More respect needs to be shown to Guyana’s oldest organization

Jul 28, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
I recently remigrated to Guyana from the United States to set up my business operations in Georgetown. Being a staunch Hindu, I decided to visit an organization that I was a part of for many years before I migrated – The Guyana Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha. Mr. Editor, I was in utter disappointment when I first entered what was formally the headquarters for Hindus in Guyana. The place looked a mess. I sat in one corner of the almost empty temple to listen to the priest give his sermon.
At this point I still had hope that the Maha Sabha stands for something, however when the young priest – I average he is in his early 30s – opened his mouth to speak, it was if I was being taken back to Primary School. From wrong pronunciations to terrible misuse of common rubrics in the English language, the sermon was a disaster. He attempted to chant some Hindi Verse from the Bhagavad Geeta but, myself, having a profound knowledge of Hindi and Sanskrit, knew that it was nothing short of blasphemy unto our Holy scriptures.
I returned to service a few weeks after and subsequently learned from members of the temple of allegations of wrong doing levelled against high ranking members of the said organization. Mr Editor, this is a trusted organization that runs on donations, kind contributions from the members of the business community and I am sure one that enjoys tax exemptions from the government, should this organization and its activities come under the microscope of the government?
Mr. Editor, why this event disturbs me so much is that the Maha Sabha is the oldest organization in Guyana, being founded in 1934 by the late Dr. J.B Singh and which later in the 1990s came under the stewardship of my very good friend and colleague the late Justice Ramraj Jagnandan.
It is my firm opinion, Mr. Editor that the current APNU + AFC administration should look into the affairs of the Maha Sabha, since it is purported to be a heritage organization which was registered in the care of the government since 1970 under then Prime Minister L.F.S Burnham. This is a public trust organization that is being run into the ground by a cabal of inefficient and unintellectual people and if the government and the Ministry of Culture don’t act now, Guyana and its Hindu populace will lose a major part of their heritage.
Badree Etwaroo, Phd

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