Ancient Hindu seers of India have attempted to define who is a Hindu and what the practices of such a person are. These ancient experts on Hinduism also sought to locate the Hindu within a specific geographical space on the Indian subcontinent, referred to as Sapta Sindhu Bhoomi. This is often translated to mean the area where the seven sacred rivers of India flow – the Ganga, Yamuna, Sadavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and the Kaveri.
In recent times, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Organization) has defined a Hindu as “one who accepts and practices the ancient philosophies and teachings of Bharatiya (Indian) rishis, munis and gurus for the attainment of material as well as eternal happiness; one who respects and practices the traditions established over time by great seers of Bharata; one with good character and liberal practices; one who practices Dharma, as prescribed by the shastras of Bharata; such a person, whatever she/he may be by birth and wherever she/he may be born, is a Hindu.”
This modern definition of who is a Hindu stretches across continents and includes the concept of Dharma. Dharma prescribes the four goals of life: Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha. Translated, these goals encourage righteous living and service to others; they also permit the acquisition of wealth and property, the enjoyment of life’s pleasures, and ultimately, enlightenment and salvation.
Swami Vivekananda is remembered for the speech he delivered at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago, USA, in 1893. We wish to place on record the correct date of the arrival of Hinduism to the Western world. Generations of our ancestors arrived in the Caribbean and South America more than 50 years before the great Swami delivered his now-famous speech. The first contingent of Indians and Hindus arrived in Guyana in 1838 and, in keeping with their traditions, performed their first puja and planted their first red flag in honour of Lord Hanuman, the monkey-faced God.
Seven years later, the first contingent—mostly Hindus—arrived in Trinidad aboard the SS Fatel Rozack in 1845. The date of this arrival, May 30, is now a public holiday. Indian Arrival Day is an important part of our country’s history.
One of the inherent strengths of Hinduism is its ability to adapt to circumstances and overcome impediments in the practice of Dharma and the spread of the teachings of our Rishis and other saintly figures. Hinduism has been able to surmount and convert negatives into positives. Many nations have attempted to conquer India and its people; over thousands of years, all failed to subsume India into their empires permanently. Hinduism itself possesses the resilience to surmount obstacles and transform failure into success.
In Trinidad and Tobago, Hindus were denied the opportunity to educate themselves until the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha was grudgingly permitted to open Hindu schools and colleges in 1952. This not only brought secular education within the reach of every Hindu child, but also grounded them in Dharma. The school or college, like the home, is an extension of the Hindu temple.
Today, the Hindu child performs well in every academic discipline and remains fully grounded in religion and culture through a programme called the Baal Vikaas Festival.
History tells us that Macaulay introduced the English language in India so Hindus would hate their heritage. But Hinduism has transformed Macaulay’s weapon into an important cultural instrument, transporting Hindu culture to English-speaking countries of the Western world.
Similarly, Hindus and other indentured labourers brought from India between May 30, 1845 and 1917 were sent to different estates. Some were provided primitive barrack-style housing, while others were permitted to construct small huts with mud walls and grass roofs. Where a number of these were constructed, little villages emerged. Indentured labourers could leave their village and visit another only with a “pass.” This pass law was intended to limit interaction among the indentured, but ultimately it strengthened the Hindu community.
In every village, Hindus constructed crude kootias (mud temples), where they worshipped their deities and serenaded them with the music of the harmonium, dholak and dhantal. When the pass law ended and permission to establish our own schools was granted in 1952, we were able to build upon these already-established primitive structures.
The first Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Dr Eric Williams, referred to these schools in 1956 as “cow sheds,” but over time they have been transformed into enviable centres of learning.
