[UPDATED] Maha Sabha to PM: Reopen rivers for prayers

AMID an easing of covid19 restrictions, the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha is calling for for the partial reopening of rivers and streams to allow Hindus to access running water to carry out religious rituals

The organisation’s acting secretary general Vijay Maharaj made the request in a letter to the Prime Minister and Health Minister.

He told Newsday these watercourses should be open for all citizens from 5 am to 12 noon, as allowed for beaches. He said a limited reopening is unlikely to increase the spread of covid19.

In his letter, Maharaj said when beaches and rivers were closed, Hindu ceremonies had to be curtailed/modified.

"For example, the rituals of the dasgaath – shaving ceremony that takes place on the tenth day after cremation – is usually performed at a river, but had to be modified to comply with the public health protocols of the pandemic."

With rivers closed, the Maha Sabha designated areas of certain temples to perform the ceremony as a temporary measure.

"The dasgaath ceremony is a very sombre one and does not involve the use of any alcohol, nor does it promote a party atmosphere.

"The ceremony includes a small number of persons, and the time required for its completion is usually under four hours.

"In other words, if access is granted to the rivers for the performance of this ceremony, there is reasonably little to no risk that it would be a spreader event for the covid19 virus."

The letter urged a balance between covid19 precautions and religious rites/customs, which their request would not upset.

Maharaj told Newsday Dr Rowley's office had acknowledged receipt of his letter.

He said without river access, Hindus had done the head-shaving ceremony using running water from pipes at certain temples.

While the Kartik ritual was done at the coast, the dasgaath ritual needed running water but not the sea as this was deemed to be a rotating body of water. He said the use of rivers for religious ceremonies was a Hindu tradition dating back thousands of years.

Maharaj said they were not asking for exclusivity when the rivers are reopened.

Newsday asked if non-worshippers might abuse the reopening of rivers to create limes involving alcohol and cooking pots.

He replied, "This is something we have to be able to monitor. I know there are rangers around who could monitor, just like the lifeguards.

"I can't foresee, to be quite honest, anybody going to 'make a cook' and a lime at the river at 5 am. If you were going to do that, it'd more likely be from 9 am or 10 am. But given the two-hour limit, it doesn't make any sense to go and have any joviality there.

"Now that the country is opening, let's not just open open for one group or one item. This country has to reopen to survive."

Newsday was unable to get a response from Rowley or Deyalsingh.