Sat Maharaj's grandson dies, funeral on Sunday

The CEO of Radio and TV Jaagriti, Lokesh Maharaj – grandson of the late Satnarayan "Sat" Maharaj – will be laid to rest on Sunday.

The final rites will start at 8.30 am at his home on Wilkinson Street, El Dorado and then the body will be taken to the Caroni cremation site at 11 am. Live coverage will be carried on Radio and TV Jaagriti.

In a media release, the Santana Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) said Maharaj, the host of the popular programme Straight Talk, died on Friday morning at the Medical Associates Private Hospital.

Maharaj, the SDMS said, died peacefully in the company of his loved ones whilst they were offering prayers at his bedside. Among those were the Dharmarcharya, Pandit Dr Rampersad Parasram, pandit and secretary of the SDMS Pandits’ Parishad Rishi Maharaj, and Pandit Navin Omadath Maharaj.

“We are indeed grateful to everyone for their prayers and support in numerous different ways at this time.

“Sri Lokesh Ji, like his late grandfather, was an ardent devotee of Lord Hanuman. In his last moments he took solace in the frequent recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa. The recommended ‘Gita-path’ (verses of the Srimad Bhagwad Gita) was recited to him.

“Other prescribed end of life rituals was performed for his benefit at this crucial juncture. We feel assured that his transition was a smooth one from this mortal world.”

The family and the executive of the SDMS thanked all the doctors and nursing staff who attended to Maharaj. He was the son of the acting SDMS secretary general, Vijay Maharaj.

His grandfather, Sat Maharaj, who served as the SDMS general secretary, founded the Jaagriti broadcast network under the parent company Central Broadcasting Services Ltd (CBSL), and won a lawsuit against the State to receive its radio licence. He died in 2019 at age 88. Also that year, the police executed search warrants under sedition laws at the TV station relating to comments Sat Maharaj made about Tobagonians before his passing. Although, CBSL won its case against the police, it said in 2021 its challenge of the constitutionality of sedition laws would be challenged at the Privy Council.