The 92nd anniversary of the founding of the Dharm Shala was celebrated with a special thanksgiving service on April 27 at the Albouystown Hindu Temple, graced with the presence of several high ranking officials.

Among those participating in the event were Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Mrs. Hinds, Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green, Ambassador of the European Union in Guyana Robert Kopecky and Mrs. Kopecky, and representatives of the U.S. Embassy and the Canadian High Commission in Georgetown.
Secretary of the Dharm Shala Complex, Kella Ramsaroop on behalf of Mr. Harry Ramsaroop and the management of the institution welcomed everyone and gave a background to the charitable institution.
It was the first of 11 Dharm Shala buildings to be erected among other buildings in Georgetown and Berbice.
Delivering the feature address was Indian Commemoration Trust Chairman, Dr. Yesu Persaud, who is also Chairman of Demerara Distillers Limited. He spoke about his association with the work of the Dharm Shala and both Pandit Ramsaroop Maray and his son, Harry Ramsaroop.
In 1921 a Hindu Religious Society was formed, which manages the Dharm Shala. With a few donations Harry Ramsaroop supplied the greater part of the finance towards building a Hindu Temple and school for the children of the area. Hindi and English were taught in the evenings.
Later the Pandit made arrangements for the construction of a soup kitchen over which he built a chapel for Christian worshippers in the area.
All of these accomplishments occurred in the period 1921-1926. The Pandit’s main focus was to provide accommodation, food and other essentials for the poor and the needy. To this end he solicited funds from the public. It was certainly no easy task but he persisted and never admitted defeat no matter how difficult and unwelcomed he was in certain quarters.
Eventually with local donations he was able to construct two larger wooden two-flat buildings at 126 and 125 King Edward Street, Albouystown, each building providing accommodation for 200 persons. Both buildings were opened in 1929 and 1933 respectively. These buildings were to be known as the Dharm Shala or Home of Benevolence for all races.
The Pandit then turned his attention to Berbice where four Dharm Shala buildings were erected. A Dharm Shala building with one section for males and another for females with all amenities was built in 1941 followed by a Hindu Temple in 1942. A caretaker house and a school later completed the Berbice complex.
Finally, the Pandit had hoped to extend his benevolence to the county of Essequibo but it was not to be as the Pandit’s health had been failing for some time and he died of a heart attack on the morning of October 11, 1950.
He had built 11 Dharm Shala buildings between the years of 1922-1943.
After his death, his son Harry Saran Ramsaroop took over as his successor and the story of the Dharm Shala continued, and like his father he was a firm believer in the power of prayer.
He had to make a personal sacrifice in taking over from his father because the Dharm Shala buildings were in a state of disrepair. Therefore, a Dharm Shala Fund Repair committee was formed. His sincerity, commitment and honesty won the day and he was able to receive help from very influential sources. Four years after his father’s death two new massive concrete buildings were erected at 126 and 125 King Edward Street.
The dilapidated St. Francis of Assisi Chapel was built over and the soup kitchen was removed from its original site and a new chapel was rebuilt.
The Dharm Shala continues to provide for the needy and the less fortunate with donations from organizations and private individuals.