Bias always around

THE EDITOR: I feel compelled to share my views on the ongoing debate regarding Sat Maharaj and the subject of discrimination.

I would also like to state that this is not in defence of Maharaj, because he has proven himself to be capable of defending himself. In fact, he has never cared to support my work as a preserver of Indian culture and I never saw it fit to berate him for it.

My view, however, is that discrimination has been around for centuries and will continue to be around for centuries to come. It subconsciously rears its head in our childhood and continues through all stages of our lives.

At school, we choose our friends and teammates based on reasons and perceptions that may not be obvious to us. This is also evident in why we favour one class teacher over another.

At the workplace, we are denied a job or promotion because of our age or gender; some companies even publicly advertise a preferred age group or gender for certain positions.

I once refused a job offer because the management informed me it was their policy that all female employees must wear skirts. In society, we are also discriminated against because of our beliefs or sexual orientation.

Because of the broad spectrum of the laws governing a country, companies and organisations, whether private or religious, have had to set their own policies, guidelines and concordats, tailored to the efficient running of their respective establishments. This is not to infringe on the rights of anyone, or to wrongfully perceive that these internal policies, guidelines and concordats are superior to the laws of the country.

For example, you have the freedom to dress as you choose, yet there are signs posted at various companies exercising their right to refuse admission to anyone wearing shorts, sandals or sleeveless tops. Government offices have also seen it fit to adopt this stance.

Banks exercise their right to refuse admission to anyone wearing hats or caps and you must abide by this if you need to use their services.

Even in our own households, we need to set rules for our families, especially for the welfare of our children.

In the era of social media, there are people who grasp at any opportunity to use an incident to get their 15 minutes of fame. This may or may not have been the case in this particular instance. However, would the young woman in question have made it such an issue if Maharaj was not involved, since he seems to be a guaranteed ticket to fame? If her intentions were pure, then why not ask to be sent to another school? Or was she deliberately sent to Lakshmi Girls?

True Hindus will not get caught up in joining a bandwagon simply because it’s trending. It’s childish and irresponsible to call for boycotts of any kind pertaining to Indian Arrival Day celebrations if you truly appreciate your heritage, because one has nothing to do with the other.

No one is perfect, certainly not anyone who’s condemning Maharaj, who has spoken out and done so much for the Hindu community over the years. His decision may not have been the best one at the time, but he has his views and opinions just like the rest of us, and has had his fair share of being on the wrong end of distasteful comments and criticisms … even now.

In the best interest of Hindus and the rest of the population who continue to work and live together, please, let’s move on.

VASHTI BOWLAH
via e-mail