Dear Editor,
With regards to your news item, as carried by the New York Times, on the difficulties Guyanese (Indo-Caribbean) Hindus face and the problems they present in worshipping at the Rockaway Bay area (Guyanese Hindu Rituals Lead to Clash …SN Apr 22), this has been an ongoing problem for over two decades with Hindu leaders not actively pursuing a practical solution or educating worshippers about environmental concerns. For years, worshippers regularly complained to me about receiving summons and fines for their religious offerings at the shoreline and threats of arrest if they prayed there again. I wrote extensively about this problem for over 20 years and in recent years spoke with leaders of Hindu organizations (mandirs) to come together to approach the political authorities to find a practical solution for shoreline poojas. But apart from the leadership of a Trini Mandir (SDMS), not much effort was made by Guyanese Hindu leaders to resolve this issue and as such the harassment of Hindus worshipping at the various waterways has persisted since the practice began about 25 years ago. I am so pleased to see that the NYT has focused on this problem. Hopefully, the Hindu leaders would now come out of their cocoons and confront the government to designate areas for worshipping at various waterways as is done in so many countries where Hindus reside – followed by organized clean up to appease the park rangers.
Hindus need the shoreline or banks of a waterway to perform Ganga Puja as required by their holy scriptures as it is virtually impossible to perform Ganja Puja at home. They make offerings to their Goddesses — Gangai Mai, in particular. Hindus perform pooja for a baby’s first hair cut or “shave head” at the shoreline or banks of a river. Also, for the shraad (pooja for the soul of the dead), shaving of the head is ideally conducted on the banks of a waterway – done at least twice after a person dies — on the day of the funeral or on the 10th (9th) day after the funeral and again for the one year shraad remembrance. Hindus also gather for Teerat or Karthik Snaan in the Fall and other festivals to conduct required pooja. Hence
Hindus regularly visit the shores where they make offerings of food, cloth and prasad. The North Channel or Rockaway Bay is not the only location Hindus frequent for worshipping. They also visit waterways in Flushing, Coney Island, Far Rockaway, Jamaica Bay, City Island, Long Shore and South Shore on Long Island, among others.
One can see pooja items and fruits littering the shoreline and this is what the “park ranger police” complain about and for which they issue summons. I, myself, also conduct Ganga pooja making offerings of flowers and fruits whenever I am on the beaches in any part of the globe but I don’t leave non-degradable items on the shoreline.
The Hindu worshippers in the US leave behind their deyas, cloth, food items, fruits, and pooja paraphernalia which irks beach visitors. The people who live near and patronize the beaches, mostly Italians, in the Rockaway area complain about these “pollutants” not being aware of the Hindu custom and their form of worshipping.
A few years ago, when I raised the matter with Parray Ramgharib, President of the Trinidadian Shiva Temple (SDMS), he told me he tried to get the leadership of Guyanese temples to join him in lobbying politicians to address the issue. He also said he advised the leaders to tell the followers of their mandirs to clean up whenever they performed pooja at the waterways.
But he said the Guyanese leaders were not forthcoming with their support and he urged me to convince them to join his group to meet the authorities to allocate space on the shoreline to facilitate worshipping. I tried to convince my Guyanese brethren on the issue but without success. The Trinis were more cooperative. Guyanese are divided over petty personality issues and don’t look at a greater cause to come together that will benefit all. Ashok Ramsaran (of GOPIO) and I frequently discussed issues (including summons for shoreline pooja) and he often raised these with the city and state representatives from the Fresh Meadow area. Mahadeo Persaud, Indranee and myself would meet regularly, almost every week, to discuss matters (including shore poojas) affecting the community and then approach leaders of mandirs to take up these issues. But they would give us lip service telling us “yes they agree” but doing virtually nothing towards implementation – with the exception being Prakash Gossai who would allow me to speak at his mandir on political matters and encouraged his followers to support our missions.
One of the problems of Guyanese Hindu leaders is they don’t take an activist approach to represent their followers and to offer guidance on public issues.
The Hindu leaders confined themselves only to praying – virtually showing no interest on social matters. They don’t want to get involved in political matters apparently seeing that as anti-Godly.
In order to end the harassment of worshippers at the waterways, Hindu leaders must come together and confront the politicians to designate selected areas for poojas.
But worshippers must find a way clean up after poojas and don’t leave paraphernalia behind that focus negative publicity on the community.
The Hindu community of Queens has a very good relationship with Guyanese Helen Marshall (President of Queens Borough) and Mayor Mike Bloomberg as well as the elected reps from the greater Richmond Hill areas. I am confident once they are approached by Hindu leaders in unison, the politicians will find a way to accommodate the community to worship at the shoreline.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
