Dear Editor,
I read with interest a news item, `Yesu Persaud agrees with Dharmic Sabha Diwali date’ (SN, 10-23-15). The article indicated that Mr. Persaud said that he agreed with the head of Dharmic Sabha, Dr. Vindhya Vasini Persaud that November 11th is the rightful day for Diwali. Mr. Yesu Persaud is quoted as stating: “In my opinion no politician should be able to get (involved) in religious matters as there is a fear you will intervene in other religious groups’ affairs. I suggest you leave this decision up to Dr. Persaud since she represents the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. This is my humble opinion on the recent dispute”. She may represent the Dharmic Sabha, but does she represent the Hindus of Guyana?
I have the greatest respect and admiration for Mr. Yesu Persaud, but there is some problem with this statement. Isn’t Dr. Vindhya Persaud a politician? By extension, why is she involved in a religious matter? Both the Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan (and he is a Hindu too) and Vindhya Persaud are politicians and their priorities are not the interest of the Hindu people. This whole episode of conflict regarding the correct date of Diwali points to a larger problem in the Hindu society, which is a culture of accepted widespread mediocrity promoted by organizations that have held the Hindu people hostage, and lack of respect for Hindu scholarship.
The only trained Hindu scholar living in Guyana is Swami Aksharananda and the decent thing to do would have been to seek his opinion. I am sure that the highly respected Mr. Yesu Persaud would agree because he is aware of Swami Aksharananda’s calibre. He is the top Hindu scholar in the region and is an expert in Sanskrit and speaks Hindi fluently. His approach to education is unmatched in the region as demonstrated over and over again by the achievements of Saraswati Vidya Niketan (SVN). Almost all of the major Hindu texts are written in Sanskrit except Tulsi Das’s
version of the Ramayana. Who in the Dharmic Sabha has the requisite training in Sanskrit to make the mathematical calculations and pronouncements related to the dates of historical events such as Diwali?
I point this out because it is shameful for anyone of good conscience to tolerate the ignorance and mediocrity that the Hindu people, especially the poor and uneducated ones, are sucked into. The “Pandits” generally have no formal educational training in Hinduism, and with few exceptions have made a mockery of the Sanskrit term “Pandit” which means a scholar. The division is not confined to conflicts such as the date of Diwali, but to splits such as in the Phagwa parade in Queens, New York, and temples in the court system. In Guyana, the reality is that Hindus are at the bottom of the pit – they are plagued by the most suicides, are the largest group of alcoholics, and they do the most menial labouring work.
I call on scholars in the areas of Hinduism, Sociology, Economics, and Political Science to examine the historical and current roles of organizations such as the Guyana Pandits Council and the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha on the state of Hinduism in Guyana today.
Yours faithfully,
Somdat Mahabir
