“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than a sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”  Martin Luther King, Jr.
I have not seen a more conscientiously stupid letter appearing in the letter pages in our newspapers in a long time as that which appeared in your Monday, 29 March, 2010 edition titled “Dharmic Sabha has placed Hinduism on a higher pedestal.” Nothing can be further from the truth. This is the type of fallacious pronouncements you will hear only from those who derive self-satisfaction in disseminating falsities. As Gandhi said: “A man is but the product of his thoughts;what he thinks he becomes.”
The said letter, authored by Krishna Mandata, was is response to mine published in your medium on Sunday, 21 March, 2010. Suffice to say, the response was short, dry and drivelled and did not address key submissions of my letter. Probably, the writer lacks basic knowledge of Dharma to attempt a proper response. But that is not unexpected from pretentious individuals who seek to shape the lives of others. After all, anyone, without basic dharmic knowledge, is ordained as a Pandit in this country.
Benjamin Franklin once said “Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn.”
Least impressed by the sugary idiocy that flowed from the pen of Mr. Mandata, let me state unambiguously that it was not my intention to denigrate the role of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS). My contention is that the leadership of the GHDS and any other organisation which purports to speak on behalf of the Hindu community must be truly representative of that community. It is a retrograde step to foist upon the membership of any organisation `leaders’ whose only qualification to hold such position is long service. It is also repugnant to decency to impose a dynastic system of leadership in an organisation.
It may be spiritually uplifting to Mr. Mandata if he can accept the reality by recognizing the great yearning for a Dharmic transformation in this country all because it is widely accepted that our current crop of `leaders’ have failed us to the point of notoriety.
Mr. Mandata obviously favours the retention of the archaic undemocratic system of leadership which he seeks to justify on the flimsy ground that “some people are natural leaders.”
The danger in perpetuating the system of “natural leaders” who have outlived any usefulness they may have had in the past is that as the leaders inevitably lose credibility among the ranks of the organisation they invariably turn to the political establishment to secure a facade of legitimacy. We have seen this so many times in Guyana- religious leaders prostituting themselves at the political altar to gain favours and political recognition. These self imposed leaders then become slaves to the political environment in which they have thrust themselves and further alienate themselves from the general membership of their organisations.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Mandata endorses that despicable system. In his letter, he identifies “visioning” as one of the qualities of a leader of an organisation/ community which presupposes that he or she can strategically position the organisation within the context of a rapidly changing political environment. He goes on to advocate that “strategies and tactics” be formulated by the leaders to influence issues at the “microcosmic and macrocosmic levels.”
What we need, Bhai Mandata,is not leaders who engage in political posturing but those who will advance our Dharma and focus attention on the spiritual needs of our brothers and sisters. As Gandhi said “Hindu Dharma is like a boundless ocean teeming with priceless gems. The deeper you dive the more treasures you find.”  But, how deep can our present religious `leaders’ dive?
It will be remiss of me if I do not mention little Sangeeta of Canal’s Polder, a girl born in a Hindu home and given a beautiful name which translates to “sweet song or sweet melody” whose mother is believed to have caused her to seek spiritual upliftment in another faith only to be killed, allegedly by the exorcising hands of people proclaiming to be God-fearing.
Where were our Hindu leaders when this child needed them most? How many more
Sangeetas are there in our extended communities and what are our Hindu leaders doing for them?
Mr. Mandata, as an individual and seemingly, a Hindu leader, pious, I hope, what have you done for Hinduism in this country?  How many Sangeetas have you saved from the clutches of such evil?
Ever since the publication of my letters, many good Hindus, including some of our most respected pandits in and out of Guyana, have called, met me in person and contacted me via the internet to encourage my exposure of the problems our great religion faces in Guyana. They all complained of our religion’s woeful state in our country directly as a result of a few so-called leaders wanting to “own” the religion. Many pandits complained how they are being intimidated by such leaders because they have highlighted the moral shortcomings, indecency and antagonistic behaviour of these self-appointed human `lords.’

Sure, I would like to see the establishment of an umbrella organization headed by pious, respectable people and not the likes of those we presently call leaders. It is more a sin to knowingly have them `lead’ us along an unrighteous path.
Indeed, I advanced the names of respectable Hindus whom I would like to see head such an organization. What is wrong with that, Mr. Mandata? Isn’t it my religious right and duty to advocate to ensure we collectively put Hinduism on the highest pedestal and far from the abyss in which it is currently held? What is wrong in me wanting the best for my religion?
For years, we have agitated and demonstrated against the undemocratic practices of political parties and leaders of this country who rigged elections after elections and attempted to set-up dictatorial governments. Thankfully, that era ended in 1992 when the PPP/C took office.
While we may have mastered the art of exposing and protesting against undemocratic and corrupt politicians and political parties, we have also remain deafeningly silent when it comes to the outright rejection of democracy right within our collective Hindu leadership.
Can Mandata tell me with sincerity that there is democracy in many of the Hindu religious organizations in this country? Can he defend my point that there are certain Hindu religious organizations which are dictatorial and which are involved in practices akin to religious totalitarianism?
When last were free and fair elections held in organizations which claim to represent Hindus? Has there been audited financial accountability within these managements and leaderships of Hindu organizations? Why is it that the executives of such organizations have not been replaced by young, decent, vibrant, knowledgeable individuals with fresh ideas and the dynamism to promote and propagate our religion, the oldest in the world?
These are the fundamental issues which must be addressed through a process of democracy and transparency.
We have learnt from our political past that nothing of significance can be achieved without democracy and transparency yet our religious ‘leaders’ have been clinging to religious power by the very undemocratic process we condemned in the past.
I am not impressed at the boast by Mr. Mandata that the GHDS brought together many young persons who performed par excellence in drama, singing, music and dance. Many young people are also brought together at performances in the art forms at the Starlite Drive-in cinema ground and at Chutney bacchanals.
The acid test is not singing and dancing but the linking of these exercises to the promotion of a unified Hindu culture by not excluding from leadership those members of the
organisation who have a legitimate claim to be involved at that level.
At the same time, Dr. Vindhy Persaud who “conceptualised, choreographed and coached artistes” deserves congratulations as indeed do the National Dance Company and the “Jumping Jacks.” In order for the desired impact to be achieved we must go beyond “mere showcasing” of which Mr. Mandata boasts. In the words of the old Guyanese proverb we must “dance a battam, look a tap.” We must not only engage in the earthly activities but look above at Bhagwanji.

Mr. Mandata in a fit of exuberance asserts that Hinduism is embraced and practiced by millions of persons not born in Hindu homes. I will be grateful if he provides the evidence for this startling assertion.
I have noted his insistence that I continuously chant the mantra “O Lord remove ignorance and replace it with knowledge within me.”
I, in turn, insist that he continuously, and without fail, chant the mantra “O God, remove the scales from my eyes that prevent me from seeing under the Kurtha of those who want to hold on to leadership power and expand my mind to accept the involvement of the ordinary Hindus in the promotion and propagation of our Dharma. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti!”