Dear Editor,
What is this debate all about, whether Cheddi Jagan was a practising Hindu or whether Hinduism impacted the PPP?
Does it really matter?
I refer specifically to Ramesh Gampat’s ‘I am at a loss to know how ‘the Hindu religion’ impacted the PPP.’ (S/N 21/5/19).
It is not my intention to join in what I consider a puerile polemic, however, if Gampat’s claim is not rebuffed, it will stand unchallenged and accepted by the gullible to be truthful.
At the risk of inviting criticism onto myself, which I do not mind, I shall endeavour to put to rest what I consider as fabrications about Cheddi Jagan raised in Gampat’s letter.
In his letter, Gampat claimed that ‘sometime in the early 1960’s ‘Cheddi Jagan at a public meeting on the West Coast of Demerara told his audience; “Gita, Gita. Throw it away. Rubbish. Hinduism is garbage.”
While every letter writer is free to comment and/or introduce any issue of interest to them, (having it published is another matter), the fundamental question is, whether the issue raised is factual, will it in anyway excite public interest, give impetus to the people’s struggle for free and fair elections or make suggestions that will help lift the living standards of the people from the degenerate level it is at today?
Gampat’s letter failed to accomplish any of these expectations, rather, his letter should be viewed as an attempt to stir controversy and to distract attention away from the much anticipated CCJ’s ruling.
In this instance, Gampat uses Jagan’s ideological and philosophical beliefs as the means to an end, that end being, to evince damnation of Jagan’s beliefs.
Gampat should know that his excursion into the realm of damnation is in clear contradiction to Sanskrit, the precise spiritual language of the Bhagavad Gita which has no word for damnation.
Gampat failed to recognize that Jagan’s approach to religion was not cast along rigid lines.
Jagan was able to recognize the historical and revolutionary roles each individual and social forces can play in Guyana’s national liberation struggle.
Jagan saw his role as one in which he should strive to influence the Guyanese people’s political consciousness, and to persuade and mobilize them to bring about national unity and ultimately, national independence.
Gampat is entitled to his beliefs but so was Jagan, however, once those beliefs are placed in the public domain they are subject to scrutiny and critical examination.
In the circumstances, Gampat’s letter should be no exception.
I have read and heard many a bizarre commentary about Cheddi Jagan. I have no doubt that this trend will continue into the future.
But one thing is clear, I have never in my fifty plus years in politics, heard nor read such utter nonsense about Jagan as described by Gampat in his letter.
Gampat tried to gloss over his disrespect for a national hero by admitting that ‘though the words (Jagan’s) might not have been the exact words, they do capture the essence of what Jagan was getting at: ‘discard Hinduism and adopt my “scientific” and materialist philosophy.’
The claim by Gampat is anecdotal and will remain anecdotal like so many others that preceded his about Dr. Jagan’s lifestyle and beliefs.
In his book the ‘West On Trial,’ Jagan wrote: ‘Hinduism is of course not such a formalized religion as many others. One could say it’s a way of life. If you are born of Hindu parentage, you do not have to take part in institutional practices to maintain your status as a Hindu.’
Since Hinduism is a way of life and because ‘religion’ is not an isolated concept in Indian culture that is, it is all inclusive and permeates all life, for Jagan to have called on his listeners to ‘discard Hinduism’ would have meant discarding himself and what he had confessed was a way of life.
From an ethical and moral standpoint but moreso, by plain common sense, this was not the Jagan this nation knew.
In his book, ‘My Pilgrimage from Jail to Glory,’ Pandit Ramlall, a well respected, educated Pandit belonging to the Arya Samaj who was incarcerated between 1964 and 1966 at Sibley Hall at the Mazaruni prisons, had this to say about Dr Jagan after his return from the USA; ‘He was a dedicated member of the Hindu religion and would often come to the temple to worship. He was more than a leader … he was also the people’s friend. Everyone admired his charismatic, uncorrupted passion for the people.’
Those who never had the good fortune of listening to one of Jagan’s many speeches nor had the opportunity to meet him in person can easily fall prey to the wiles of his adversaries or pretenders to be.
Regrettably, new generations have emerged since Cheddi Jagan passed away 22 years ago and the lack of knowledge about his life’s work is obvious. The painful part is that persons of Gampat’s ilk are busily engaged in either revising history or carving out a niche for themselves in a distorted version of Jagan’s role our country’s political history.
Yours faithfully,
Clement J.Rohee
