– Pandit Haresh Tewari says authors should beware of karmic retribution
In the wake of the horrific slaughter of eleven persons, many of them babies, in January of 2008 an approximate 20 mandirs from the East Coast of Demerara initiated a special satsangh the following year in Pitri Paksh observances for the souls of the innocent victims slain in such a barbarous, senseless manner.  This has evolved into a calendar event.

On the morning of Saturday, January 26, 2008, gunmen stormed into the small village of Lusignan on the East Coast of Demerara and ruthlessly murdered eleven persons, including five children. Five families were affected by the massacre.
A group of heavily armed gunmen entered “Track A” Lusignan about 02:00 am, and invaded the homes of five Lusignan families. The onslaught, which lasted about 20 minutes, penetrated the quiet of the morning with heavy gunfire as the marauding gang mercilessly killed eleven persons. The dead were: Clarence Thomas, 48; Vanessa Thomas, 12; Ron Thomas, 11; Mohandan Goordat, 32; Seegopaul Harilall, 10; Seegobin Harilall, 4; Dhanwajie Ramsingh, 52; Seecharran Rooplall, 56; Raywattie Ramsingh, 11; Shazam Mohammed, 22; and Shaleem Baksh, 52. Several of the children who were murdered were found dead while still in their beds. Survivors of the attack are Arjune Bhim, 11,Roberto Thomas and Howard Thomas. Both Roberto and Howard, who sustained life-threatening gunshot wounds, recovered, albeit with ineradicable memories of terror and pain beyond endurance.
Brainchild of Pandit Haresh Tewari, Priest-in-charge of the Gopaul Mandir, these Pitri Paksh observances have a twofold intention, according to the learned pandit: one is to honour the souls of ancestors and those departed; while the other is to indicate to the intellectual authors of such a horrific carnage that there is divine retribution in store for them, because the law of karma is immutable; as all religions intrinsically believe.  Also, the annual satsanghs are a warning to the citizens of Guyana to be vigilant and to never relax their guard, because the authors who engineered the massacre are still using one pretext or another to wage war on the innocent citizens of the land. It is an attempt to continually re-sensitize the citizens of Guyana that they need to be on perpetual guard and to encourage the architects of such a horrific and bestial carnage to reflect on their actions – because man sows what he reaps, as hate begets hatred and love begets love, and they need to reflect on what a grievous sin they have committed.
Pitri Paksh, said Pt. Haresh, is a time for loved ones to remember and honour their departed ancestors and reflect on their contributions to their upliftment in particular, and the general society in general.
He posited that ancestors of all races instilled values and moral rectitude into their children and the wider society but that today, while we are intent on providing to our children all the material things that we never had, we are failing to honour our ancestors by giving them what our forebears gave to us in abundance – their time, their tutelage, the inculcation of value systems and high moral standards and are instead instilling false values and a disrespect of others – and even the law, into our offspring. Pitri Paksh, averred Pt Haresh, is a time to reflect on the gifts and values taught us by our ancestors.  He reflected that these observances are similar in nature to those of all the tapestry of races in Guyana, citing Amerindian Heritage month activities in September last. He said that our generation needs to honour our forebears by instilling the values that we inherited from them into the coming generations; and this, he emphasized, is the real meaning of Pitri Paksh.
The theme of one of the earlier Pitri Paksh satsanghs was “Promoting National Love, Peace, Harmony, and unity”.
Pandit Haresh, who delivered the feature address
during the opening night, adjured all Guyanese to live under the guidance of the principles of the theme of the occasion, because this is the only way that will ensure that no parent, no child, no-one should shed the bitter tears for their loved
ones as the survivors of the Lusignan massacre did.
Saying that we can all be ambassadors of these principles, Pt. Haresh appealed that everyone take these doctrines of love, peace, harmony and unity to their respective families, communities, and the wider society in which we all co-exist, so
that the ripple effect can spread and encompass the entire world.
Pt. Haresh concluded his presentation with a prayer for the Lord’s blessings on all Guyanese and our country as we face earthly challenges – now and in the future.
One presenter cited the thoughts and teachings of the great poet/philosopher Kabir Das, to whit, no man was born belonging to any religion, but we were all born human, but that, although a man is born alone, he absorbs the cultures and values of the home in which he was born, which are all man-dictated.
She adjured that the sense of belonging should not therefore be limited to the family in which one is born, but to extend to all mankind, regardless of race, creed, or culture. According to her, diversity of cultures and beliefs should not derail the one fundamental truth – that there is one Supreme Lord whom we all call Father.
Ms Rajkumarie Singh, headmistress of the Hindu College at Cove and John, dispelled the myth that this is a period during which one cannot pray. She spoke of the values inculcated into us by our ancestors, and appealed to the younger generation to take heed of their teachings so that our great religion could continue
to evolve and propagate its incandescent teachings down the centuries.

Pitri Paksh is currently being observed by the Hindu community.
During this period homage is paid to the souls of ancestors, in accordance with dictates of Bhagwat Gita Chapter 1: verse 42, with offerings of rice balls (Pinda), and water (Tarpan).
Hindus will also utilize this period to quietly reflect on the value-systems and core principles, along with other gifts, that ancestors bestowed on their descendants, from which we seek inspiration as we traverse the corridors of existence on
earth.
The East Coast Mandirs began this initiative of a 3-nights satsangh to observe Pitri Paksh, which is developing into a tradition, on Tuesday 16th September 2009, the year following the Lusignan massacre,
This year’s 3-day satsangh commenced last Thursday and concluded last evening.
On this occasion, as on previous occasions, relatives of the Lusignan victims did puja during the satsangh to honour the souls of their departed loved ones.
The starlit skies and beautiful weather that blanketed the event with a tranquil, sublime ambience –every year during these satsanghs, seemed a benediction from the Lord, and the prevailing peaceful and harmonious ethos of unity – one-ness with
each other, on every occasion, was evocative of the successive themes directing the spirit and the conceptualization of these observances.
The following poem was written by a young friend of two of the victims.

THROUGH A LITTLE BOY’S EYES

(By Vashti Ashley Persaud)

Red, my favourite colour, had stained their beds
But they weren’t playing phagwah, something was dread, instead
They were about my age, or so, and I did not understand why
They did not get up to play with me, and which mommy started to cry
I was told that they went to bed early, just the night before
When beasts from the dark beyond came shooting down their door
That they were slaughtered like animals; yet I did not know what they mean
They were lifted out in their bedsheets and their house was not so clean
I turned and tugged my mommy’s clothes, which brought her to her knees
And when I asked why she was crying, she just stared at me
I told her that it was my turn to choose our game to play
And I did not see the reason why Ron and Vanessa just could not stay
But she then assured me that one day we would surely meet
And play all the games we wanted as God watched us from his seat.