By Pahlad Ramsurrun
The Arya Samaj has been the pioneering society in the forefront for organizing historical events in regard to Hinduism at national and international levels in Mauritius. As such, the first event that took place, one hundred years ago, was, Swami Dayanand’s first Birth Centenary Commemoration, that was held on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd February 1925, at the Dayanand Dharamshala, (nowadays Arya Sabha Mauritius). Swami Mehta Jaimini from Punjab Arya Pratinidhi Sabha was invited as Chief Guest to participate in that historic function.
Here is the report that was published in “Mauritius Arya Patrika”, dated 20th May 1925, in the English section, signed by Karma, under the caption: “Dayanand Centenary, Saturday 21st” :
We promised our readers to give a detailed account of the celebration, and we shall therefore proceed to do so as faithfully as possible.
At 6.30 p.m. several hundreds of guests had already come. Some were sitting on the grass, having their dinner and others were walking here and there, admiring the beautiful decoration of the yard and the Dharamshala.
The yard wore a happy look, a glance which gladdened the heart of every newcomer. Rows of electric lamps which had been fixed on the right and in front of the building were shedding their light and illuminating the whole yard, and about a hundred multi-coloured flags which were fluttering just in front of the Dharamshala added more charms to the exterior scene. Within the building, the site was still more enchanting. At the end of the main hall a platform, covered with carpet, was constructed. On it were placed about a hundred chairs, and a table having the Vedas and a beautiful bouqet. Behind the platform and against the wall hang the portrait of a beautiful woman – the symbol of Mother India – and below was the portrait of her son, Swami Dayanand, and lower still those of Mahatma Gandhi, Lala Lajpatrai and others. Several other portraits and Mantras also were fixed against the wall on the right and left of the platform. Vienna lamps, pictures and portraits, electric lamps and artificial flowers made the decoration worthy of admiration.
At 7.05 p.m. the President and a few members of the Reception Committee went a few yards from the Dharamshala to welcome a procession of Samajists. The usual salutations were exchanged and all of them took their seats for Sandhia. It began at 7.11 p.m. and was over at 7.25 p.m. Then, Banpresti Mehta Jaimini, Pandit Gayasing, Pandit Shankar, and Pandit Baboolall Sharma seated themselves around the Havan- koond to perform Havan, which began at 7.40 and ended at 8.20 p.m. When everybody had entered the Dharamshala, the President of the Reception Committee, Pandit Gayasing stood up and, with a heart filled with joy, thanked the guests for having responded to his invitation in such large numbers. In order to carry on the work of the day, he asked the audience to elect a President. He proposed Mr. Ramsharan Moti, President of the Arya Paropkarini Sabha, and the proposal was unanimously approved by the audience with a deafening applause. The newly elected President got up, and, with a smile which seemed never to leave his lips, thanked the assembly for the great honour it had conferred upon him in asking him to preside over this eventful meeting. He requested the audience to elect two Honorary Presidents. He proposed Mr. Jagatrai Trivedi and Mr. Vadivel Mootoosamy. Both these gentlemen, who had been elected amidst loud applause, took their seats after thanking the audience in sweet and eloquent terms. Garlands of flowers were then put round the neck of each of the Presidents, and the proceedings began.
At 8.45 p.m. the President announced that a Bhajan would now be sung by Pandit Shankar. Panditji sang a very appropriate piece, which pleased everybody.
This ended at 9.00 p.m. and was followed by the speech of Swami Mehta Jaimini. Clad in his Banpresti dress, he began his speech after a short prayer. He took the audience a hundred years back in mind and showed them what progress has been made since that remote period on the material side. He said that the first engine was invented by George Stephenson, which travelled only seven miles per hour. In Mauritius, he said, the railway engine did only 40 or 50 miles an hour, and in Punjab it did 90 miles. But efforts were being made to increase this speed to 250 miles per hour. An Italian, he continued, found that railway lines had taken up too much land, and so he (the Italian) now intended to invent a sort of engine (an airship) which would go at the incredible speed of 300 miles an hour. If such an engine were invented, he went on, we would be able to go and take our breakfast in Bombay and return the same day.
He next spoke of wealth. He said Mr Henry Ford was one of the richest men in the world, and in spite of this he was not happy. His life was in perpetual danger, he could not go out for fear of being assassinated by a socialist or an anarchist. He showed that America was running so much after mammon that religion was considered a fuss in that country. He passed in review the state of Germany, England, and France, in religious matters. The Americans, he said, cared so little about divine knowledge that “God has vanished from their hearts.” In Germany, the people were so engrossed in science that “there is no room for God. “England was so busy about political questions that she had “no time for God.” And lastly in France, to use the words of a French Professor of Oriental Philosophy, “there is no mind for God.” In short, he pointed out that the nearer we come to wealth the farther we go away from God, and wealth alone cannot make us happy. It was to revive once more the Vedic Religion, to make it universal, and to increase the love of God, that Swami Dayanand was born. His speech which began at 9.00 p. m. came to an end at 11.00 p. m. It was applauded every now and then, and the audience remained spell bound listening this into with rapt attention. Subsequently, a recess of 15 minutes was granted by the President.
(To be continued)