(Trinidad Express) When Pandit Sunil Seetahal Maharaj took a dig at the Stink+Dutty fete and wining patrons in an address to his devotees at the Ganesh Utsav Foundation’s Maha Shivaratri celebrations on Monday, he did not expect his unconventional call to worship would ricochet across social media.
But by yesterday morning, as the country approached its annual Carnival celebrations and a number of religious celebrations, his comments had already struck a nerve and had gone viral.
An impassioned Maharaj had, throughout the delivery of a two-hour discourse, expressed disappointment in some Hindus, whom he said often made excuses for their lack of involvement in God and religion.
Referencing the popular Stink+Dutty fete on Saturday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba, Maharaj said, “I want allyuh to come and fete Shivaratri night, eh. Make sure you come and fete whole night because you leave home and go back home, you leave sunset and come back at sunrise.
“Well, this is a sunset, sunrise occasion. Come and fete here at the Ganesh Utsav Foundation. Come. And if you like to get wet, we right by the ocean, we will throw some water on you.”
He added: “The fete named Stink+Dutty and see all the Hindus in the front row wining low, and when they come in the temple and Baba say clap, they are clapping like they have a stroke.”
The clip was posted and widely circulated, garnering more than 140,000 views by yesterday afternoon.
Some agreed with the pundit, calling for devotion and religion to regain its once-dominant space in local society.
Others took offence, calling his statements inappropriate and disrespectful.
Speaking to the Express yesterday, Maharaj said he stood wholeheartedly by his statements, adding he did not expect to be universally liked for making them.
“In a time when a country needs prayer and the intervention of God more than anything else, we have prioritised Carnival and partying over all of those things.
“In this it is very coincidental, the Hindus will be celebrating Maha Shivaratri and the Muslims are preparing to begin their fast, even the Christians are going to be celebrating Ash Wednesday and not too much of favour is given to the likeness of anything, but a lot of favour is given to things that benefit the body but not the soul,” he said.
“I don’t expect everybody to like my comments, I don’t expect everyone to appreciate my comments, I do not expect everybody to like me as a result of my comments, but my duty is to be the bearer of the truth. A person who tries to tell the truth is hated,” he added.
Maharaj said it was not his intention to condemn anyone, but he had hoped more people would spend time participating in their religious communities.
“I am not saying to anybody do not enjoy life and don’t enjoy your existence, but I am saying we have to be intelligent in the decisions that we make. I think we should make a little more effort into serving the religions we belong to,” he said.
Maharaj said he found it strange that of the lengthy discourse, it was that particular clip that had received so much attention on social media.
He said the country’s crime had reached a concerning level that required some spiritual attention.
“In this time when everybody is planning to jump and wave and have a good time, it is a very turbulent time for our country.
“You look at the news and you see a mother strangled, whose income is from selling roti, and when you think about the murderers going with $1,000, is that what your life is worth?
“When you think about a child being found in a river and his murderers on the loose and on the run, you see a 15-year-old boy packed his bag and left the house and the mother does not know where he is, it makes you aware we are in a bad time and a bad place,” he said.
Not enough is being done to encourage the country’s youth to pray and to enter a “pathway of positivity”, he said, adding that in the age of the Internet, community activities, religion and camaraderie were being chipped away.
He said amid this, there is a need for unity and cooperation, particularly among religious bodies, to create and raise awareness on the importance of spirituality.
“The people who are working are being targeted and you live in a society where you are afraid.
“I find it strange that people make the comment all the time—they are afraid to go to the church, the mosque and temple and pray, but yet you are seeing these mass gatherings at fetes, and to me that is shocking.
“We need prayer more than ever. We need to put God first at the front. If you are a Christian, be the best Christian; if you are Muslim, be the best Muslim; if you are Hindu, be the best Hindu. Whatever religion you belong to, be the best at it…let us learn to be good human beings,” said Maharaj.
