Dear Editor,
Many moons ago, I spent three years in India, from 1979 to 1982. Not long after my arrival, I met fellow Guyanese Satish Prakash at Kendriya Hindi Sansthan (The Central Institute of Hindi) in New Delhi. Then, as now, he was light years ahead of me. He would later go on to earn a doctorate in Sanskrit and become a learned scholar of the Vedas. We lost touch after I left India but resumed contact a decade later, when he was based in New York and I was based in Toronto.
This coming Sunday, December 18, under the guiding hand of Dr. Prakash as Founder Acharya, the Guyana Chapter of the Maharishi Dayananda Gurukul will be opened at Ocean View, Uitvlugt. It is a large, well-constructed and attractive building. A gurukul is basically a residential school, based on the ancient guru-student tradition of India. Acharya (teacher) Prakash is from Uitvlugt on the West Coast so, in a sense, he is returning to his roots. They say that charity begins at home. Talk about giving back!
Dr. Prakash is steeped in ancient knowledge and traditions but is also abreast of the times. He wears his learning lightly, is no stuffed shirt and moves easily among the various strata of society. I can see him in blue jeans in a café, sipping a latte and conversing with someone in Spanish (another language with which he is comfortable). His immense learning is matched by his humility. I urge students to make full use of him; pick his brain. His mission is to love, educate and serve. He has no other purpose.
The programme starts at 9 am sharp. It is the chance of a lifetime to witness an important and historic event, so I expect that many (not just Arya Samajis) will get up early on Sunday, have breakfast and ‘hustle down’ to Uitvlugt to be a part of history. Even Ignatius Uitvlugt, after whom the village was named, will be looking down and smiling.
Satish bhai, best wishes for this noble and blessed endeavour. Keep on shining the light of truth.
Yours faithfully,
Sieyf Shahabuddeen
