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Hinduism in Trinidad
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But the leaders like Bhadase Maharaj, Simbhoonath Capildeo, Omah Maharaj and the priests were not impressed. True, the infighting has continued specially after the death of Bhadase Maharaj and Rudranath Capildeo and for sometime in the late 1970s there was a vigilantes pressure group in the south.
Today the Hindu of Trinidad has got a new self-confidence. Almost every Hindu family has a favourite god and/or goddess to worship, a priest as a philosopher and guide and a kirtan or bhajan mandali to bank upon in times of need. Perhaps V. S. Naipaul was wrong in describing the Indians of Trinidad as peasant-minded, money-minded and spiritually static because they had been cut off from their roots. It is true that there has been some acculturation here and there and a young Hindu finds himself in a dilemma between tradition and modernity, but it is not proper to say that Hindu rites have no philosophy behind them or that popular Hinduism is no good compared to the fundamentals of this religion. Uudoubtedly Hinduism in Trinidad has a bright future.
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