Vaishali Institute Research Bulletin 7

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

Page 137

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Vaishali İnstitute Research Bulletin No. 2
The cow, the tulasi (basil) plant or leaf, the pee pal and bel leaves and trees, aak and dhatura flowers for Shiva worship-these are sacred for the Hindus of Trinidad. These can be found in the backyards of many Hindus. Among the Sanatanists the vedi (altar) is made for certain ceremonies, a kalsa (pot) with water and mango twig is placed in the centre and guru puja (worship of the priest-teacher) is done with due devotion. The priest is sometimes called the god father as among the Christians.
The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha celebrates the Rishibodh-utsava (the enlightenment of Swami Dayanand Saraswati in India in the nineteenth century) and Rishi-nirvana diwas57 (the death anniversary of this Swami) every year.
The Kabirpanthis and Shivanarayanis also celebrate their festivals and ceremonies under the guidance of their priests with due solemnity. However, there are no augharpanthis in the island. The new groups like the Divine Life Society and Satsai Baba are also gaining followers.
In the earlier days some Hindus who suffered from an inferiority complex, changed their names. Thus Hari became Harry. But in recent years there is a tendency to give the traditional Hindu names to their children. Thus the names connected with Rama, Vishnu, Shiva, Krishna, etc, are very common. So also the female names like Sita (Siya), Lakshmi (Lachmi), Rukmini (Rukminiya), Gomati, Gangadeyi, Yamuna, etc, are preferred.
Thus Hinduism has survived in Trinidad in the face of many onslaughts. Even as late as the 1950s the Hindus of the rural areas were unaffected by the creolising process. They refused to give up their traditional norms and values. This was the time when the Peoples National Movement of Eric Williams attacked the Hindu Mahasa bha of Trinidad as a communal organisation. He also tried to win over the Hindus of the towns and some Arya Samajists in the name of secularism and inter racial unity.
57.
POS Gazette, 17 July 1938, p. 16. A. C. Rienzi, an eminent leftist labour leader of Trinidad, Dayanand Pyarelal Pandit of Surinam, Ranjit Kumar, an Engineer from India working in Trinidad, Chanka Maharaj, a wrestler turned legislator, C. B. Mathura and others subscribed to the programme and policy of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha : to attack the caste system, unnecessary rituals, idol worship and superstitions.