I went to the all-day chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa at the Hanuman Dharshan Ashram at Bamboo #3 on Saturday April 20 and was deeply impressed with the level of organization and the continuous chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa. A group was on stage providing music with the harmonium, dholak and dhantal and individuals came forward and led in the chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa.
Youths were very much engaged in providing music with Sanjay Yankatesu and Ajay Yanketesu, sons Pandit Bhudharath Yankatesu, spiritual head of the Ashram, on the dholak and dhantal respectively. Young devotees were also lending their voices in leading in the chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa.
On Sunday evening I attended the Hanuman Satsangh sponsored by the Epic Hanuman Chalisa Chanting committee at the Divali Nagar. The puja was conducted by Pandit Amar Seepersad, spiritual head of the Amarjyoth Sabha of Cunupia and again, leading in the music and chanting of Hanuman Chalisa were young devotees, both males and females.
While writing this article I received a call from Becham Manboadh, a retired public servant and a proud Hindu. I asked him his views on the involvement of youths in the culture and he shared with me his visit to the Hanuman chanting on Saturday at the Krishna Balaram Mandir, Latchus Road, Penal. “I was impressed with a five-year old playing the dholack,” said Becham.
Ravi Bharati, the spiritual head of the Krishna Balaram Mandir, has been working with youths for more than two decades. Trained in India in Hindu Philosophy and Sanskrit, Ravi Bharati continues to play a significant role in the shaping of Hindu Dharma in south Trinidad.
It would be remiss of me not to mention the work of Pandit Krishen Ramdeen of the Isha Organization located at Sewdass Road, Freeport. Pandit Krishen has been working with the youths in music and has successfully displayed their talents in several stages including Divali Nagar.
Dr Arvind Singh conducts a Sanskrit class at the St Augustine Campus with undergraduates in attendance. Dr. Arvind Singh as the tutor is enough proof of the involvement of youths in the promotion and propagation of Sanatan Dharma.
The role of the Hindu Society in the promotion of Indian culture both at the St Agustine Campus and the Medical Science Faculty must not be discounted. Despite a heavy time-table, these conscious Hindu youths find time to participate in Hindu activities.
One cannot deny the number of musical and dance schools engaged in tutoring youths. Shivanand Maharaj, Rana Mohip and Sandra Sookdeo are among several gurus working with the youths to develop their talents in the performing arts.
This involvement of youths in the culture goes against the naysayers who sit in their homes and lament that Hinduism is dying. If these said individuals were to leave the comforts of their living rooms and venture out, they would have a different story to tell.
I am not against critical opinions of the status of the Hindu community. I welcome criticisms because they generate new thoughts and ideas. Nevertheless, these individuals who lament that the youths are “straying from the dharma” are themselves guilty of failing to get their children to participate in Hindu activities. Indian parents need to come to term with the reality that extra-curricular activities can go side by side with academic achievements. For example, Prashanta and Vignesh Singh are both in medical school but are also proficient in competitive sports where they have competed and excelled at the national and regional level. The Singh family of Saddle Road, San Juan are no less engaged in the spiritual development of their children. Engaged in a retail business, they make time to visit the mandir and involve their children in Ramleela plays including participation in workshops weeks before the events.
A rekindling of the dharma is taking place and that flame must be protected and nourished so that in years to come it can blossom into a bright torch to guide our nation out of the darkness that is slowly enveloping it. Our Hindu youths have the key to the future success of our twin-island republic and must be reminded and encouraged by parents and elders to play that role.
