During the weekend of March 19-20, the Hindu community celebrated the annual spring festival of Phagwa. On Saturday, thousands of teachers, parents and children converged on the Tunapuna Hindu School grounds, Churchill-Roosevelt Highway and Pasea South, for the annual Phagwa celebrations.
That day demonstrated that thousands could gather and have good clean fun without resorting to obscene behaviour or the use of drugs and alcohol. The children's Phagwa grounds were in effect an extension of the classroom. The acting Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Winston Dookeran, was there with his children, grandchildren and other family members to share in the fun and gaiety. On behalf of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, I delivered a short address which was partly reproduced in the Sunday Guardian of March 20, part of which I hereby reproduce: "The Hindu leader said he has been vilified for trying to get better state funding for East Indian cultural activities and has too often been accused of trying to promote Hinduism in its stead. "Speaking at the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha Phagwa celebrations at the Tunapuna Hindu School yesterday, Maharaj said many of those who attack him have forgotten that all cultures have their roots in religion.
"'When $100 million was given to Carnival celebrations, Sat didn't say anything, he didn't fuss,' Maharaj said, having previously stated that he is consistently accused of 'begging' for money to promote Hinduism. "'I want to remind those who have conveniently forgotten that Carnival has its roots in Christianity.' "Maharaj said Hinduism and Indian culture are 'inseparable' just like Carnival and Christianity." The following quote from All Ah We traces the origin of Carnival direct to the Christian religion: "Hundred and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent. "Because Catholics are not supposed to eat meat during Lent, they called their festival, carnevale -which means 'to put away the meat.' "As time passed, carnivals in Italy became quite famous; and in fact the practice spread to France, Spain and all Catholic countries in Europe. "Then as the French, Spanish, and Portuguese began to take control of the Americas and other parts of the world, they brought with them their tradition of celebrating carnival. "Carnival was introduced to Trinidad around 1785, as the French settlers began to arrive. The traditions caught on quickly, and fancy balls were held where the wealthy planters put on masks, wigs, and beautiful dresses and danced long into the night."
In his essay "The African and Spiritual origins of Carnival," Grisso writes: "The word carnival is derived from Latin words meaning, as some have put it, 'a farewell to flesh,' referring to that season of merry-making just prior to Lent, the Christian season of fasting and fleshly denial." "Therefore, to understand carnival, at least in its New World African expression, we need first of all to think of it in broader, more abstract terms than its European name would imply. "We also need to focus on the differences between the European and African cultural expressions." It is interesting that William Lucie-Smith, in the Express of March 16, stated, "There are others, however, who believe the State should not spend taxpayers' money on (or give state lands to) religious bodies unless for something demonstrably in the national interest (eg helping the poor and destitute)." Mr Lucie-Smith, a chartered accountant specialising in corporate finance, should know that 75 per cent of all primary schools and 33 per cent of all secondary schools in Trinidad and Tobago are owned and managed by religious bodies which include the Maha Sabha. And beyond doubt these schools are the most successful, not only in the academics but also in all areas of public life. The churches more than any other group selflessly serve the national interest.
During the period of colonial rule when the Europeans controlled the enslaved citizens and all state assets, nobody complained that prime land in the city areas were distributed to the colonial churches for building of cathedrals and other places of worship.State lands were leased out to churches who were in step with the ruling masters of the conquered lands. Now that we are an independent nation, the assets of the State must be redistributed to respond to the changing needs. The privileged must not be permitted to sit on their inheritance while the gap widens between the dispossessed and descendants of former colonial masters. The Maha Sabha and Hindu followers have suffered at the hands of the politicians and those whose greatest ambition is that we should abandon Hinduism and our ancient cultural practices and become followers of a dying religious tradition. Mr Lucie-Smith is quite correct when he observed "Sat is, however, an activist for the State giving more support to Hinduism cultural events."
Satnarayan Maharaj is the secretary general of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha