Writing an article for the special issue of Aryodaye on the occasion of Divali is a privilege. My family has been associated with the Arya Samaj movement for four generations. My par-Dadi (great grand mother) changed the whole family and we went from being stanch Sanatanists to Arya Samajists. My dada, Ramavtar Nath Varma and his brothers Ramlochun and Devraj were instrumental in that endeavour. That transition was a very painful one witnessing a split in the family which has remained since. My Pitaji, the late Moonindra Nath Varma and myself have continued with the family tradition while adopting a pragmatic approach. Other members of the family are somewhat uncompromising Arya Samajists and few have gone back to being Sanatanists. When I was requested to write this article, I could have chosen a stereotype article which would have been “politically correct”. However, I preferred to write something which comes from the heart although it can give rise to controversy.

            Divali is one of the most beautiful festivals celebrated worldwide. Incidentally, it coincides with Rishi Nirvan Divas celebrated by Arya Samajists demonstrating a deep understanding of the natural cycle of birth, death and liberation as elaborated in the Bhagavad Gita. The Arya Samaj was founded on 10th April, 1875 with the backdrop principally to fight against social evils like superstition, blind faith, women inequality and the caste system while promoting belief in one God who is omnipotent and omniscient. The Arya Samaj believes in the infallible authority of the Vedas with respect for the Upanishads. Next year, we will be celebrating 150 years of the movement. It’s  time to reflect on the past and take bold measures for the future. The Arya Samaj movement needs to reinvent itself to suit the emerging needs of the Hindu community.

            In Mauritius, the responsibility of propagating and promoting the teachings of Swami Dayanand and the Arya Samaj falls essentially under the purview of the Arya Sabha. Locally, most of the past social evils have been tackled but we are still struggling with issues like superstition, blind faith, division and the caste system. The Arya Samaj needs to primarily connect with the youth who are more spiritually inclined than religiously.  The rise of Sadhguru, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and motivational speakers like Gaur Gopal Dass are testimony to that reality. They definitely have a bigger outreach these days. While conceding that the Arya Samaj is doing a great job with so many branches, colleges, pre-primary and primary schools, gurukuls, Hindi schools and old peolple’s homes, we need to drastically change direction.

            With its organisation, the Arya Samaj is the only institution that can foster greater unity among the Hindus. The Vedic and the Puranic should find a common ground. There should be mutual respect, understanding and tolerance while accepting our differences. There is a pressing need to look at the broader picture which is Hindu unity.  Language should also not be a barrier. Tamils, Telegus, Marathis and Hindi speaking form the big  Hindu family. This should be drummed in the minds of everyone. Side by side, a wide campaign should be launched to educate Hindus that caste is by action not by birth. How can a section of  Hindus be ostracised? How can a person be born a Brahmin, Ksyatriya, Vaish or Sudra? Swami Dayanand was against hereditary caste system. Undoubtedly, organisations which have been set up supposedly following his teachings with caste connotations are oxymorons.

            Conversion of Hindus in Mauritius is being done on a large scale within the sight and knowledge of all socio-cultural organisations including the Arya Samaj. We are remaining mute and brushing aside the issue, fearing to acknowledge the obvious. We need to stop sleeping on our laurels and wake up before it is too late.  A  large scale campaign needs to be launched to prevent conversion and to bring back to the fold those who have left us. If we want to pay a lasting homage to Swami Shraddhand, we need to start the Shuddhi sanskar i.e the reconversion to Hinduism. Swamiji lost his life in that pursuit. Our dedicated and versatile pandits can play a pivotal role to prevent that scourge that is ruining and destroying the community.

            The relationship between the Arya Sabha and politicians remains a thorny issue. The Arya Sabha organizes events on a regular basis. After the hawan is performed, we often have the tendency to allow those events to be highjacked by politicians. Our platforms are used either to promote their own agenda or to settle political scores. The irony is that we knowingly sit down and clap our hands stupidly when this is being done. Politicians can attend our events like any other invitee. We need to respect the time people devote to our events. We cannot force them to listen to the same rhetoric over and over again. When one leaves our event, he or she should be enriched spiritually, religiously and socially. I recently attended the event by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and I came out of it enriched spiritually. Likewise for events  I attend at the Ramakrishna Mission and the Chinmaya Mission. There should be no open support to politicians by the Sabha. We all agree that support should be given to those who will safeguard the greater good of the community but this should be done in a subtle way.

            Today superstition is still rampant in Mauritius and there is a rise of so called God-men.

The Arya Sabha can again be the torch bearer. Public events should be organized around the island, inviting scholars in Hinduism from abroad to educate and sensitise the Hindu community as it is pure ignorance that is the cause of these evils. Let us not get bogged down in fighting over petty issues and look at the greater good of the community. The Vedas, Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita need to be explained and promoted in simple terms and these scriptures should not remain esoteric. Many Hindu families are in great affliction due to alcohol consumption and drug addiction. With its experience and track record, the Arya Sabha can again be instrumental in tackling these issues. Let this Divali and the 150th anniversary of the Arya Samaj be a new dawn for the Sabha and the Hindu community at large.