Raja Yoga Centre, Pointe-a-Pierre Road, San Fernando.
March 31st, 2013 (Easter Sunday)
By Ariti Jankie
Tunapuna businessman Vijai Sadal, Ariti Jankie, Sister Hemlata and Sister Jasmine
My best friend, Phoolo Danny-Maharaj accompanied me to launch “Path of Peace.”
The hall was filled with Brahma Kumaris, all dressed
in white cotton. Sister Hemlata was speaking as we entered the room. Brother
Vijai Sadal took the boxes of books and quietly arranged a display near the
entrance as Sister Hemlata paused to welcome me and Phoolo. She invited us to
sit on the reserved seats in the front row while she continued her talk for
another minute or two.
As head of the Raja Yoga in Trinidad, Sister Hemlata
introduced “Path of Peace.”
She said the book was well written and flowed
smoothly.
“I couldn’t put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed it,” she
said.
Vijai introduced me and I reached out to touch the
hearts of all those who sat before me. The yogis had come from the eight
Centres in Trinidad and I asked them to blank their minds, sit back and like
the days of old when stories were told to listen.
I began with the story of a young boy who began his
career as a jeweler.
“Growing up in India, he reaches the top of his
profession. He became a millionaire. At the same time, he made a spiritual
breakthrough and when knowledge descended, the young man was able to restore
the dignity of women and gave to man a greater opportunity to carve a worthy
life. He became Brahma Baba and inspired a wave of supporters to abstain from
meat and alcohol and embark on a life of celibacy in a quest for purity.”
I told my audience that the book was designed to tell
stories of 15 outstanding members of the local Raja Yoga community.
“Path of Peace” is about a young girl who broke
through many barriers to graduate from medical school. At the threshold of a medical
career, she gave it all up. That young girl came to Trinidad from India to
become a religious icon. Sister Hemlata built a bridge leading from the soul to
the Supreme soul, from Trinidad to India, from light to darkness and through it
all maintained a simplicity that speaks volumes of a rich, spiritual life.”
I carried the yogis a little further to a place called
Iere Village near Princes Town where mandirs, mosques and churches catered to
the villagers.
“Harry found the divinity he was searching for one day
when he attended a lecture at Gandhi Ashram on Todd Street, San Fernando. He
became Brother Harry, the Yogi. On the other side of the island in St
Augustine, a young boy had just completed his GCE examinations. He switched on
the television to find a lady in white calling out to him. Vijai Sadal explored
Raja Yoga before deciding to dedicate his life to Brahma Baba’s teachings.”
Opening the 225-page book to Page 34, I told them
about Rajyogi Khem who was the pride of the Raja Yoga Centre in the Caribbean.
“He enlarged on the philosophy of Raja Yoga by
studying the scriptures of the world’s greatest religions to shed new light on
age old traditions. He takes us through the corridors of the Brahma Kumari Raja
Yoga World Spiritual University sharing the wisdom gained by years of intense
study and devotion.”
Then we met a young lady so beautiful; she could have
won a series of beauty competitions. “She was loved wherever she went which
sparked a desire within her heart to be loved not by human being only but by
God. On Page 52, Sister Jasmine tells readers she ‘pushed the biology book
aside and watched two teardrops fall on the paper’ as she began to write. :
“Dear God, I have tasted the love of people but I yearn to taste your love.” For
Jasmine, It was the dawn of a greater spirituality.
Page 62 she introduces a courageous woman who took the
teachings of peace into the state prison where she has been working with
prisoners for the past 25 years. “Sister Kay Narinesingh tells us how she was
heartbroken when her mother refused to allow her to go out with her older
brothers.”
She said, “I went to my room and lay sobbing upon my
bed. After some time, my eyes fell on the picture of Lord Shiva. I poured my
heart out to him.” As we turn the pages, I said, “Kay becomes a friend, a
mentor, a tower of strength and a credit to the Raja Yoga Centre while carrying
forward the indomitable spirit of the Trinidadian woman.”
The book also speaks of Sister Indira who was born in
an influential home.
“Life changed when she discovered the path of peace.
On Page 76, she begins to share her life story.”
“Brother Anthony knew he was chosen. Several things
pointed to it. He became a yogi while fulfilling all his childhood ambitions
and dreams.
Sister Hansa and Brother Chandra took Baba’s teachings
to Florida and now have two main centres in Ft Lauderdale while travelling
throughout the United States spreading the knowledge of Raja Yoga.
Garfield King found a voice on radio through the
murlis and penned the best seller “Motivational Minute”. He has been the
inspiration behind many who have become yogis over the years.
Meet Sister Geeta, Uma, Chandra and Gloria. They
discovered a life so precious, it enabled a little girl born in a poor
agricultural village of Avocat to break barriers in achieving her dreams of
being one with God.”
I told them about Silvereen Mangroo who stunned those
close to her when she announced that she was going to become a Pundit. She
chanced upon the Raja Yoga and danced in a drunken state to conquer her
motherland India and neighbouring Venezuela where she manages several centres.
I told them that “Path of Peace” held hands with
Sister Hemlata and it was she who brought the curtains down on the book.
I concluded by saying that “Path of Peace” was by no
means the complete history of the Raja Yoga. It was aimed at Secondary School
children and the ordinary man travelling on the bus and others who retire in
their hammocks to read for the sheer joy of reading. It was a glimpse of
another world designed to offer the greater world an alternative to the
darkness, the chaos and corruption that surrounds them in today’s society.
President of the Trinidad Chapter of the Global
Organization for People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Ena Maharaj walked in a little
late after getting lost on the way to San Fernando. She recommended the book
and said that the “Path of Peace” would light the way to lead our nation’s
children out of the darkness unto the light.”
“It is a proud moment to stand up and take note of the
pioneering work being done in contribution to the building of a better
society,” she said.
Sister Jasmine, head of the Chaguanas Centre, Sister
Uma who runs the Sangre Grande Centre and Silvereen Mangroo of the Venezuelan
Centres also spoke.
The book was offered to Brahma Baba, spiritual leader
of the Brahma Kumaris before it was declared officially launched.
The yogis were generous and gave me a moment held dearly
in my heart of a long line waiting for autographed copies of the book. A
delicious vegetarian feast was served. Phoolo took pictures and we lingered on
to enjoy a wonderful morning with the Brahma Kumaris Raja Yogis.
