– With mandate to support social cohesion

By Ravin Singh
THE Guyana Viraat Sabhaa, the organisation which rose to prominence at the time of the controversy surrounding last year’s Diwali date, was officially launched on Saturday evening with a promise to promote and foster social cohesion.

The launching ceremony was held at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre and was attended by a few hundred persons. The ceremony commended with chants by the students of the Valmiki Vidyalaya Primary School, and this was followed by a skilfully-executed Kathak dance by well-known dancer Kiran Mattai.

In 2008, the Sabhaa established itself with the first national Pitri Pasksh programme at the Lusignan Tarmac, but the organization became well known last October when it differed with the longstanding Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and defended the date declared for Diwali by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

The Viraat Sabhaa is comprised of some of the country’s most powerful Hindu religious leaders, most of whom were once part of the Dharmic Sabha, but broke away from the organization over differences with the activities it was pursuing, such as commercial activities with no Hindu religious significance.

The Viraat Sabhaa also enjoys the support of the Guyana Pandits Council.
President of the organization, Rabindranauth Persaud, said the organization felt committed to provide a link between those whom had selflessly sacrificed their lives for a better Guyana and those who are prepared to pool their energies and other resources to secure a worthy environment for all.

“The Viraat Sabhaa is convinced that man, being gregarious, cannot exist without a philosophy. As such, spiritual education is placed at the pinnacle of the Sabhaa’s objectives.

“The Sabhaa is convinced that spirituality and divinity (are) the only way to unlock the gateway to civility and (create) a more cultured society. Godlessness nurtures negative propensities and vices which are adverse to human civilization,” he said.

Further, he revealed that the Viraat Sabhaa, with its national network, has already created an impact on the Hindu population by stretching its programmes to various regions within Guyana.

Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, in delivering her remarks, underscored the role of the organization in extending its services to people in a non-discriminatory way.
She sought to publicly recognize the rapidly growing network of the Sabhaa, which has initiative in various aspects of human and social development.

Suggesting that the organisation’s motto – The Universe is One Family – reinforces interpretation of Guyana’s motto, she explained that this demonstrates the deep concern to create a well-knit society in which all could co-exist.

And this supports the Government’s ongoing efforts to promote social cohesion, the Minister said, adding that this organization is setting the stage for the smooth implementation of the Government’s social cohesion programme.

She noted that, without reservation, Government is pleased to be associated with the Sabhaa. “We are concerned about people. We want every Guyanese to experience the good life, and so you [Sabhaa] have extended the right hand of friendship to Government for collaboration and partnership. And we, likewise, extend our hand to you for partnership, since there is commonality,” Minister Ally stated.

She further related that the oganisation has recognized that there is a critical role for religion in human and social development, and Government as well recognizes the critical role of religion in nation building. As such, she offered that more diverse religious groups are encouraged to have with her discussions related to fostering national unity.

“Through this Government, political will is guaranteed for social cohesion, but we cannot do it alone. It is when groups like yours approach us (that) we are encouraged and recognize that here is another group that has caught vision for the need to collaborate,” the Minister said.

But while there is need to collaborate, she noted that the religious community has a distinct advantage over other groups when seeking to foster social cohesion.
According to her, religious groups are able to reach large numbers at one time, given that their interaction is more frequent than other groups.

Meanwhile, she also highlighted that in moving forward and building a unified nation in which all can coexist, time must not be spent reminiscing on the past.

“We have to stop referring to people as ‘dem black people’, ‘da coolie man’ and ‘dem buck man’. It is disrespectful. Our children are being socialized with this same culture, and it is unhelpful,” Minister Ally said passionately.