Celebrating a century: the legacy of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha in South Africa
KARUNA MOHAN
DURING 1924 and 1925, members of the Vedic organisations in Natal from Pietermaritzburg, Ladysmith and Durban came together to form a unified representative body for all Arya Samaj organisations in South Africa. This body, the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha South Africa, has reached its centennial milestone.
Institutions set up in the first quarter of the 20th Century (1900 to 1925) promoting Vedic culture found the need for a central organisation. Work undertaken included the promotion and preservation of the Hindi and Tamil languages and culture, equal treatment of all regardless of caste, improving the status of Indians in South Africa, and the reconversion of Hindus, who were forced to practice Christianity by the colonial masters.
On Shivaratri on February 22, 1925, a firm foundation of cooperation and unity was forged. The practice of equality was established. The opportunity for all to improve their status in society was created through the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha South Africa. The first officials elected were Pandit Bhawani Dayal (President), Mr BA Maghrajh (Honourary Secretary), Mr PR Pather (Assistant Secretary) and Mr RK Kapitan (Honourary Treasurer).
These leaders were influenced by Maharshi Dayanand, who had created waves in India to bring about a change in the religious, political and economic life under colonial rule.
The first Arya Samaj organisation was formed in 1904 by Babu Padam Singh, Makkan Singh, Gai Singh, Beeharie Maharaj, Charlie Nulliah and Pragjee Soni in Pietermaritzburg. By 1905, a group in Durban set up the beginnings of Arya Samaj.
Mr DG Satyadeva, Pandit Nayanarajh and Mr SL Singh were joined by RC Singh and R Ramklass as committee members of the Arya Yuvak Sabha.
Rooted in communities, the pioneers of the Arya Samaj set up organisations, fought for freedom and rejected orthodox practices.
Pandit Bhawani Dayal was a South African. He joined Gandhiji's famous Satyagraha March in October 1913 and was imprisoned with his wife Jagrani Dayal.
Mr DG Satyadeva, an ardent Arya Samajist, was a member of the Natal Indian Congress, a unionist who was a member of Durban Indian Municipal Employees Society, and was instrumental in establishing the Aryan Benevolent Home.
Mr SL Singh, a founding father of the Arya Yuvak Sabha, was President of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha (1926 to 1929). He was a non-racial sports activist, president of the Natal Cricket Union, Natal Football Association and Sports Grounds Association. He was the Honorary Organising Secretary of the Durban Indian Municipal Employees Society.
Pandit Nayanah Rajh was a founding member of the Arya Yuvuk Sabha, the Aryan Benevolent Home (ABH), the Arya Mithra Mandal and the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha and an active member of the Andhra Maha Sabha and the Tamil Vedic Society. He regularly conducted spiritual ministry to Indian prisoners in Durban Central Prison.
In June 1924, Mr F Satyapal set up the Nagri Hithaishi Sabha in Plessislaer outside Pietermaritzburg. In 1926, the name changed to the Plessislaer Arya Samaj. The idea of building a Vedic temple in Pietermaritzburg for organised Vedic prayers and services was conceived by the late Mr F Satyapal, who was the president of the first Arya Samaj in South Africa, the Veda Dharma Sabha Pietermaritzburg.
Despite the legislated separate development, the institutionalisation of apartheid, and the lack of electoral rights, the Arya Samaj leaders continued to set roots in South Africa. Learned missionaries of the Arya Samaj from India assisted to shape the Arya Samaj and Hindu community in South Africa, with the formation of the HYMA organisations and the South African Hindu Maha Sabha.
Some of the work undertaken by the Arya Samaj organisations included building schools and the setting up of the ABH. The Arya Yuvak Sabha worked on eradicating illiteracy among the children by erecting a school on its premises in Mayville on August 1, 1928. The school served the general community of Cato Manor.
Hindi and Tamil were taught in the late afternoons by dedicated teachers. By the 1930s. Mr P Chirkoot, together with members of the community, built a one-room school for the education of girls, which expanded in the sixties. This was the Candella Estate Hindu Sungatan Girls’ School.
