Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 7

Author(s): Nand Kishor Prasad
Publisher: Research Institute of Prakrit Jainology & Ahimsa Mujjaffarpur

Page 126

Hinduism in Trinidad
Capildeo, a solicitor of Chaguanas later settled in Port of Spain, Goberdhan Pandit born in Couva in 1892 and later settled in Siparia Road, Fyzabad who was the president of the Sanatan Dharma Association since 1933, the founder of the Nirdhan Daya-Upkar East Indian Friendly Society, and President of the Vidvat Parishad (scholar's group), Ganga Bisoon Maharaj (born in 1905), Dr. Deonarayan Umah Maharaj (Tiwari) who later became the President of the Hindu Mahasabha of Trinidad; Lakshmi Narayan Parray (born in 1907) who knew Sanskrit and Hindi and founded the Sanatan Dharma Sudhar Sabha of San Juan; Lakshmi Prasad Sharma (born in 1908) who founded the Sanatan Dharma Swayam Sevak Dal and Krishna Mandir and many others.
The Hindu missionaries from India also helped the consolidation of Hinduism in Trinidad. They invariably brought the messages of the greatness of this religion and its glorious tradition. As noted earlier, the Kabirpanthi and Shivanarayani mahanths (priests) came at the turn of the last century. After the first decade of the twentieth century Bhai Parmanand was followed by the Arya Samajist preacher Bhai Tiwari in 1914. Later came Hari Prasad of Guyana who concentrated on the Gaoparillo-Maralulla area.
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Jaimini Mehta's visit to Trinidad in 192914 and particularly his brilliant lectures on the Vedas and and the Upanishads brought about a new awakening among the Hindus. Later Ayodhya Prasad 15 furthered the cause of the Arya Samaj movement in Trinidad. In 1936 a mandir was erected at Chaguanas and efforts were made to stop the image worship and caste considerations. Then came Satya Charan Shastri, Bhaskaranand, Narayan Dutta and his wife Janaki. In 1940 the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha was founded and in 1943 it was incorporated under the law. Since then the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha did much to solve the educational and social problems of its members.
Meanwhile a sadhu (ascetic) J. Krishnanand of South India lectured in San Fernando, Fyzabad and several other villages of Trinidad in 193316, asking the Hindus to organise themselves. The Sanatanists, unlike the Arya Samajists had been less organised. But by early 1930s they had two main organisations: the Sanatan Dharma Association of Couva under the leadership of Goberdhan Pandit and the patronage of an eminent legislator Sarran Teclucksingh of Couva and the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control
14. Trinidad Guardian, 23 oct. 1929, p. 8. Trinidad Guardian, 18 Nov. 1934.
15.
16.
POS Gazette, 20 Dec. 1933, p. 7.