Dr. Ramayya and Other Humanitarians Deserve Kudos

Jan 08, 2014 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I endorse Abel Seetaram’s description of Dr. Veerasammy Ramayya (KN Jan 3) as a humanitarian for his work among the poor, dispossessed and working class. Let me also note that are several organizations and individuals (Vishnu Bandhu, Swami Akshananda, Dave Thakordeen, Dharamshala, Tain Youth Hindu Organization, Hindu Orphanage of West Coast, Islamic Orphanage, MYO, United Arya Samaj Humanitarian Foundation, to name only a few) of all religious suasions involved in helping poor kids and orphans throughout Guyana.  They also deserve kudos. I also gave financial donations and materials for distributions to several organizations whenever possible, during visits to Guyana and they always extended gracious hospitality to me. I applaud the work of Dr. Ramayya in charitable activities, satsanghs, etc. and others noted above and encourage more to emulate his lifestyle of seeking to help lift lives out of doldrums.
I don’t know Dr. Ramayya personally but I learnt about his communitarian lifestyle since around 1990 in regular visits to Guyana and interviewing people (for my NACTA polls) who uttered only positive attributes of the man. His is a class act that few have engaged – completely devoted to bettering lives, unlike the selfish political class in the greater Georgetown environs.  His charitable activity was never restricted to any one community and thus opening up his home to other religious figures was no surprise. It is most sad that he lost his soul partner, his wonderful dharam patni Merle, in their charitable mission. Unlike the Georgetown-based politicians, Merle and Ramayya were/are truly grass roots persons who care for people and are not driven by self-enrichment.
I also wish to applaud the other individuals and organizations that are offering humanitarian life saving assistance to the sick and meek. None of these individuals or organizations has ulterior motives for giving humanitarian assistance or engaging in charitable activities. And for them, as well as others not named, their voluntary activities remain largely unknown.
These individuals and organization have been giving kids a chance to escape poverty, neglect and hunger.  Like Dr. Ramayya, they are performing yeoman service to help alleviate hunger as well as to help educate poor kids.
In addition, they bring different ethnic groups together and seek to build a harmonious society. Like Ramayya, their aim is also to provide direct help and education to as many underprivileged children as possible and to inculcate in others the ethos of care giving. The political class and the wealthy should take note of the work of these individuals and offer them unlimited support.  The wealthy needs to contribute more to help these organizations. I am not wealthy, but I contribute a significant share of my American income to help charitable organizations of all religious and ethnic persuasions in Guyana. As Bandhu, Swami Akshananda, and others can attest, whenever I visited Guyana, I took educational supplies, clothing, toys, etc. for children which are distributed through registered organizations and I frequently offered financial assistance to help them with their work.  I appeal to the wealthy class and the Parliament to support various poverty alleviation initiatives of non government organizations that provide essential services to ensure that life-changing education, nutrition and health care projects continue for the poor. Small amounts of assistance help to bring big changes in kids’ lives as I found from experience. My distribution of crayons, pens, pencils, booklets, snacks, etc. in Vietnam, Cambodia, India, South Africa, Guyana, etc. brought smiles on faces. And as educators told me, such supplies go a long way to help to keep kids in school. In recent visits to India, I sponsored a bhoj (feeding the poor) in my ancestral villages feeding hundreds.  And I could see and feel the gratitude of the people in getting a special meal and kids getting educational supplies and a ‘fine change’ for snacks at school. Ashok Ramsaran, of GOPIO, another Whim villager like Ramayya, also adopts villages in India, like me, and funds NGOs and reported similar experiences whenever he visited.
As I have found from my travels to many nations, children are the same everywhere. They love a party and gifts whether it is for Christmas, Eid, Diwali, Buddha’s Birthday, Guru Nanak’s birthday, or some other festival. Children everywhere enjoy a bonhomie squealing with delight on receiving gifts or getting new clothing, toys, etc. And so I salute Dr. Ramayya, a devout Hindu, for his generous sponsorship of a holiday treat for kids and their families. There are those who donate money to a charity – they give and are finished with that.  But getting involved in actually executing programs with direct contacts to people on the ground is another matter and few dare to engage in grass roots work.  And this is where Dr. Ramayya stands tall among others, especially those born in the countryside but now settled in town; they forget where they came from.
I don’t know the good doctor.  But others spoke glowingly of him whenever I visited Berbice to conduct opinion polls. They wished, however, he had not gotten involved in politics. Politics has not been a nice sport in Guyana. But sometimes, one has to become political in order to expand one’s goal of helping an entire nation, rather than a small region. As I penned two years ago, it was a mistake for opponents to maliciously attack the doctor for his entrance into politics. He has always been a decent person and is loved by everyone whose lives he touched; that was evident by the large crowd at the funeral of his wife.  Thank you Dr. Ramayya for your work!
I also use this opportunity to cheer and applaud the activities of all who have volunteered their time and or have offered funds that have been used to help better lives throughout our nation.
Vishnu Bisram

 

 

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