The decade of the 1930s saw growth and expansion. The Cato Manor Arya Samaj, Yuvak Arya Samaj in Clairwood, the Mount Partridge Arya Samaj, the Raisethorpe Arya Samaj, and the Arya Samaj Westville were formed. In 1943, the Vedic Yuvak Sabha was formed in Wilgefontein in Pietermaritzburg and was later relocated to Northdale. In the same year, the Arya Stree Samaj was formed in Durban, and a year later the Pietermaritzburg Hindu Stree Samaj was formed.
In a short period of 25 years, the Arya Samaj in South Africa built a hall as a base for their activities. This was fully-funded by the community and members of the organisation. The property was disposed of due to urban decay in the city centre and the headquarters has since been relocated to a suburb in Durban.
Pandit Nardev Vedalankar arrived in South Africa on November 24, 1947, to teach Gujarati. He successfully spread the tenets of the Vedic religion, set up the Vedic Priests Academy and Veda Niketan in the Arya Samaj. He is considered the father of the Hindi Shiksha Sangh, which was established in 1948. The sangh has grown to become an institution functioning independently, propagating the Hindi language.
In August 1965, Mr and Mrs R Bindapersad began a satsangh in their home in the new suburb of Reservoir Hills. This became the Arya Mithra Mandal. Around the same time, Pandit SA Naidoo held satsanghs at his home in Avoca and by 1973, the Avoca Cultural Society was set up.
On October 18, 1970, the Veda Dharma Sabha Howick West was formed. During 1978, the Arya Yuvak Sabha relocated its mandir, Children's Home, and Old Age Home to Chatsworth. By 1984, the Arya Samaj emerged in Isipingo Beach, formed by the Gunpath brothers, and led by Pandit Pyarelal.
In 1985, the Veda Dharma Sabha Verulam was set up by Pandit Sewpaul, a retired principal from Stanger, his wife Pandit Sewpaul and Pandit Sukhnundan.
Among the leaders of the Arya Samaj in this period, there were businesspeople, industrialists, educators and priests. Few women were elected to committees.
Mrs Vidyawathie Singh, Pandit Nanakchand, Mrs Saroj Ramouthar and Mrs Baijoo are the exceptions to the rule. Although women were not elected as officials, they were active in separate organisations - the women’s groups – Stree Samaj where they had total decision-making control and made strides in organising, empowering and developing women.
During the Golden Jubilee celebrations in 1975, the first five women Vedic priests were ordained. At that time orthodox Hindus did not allow women to read the scriptures or become priests. The Arya Samaj has since produced several women priests of calibre.
In 1988, S Rambharos (representing the ABH) together with S Satgar (representing the Veda Dharma Sabha Pietermaritzburg) joined a group of Indians who met the ANC in exile to discuss the future of South Africa. In January 1989, the Veda Dharma Sabha made a call for the release of detainees and the unbanning of the ANC and other political organisations.
At the 70th anniversary in 1995, Mr Shishupal Rambharos was honoured for his contributions to Arya Samaj in South Africa over a period of 70 continuous years. Rambharos, who rose to be the President of the ABH and of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, had joined the Arya Samaj in 1926.
In 2010, the 85th anniversary coincided with the 150th year of the arrival of indentured Indian labourers to South Africa. The Arya Samaj South Africa was recognised as the first “religious organisation” that organised faith-based organisations and NGOs to March Against Drugs (MAD) in Chatsworth and Phoenix.
At the 90th anniversary in 2015, the Arya Samaj launched Project Tripti (Quenching of Thirst). The chief guest, the late Pravin Gordhan, the Minister of Finance at the time, commended the Arya Samaj for promoting development and community cohesion in line with the ideals of the country’s National Development Plan 2030.
One of the achievements of the Arya Samaj is the Veda Niketan graded examinations in Hinduism with textbooks in English available online successfully reaching people globally. The Arya Samaj is poised to move into the digital world, conduct work on climate justice and bring an end to gender-based violence to ensure a better life for all.
Karuna Mohan is a member of the Executive Committee of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha South Africa.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.