Broken murtis have not broken faith

Hindus are vowing to fight against a growing trend of religious intolerance in Trinidad and Tobago, executive members of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha (SDMS) said on May 13 at the ceremony at Watts Street Hindu Temple, Curepe, for the destroyed murtis.

The ceremony was held on May 13 and saw devotees and more than 50 pundits turn out in a collective show of strength.

More than six murtis were destroyed on May 8 when someone broke into the Bhartiya Vidya Abhyas Manadli.

Some of these murtis had been at the temple for more than 32 years. The organisation is working to have the murtis replaced and an installation ceremony will be held when that is being done.

Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally said the installation is to be done at a specific time, during which, the murtis would be paraded on separate trucks with devotees following. Each truck would be accompanied by DJs through the community’s streets.

In the more than four-hour long ceremony, devotees chanted and prayed for atonement and forgiveness.

Several executive members spoke at the ceremony which also saw a visit by the Dharmacharya Dr Rampersad Parasram.

Secretary of the Pandits’ Parishad Rishi Maharaj, Rambally and SDMS secretary general Vijay Maharaj also spoke at the ceremony.

Rishi Maharaj gave some history of the development of mandirs in the country and said, “Today we have faced the worst type of desecration and it is called sacrilege…”

He said many disagreed with the use of the term but the fact remained that Hindus’ places of worship were under attack.

He said from 2006-2022 there were eight temples desecrated.

In 2023, that number grew and for this year, there were four instances of destruction at temples.

Maharaj said the Hindu community would not be intimidated. He said the SDMS would not allow this to continue and intended to fight back.

Maharaj said the organisation was waiting on word as to what those in authority planned to do.

“Those in authority have said in no uncertain words that these are not acts of sacrilege. These are not acts of religious intolerance.

“Today we ask what is it, if it is not sacrilege?”

He called on those in authority to make a public pronouncement as to what has happened and what seems to be a growing trend in TT.

Maharaj said not only was the organisation concerned and alarmed but also annoyed, somewhat agitated and passionate about treatment Hindus were receiving in TT.

Similarly, Rambally said the vandalism was a crime.

“It goes against the constitutional protection as stated in Section 4h of our constitution, namely, freedom of conscience and religious belief and observance. It goes against the constitutional protection as stated in Section 4h of our constitution, namely, freedom of conscience and religious belief and observance.

“When these heinous crimes go unchecked, then such freedoms are inevitably obstructed. Today might be one group under attack, tomorrow might be another. So the time to frontally address this is now.”

He added that TT has long been a beacon of diversity and unity and the country’s strength lay in its ability to embrace multiple ethnicities, cultures and religions.

He said, “It is this harmony that has sculpted our national identity, perhaps an enviable identity renowned worldwide for its inclusivity and peace. At a time when wars are raging everywhere, national harmony is even more priceless than ever before.”

If TT allowed these acts of desecration to go unaddressed, it risked descending into chaos and intolerance, Rambally said.

He reassured the Hindu community that the SDMS was not going to stand idly by and watch its freedoms be whittled away by “criminals.”

The organisation was anxiously awaiting the outcome of police investigations, he said.

Pundit of the temple Adesh Maharaj said after the atonement process the murtis will be appropriately disposed.

Asked if extra security measures will be taken to secure the temple, he said the organisation will be having talks with members of different security firms to get their input.

“It is easy to just install cameras and say that but I think we need the guidance of the experts in not only installing cameras but also looking at the compound and telling us what is the best fit for our particular scenario.”

He described it as mind-boggling in 2024 given technological advancements and how developed TT is that this would occur. He said in that community alone there were temples, mosques and churches.

“Every religious sect has found an apparent safe space to practise their religion without fear, somehow it seems as though we are going backwards to the point where individuals are becoming fearful to practise their religion and that is a sad moment,” he said.

He added that the Hindu population would rise from this and while they broke the murtis, they have not broken the faith.