The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) does not want a State funeral for its Secretary General, Satnarayan Maharaj.
Maharaj, 88, died at 12.01 am on Saturday and since then condolences came in from President Paula-Mae Weekes, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar and a host of other religious and secular bodies.
There had been calls for a State funeral for Maharaj from former minister Devant Maharaj and Aranguez pundit, Satnarayan Maharaj.
But, speaking to the media yesterday at the SDMS’ head office, at the compound of the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College, St Augustine, Dinesh Rambally, legal adviser of the SDMS said, Maharaj would not have wanted any pomp and ceremony for his funeral scheduled for Tuesday.
“There have been no discussions about State funeral. I did see that there is a call for a State funeral but that is not on our minds right now,” he said.
“What is important to us is to give him the proper Hindu ritual and send-off,” he said.
“Truth be told for those of us who knew Mr Maharaj on a personal level, a year maybe two years ago he started this discussion with us about whenever he died, ‘just get some old board throw it on Caroni banks and burn me there,’” Rambally said.
“I think he is not interested in big preparations for his funeral, he was signalling he just wanted to be sent off. No offer (for a State funeral) has been made and we are not really concerned about that,” he said.
Rambally said that there was no set invitations sent out to anyone, but the funeral was “open” to anyone who wanted to attend.
He advised that the best place for the public to attend and participate in the funeral was at the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College in St Augustine.
While no provisions have been made for a State funeral, Rambally said that the Government had reached out to the family and made arrangements to reserve the Caroni Cremation Site for the service.
“I know Rohan Sinanan has reached out directly to the family, what those conversations have been, he told us that the cremation site will be, in a sense, reserved so that this will be the only funeral on this day at the cremation site,” he said.
“Outside of that, I don’t think that anything else has been worked out,” he said.
While there would be none of the normal regalia associated with State funeral, Rambally thanked Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith for his support.
“He has reached out to us, he has given all assurance that traffic management, a police escort has to be done, he will look into that. When we had the wake last night (Saturday) his officers were there. We are grateful,” he said.
The funeral proceedings is set to begin at Maharaj’s private home in Champs Fleurs at 7.45 am and then move to the Lakshmi Girls’ Hindu College for 9 am.
At the school, the major part of the funeral proceedings will take place and be completed by 11.45 am, before proceeding to the cremation site at the banks of the Caroni River for noon.
“In addition to the police escorts, we have hired private security to help,” he said.
The exact route will be determined today. Motorists are expected to be inconvenienced by the event.
Son to succeed father
as secretary general
Maharaj’s son, Vijay Maharaj would take over as the new head of the SDMS. The younger Maharaj, at the SDMS’ last meeting in September, was named as the first vice secretary of the Maha Sabha. When the elder Maharaj passed, the son took up the role.
“Succession was always decided at each election in September,” he said.
“As with other organisations, we have a constitution, elections are held every five years when people vote in who they want and they vote out who they don’t want. Last year September, we had an election, we had over 500 persons here,” he said.
“That is where our late Secretary-General was reappointed. According to the constitution, if he is not there, the first assistant secretary will step up to the plate,” he said.
Rambally said next September, the group would meet again and either the younger Maharaj would be confirmed in his father’s place or be replaced by a vote.
“He may be ratified or not be ratified. The succession is really the continuation of the constitution by the executive,” he said.
The proceedings at Lakshmi Girls’ includes a guest speaker who shared a long-standing relationship with Maharaj, whom Rambally did not want to name.
Guardian Media learned though that it may have been Professor Selwyn Cudjoe.
Cudjoe is the Professor of Africana Studies at Wellesley College, in Massachusetts, United States.
“I think it’s all clear for that to happen. I don’t want to say who it is,” Rambally said.
The SDMS also intended to write to the Ministry of Education to request the closure of all SDMS schools tomorrow to facilitate their attendance at the funeral.
In response, Garcia told Guardian Media that once the principals wrote to the Chief Education Officer and requested the day, it would be facilitated.
Two weeks ago, Maharaj suffered a stroke at his Champs Fleurs home and was taken to Medical Associates Hospital, in St Joseph.
In the days that followed, the family gave few updates on his health. There were reported signs of progress after Maharaj was able to move one foot. However, at 12.01 am on Saturday, he was pronounced dead.