How prevalent is this un-Hindu practice in Guyana?

May 21, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kindly permit me to express my thoughts on a recent letter from Pt. Balbudar published under the caption of ‘Desecration of Tuschen Mandir, supposed to have taken place in observance of Mother’s Day.
There are two issues addressed in his letter. First is the celebration that took place after Sunday morning’s services would have been completed. If meat and alcohol were served and obscene music was played, then that is inappropriate to have been permitted. The organizers are to be blamed in no uncertain way. The question to ask is how prevalent is this practice in Guyana! Is it an isolated case? If it is isolated, the tone of the letter writer seem to want to convey that all else needs the discipline of training, certification and licensing.
If we are questioning dancing in the building then we ought to similarly protest to our Indian counterparts in India where dancing is part of the mandir presentation on auspicious occasions. Do I need to add certain obnoxious practices of by some resident priests? How about ‘Navaratri’ and Holi Celebrations in various forums in North America where there are Bollywood singers on stage and a Mela atmosphere with business much in focus? Let us protest these.
The second issue addressed and is more profound. It is the call for the formal control through training and licensing of Pandits. Hinduism has survived pre-Vedic, Vedic, post Vedic challenges from Jains, Buddhist, etc. and foreign invasions in attempts at conversion. Tolerant it being, it has absorbed some protest doctrines to accommodate the aspirations of its adherents. The religions has flourished and spread worldwide, yet, we do not have such a call from the land of the origin of the religion for such regulations.
Regulations are the least thoughts of anyone. Why the call now? Another subjugation of masses by a few who make it a hereditary second income protection? Let them declare and pay taxes on the dachna that they receive. A donkey cart owner and a street vendor have to pay a licensing fee (and no doubt taxes). Let our pundits pay up then with licensing. You want pleasure, there is pain!
Guyanese Hindus have had enough of the dictates of the political power struggles of the past leaders of the various Hindu organizations where the masses become the pawn of soup drinking power hungry few. I remember two of these. Every time they visited villages they created more conflict than harmony. Dr. Somnath Mohabir wrote recently of the Death of Taan Singing because of the loss of the language. Language and educated messages are the first steps in change instead of rituals Instead of thinking of licensing and controlling Pandits we should be making attempts to have Hinduism on the curricula of the University of Guyana. Many North American and British Universities have faculties for Asian Studies. Training and licensing pandits in rituals will not solve the wider issues of family, moral and ethical dysfunction that seem to have been the issue of the manner in which the subject building was used and the wanton multiplicity of liquor shops in the land.
What is needed is not the control of people through ritualism, but the spiritual upliftment of the masses through education in their religious scriptures. May I inquire how many Hindus, particularly the Pandits, would have read any of the Upanishads? But some perhaps know a bit of the Garuda Purana to make Hinduism and its rituals fearsome.
As an end note, some years ago in a Sanskrit introductory course (taught by a white man) I met a young white American. I asked him what he was doing in such a class. His story is: From a devout Catholic family, a failed marriage and an alcoholic thereafter until he picked up in a bookstore ‘The Yoga Sutra of Patanjali.’He said he does not understand anything of the Hindu Gods and rituals, but through his new found book, he is a changed working man transformed his long distance truck rest compartment into a meditation sanctuary.
Ram Budhu
New York NY

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How prevalent is this un-Hindu practice in Guyana?

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