in the area, people just had to co-operate and transport it a few hundred feet to fill the holes. Assurance was given that the office has no objection for locals to use the sand to do the necessary work.
This was not the LEGUAN I remember as a child and wonder what has happened over the years to a society where people survived with minimal government involvement.
We in Canada have always helped the island.  We were the first to adopt our schools after 1992 and ensure that at least they have basic educational and sports equipment. We sent funds to repair  the buildings and also contributed to the needs of the hospital.  We participated in the establishment of the first library on the island, an initiative of Canadian Organisation for Development through  Education.  We supplied free Bhagavad-Gitas by  Mahatma Gandhi to each of the six temples on the islands for distribution to every person who wanted a copy of this book of universal ethics , irrespective of their religion.  Yet we seem to be missing  an essential ingredient to get people to work together.
The island has a long history and has laid the foundation for countless  successful scholars, business people and professionals  who now reside all over the globe. One of them , Ramnarine Sahadeo, a lawyer, recently published his book Mohandas  K. Gandhi,  thoughts, words, and deeds in  which is mentioned his place of birth.  As this  inspiring work  on a saint of international repute is being circulated ,people from various countries are now asking where is Leguan, Guyana and some of our friends from India and elsewhere are hoping to see the country one day. We have impressed them with our knowledge and practice of a culture that is one of the oldest in the world but they would surely be disappointed if they were present to observe the  be downward  trend  legacy and culture that our forefathers , who came as indentured servants left for us.
This letter is to appeal to the people to clean up their surroundings, use the materials that nature has provided in abundance and work together with government to ensure that the island regains it past glory where all can live and die with dignity. We will continue to help financially and otherwise but the initiative and cooperation must now come from the residents of the island.
Omesh Sharma, Canada

 

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