Professor Basdeo Bissoondoyal : a Missionary with purpose Back in Mauritius, Basdeo started missionary work without delay. Having observed India’s nationalist leaders’ activities, he awakened the country’s Hindus, besides having Muslims as followers. His incisive oratory did not please the British top officials. Such songs of his as “Sone walo jaag chalo” (Those who are asleep, wake up) enthused the masses. A tacit agreement bound Sookdeo and Basdeo to contribute to Indo-Mauritians’ uplift. Sookdeo was to look after the family’s material needs, while Basdeo to spread Indian culture and Mahatma Gandhi’s messages. Within four years (1939-43), Basdeo mobilised the Hindus as never before, through his sermons given in his inimitable style. Beekrumsing Ramlallah had put his Sewa Samithi, a voluntary youth discipline-based organisation he had founded at Long Mountain in 1940. On 12 December 1943, Basdeo organised a Maha Yaj (Hindu public religious ceremony) at what is now called Gandhi Maidan, near Pouce Mountain, Port-Louis. The authorities had ensured that trains, then the only mode of mass transport, would not run on that day to prevent the public from attending. Yet, over 30,000 urban residents and villagers came on foot, by bicycle, in bullock carts and lorries. Dawood Patel, an expert in sound and electricity, took charge of the public address system. Arya Samaj and Sanatan Dharma’s priests jointly performed the ceremony. Swami Hari Har Aiyer of the Sockalingum Meenachee Ammen Temple of Nicolay (now SM Ammen) Road, Port Louis, presided. For one hour, Basdeo passionately addressed in a mesmeric Hindi this unprecedented gathering, made up also of non-Hindus
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 20:17:39 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015