I write in support of Mr. Mahadeo Panchu in his letter in the Wednesday Feb 10th edition of this newspaper (`Where are our Hindu leaders?’). I am convinced now more than ever that Hindu leadership is rapidly declining within our society. As a young prospective Pandit, I have travelled the length and breadth of this country and so far I have seen only a few Pandits who have inspired me.
Like Mr. Panchu, I and other Hindu youths stood against the 2008 Diwali pageant. As a group, we published various newsletters and appeared live on television to condemn this act of desecration, but unfortunately our voices were too small to be heard. The organizers went ahead with the pageant and as predicted, our sacred Diwali festival commenced with young girls parading the stage before an audience of drunkards.
Since that intervention, the Diwali pageant has been discontinued as the promoters eventually showed respect for our youthful voices.
I bring this up because many Hindu organizations that could have joined in the condemnation of this act remained silent. But as Mr. Panchu rightly said, they are more concerned about their own political interest rather than the interest of Hindu Dharma.
On the other hand, I would like to suggest to Mr. Panchu that within our Hindu society there are several Hindu leaders and organizations that have made strides to unite the Hindus of Guyana. The late Shri Prakash Gossai was among them.
But these attempts to unite were seen as divisive by the same leader who is now hypocritically calling on the same group that he saw as insignificant to join him in making a statement against atrocities at Hindu festivals.
Speeches must not be seen as a substitute for action. The same Hindu leader has many options — either to lobby for the government to remove the delinquents who come to contaminate our festivals or call on his people to protest with placards on the day of the event.
We would like to see the presumed Hindu leadership exhibit more manliness.