 Aum – The Symbol of Arya Samaj | |
| Formation | 10 April 1875 |
|---|---|
| Type | Religious |
| Purpose | Educational •Religious Studies •Spirituality |
| Headquarters | Arya Pratinidhi Sabha,Port Louis |
| Location | |
Founder | Bekarilal Singh, Lala Khemlall, Goorooparsad Duljeet |
| Affiliations | Arya Samaj |
| Website | www.aryasabhamauritius.com |
Arya Samaj (Sanskritārya samājaआर्य समाज "Arya Society") is aHindu reform movement inMauritius. Established in 1911, the Arya Paropkarini Sabha was officially registered in 1913. Since its creation Arya Samaj has had a great influence on thereligious,social,educational andpolitical lives of the people ofIndian origin on the island. It has endeavoured to uphold the principles and ideals set forth byMaharishi Dayanand and his reformist movement. Some of the more notable ideals are women parity and free access to education. It has providedHindus with a choice of progressiveHinduism, has promoted education with particular emphasis onHindi and establishedorphanages,primary schools,colleges andtertiary institution.[1]
The teachings ofArya Samaj was first introduced toMauritius in 1897 by a group soldiers from the British Indian Army based there. On their departure in 1902, they left a copy ofSatyarth Prakash andSanskar Vidhi which became an inspiration for the establishment of the first Arya Samaj atCurepipe Road in 1903 by Bekarilal Singh, Khemlall Totta Lallah and Goorooparsad Duljeet. The trio were concerned at the deteriorating situation of theHindu community in Mauritius, and despite early setback the Arya Samaj soon gained popular support.[2]
The arrival ofManilal Doctor in 1907 provided impetus to the movement. Manilal, a lawyer by profession, published a regularHindi magazine for the Arya Samaj. On 8 May 1911, another Arya Samaj was formed inPort Louis. The Samajs then combined to form the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Mauritius. The arrival of Chiranjiva Bharadwaj on 15 December 1911 provided further impetus to the Arya Samaj movement in Mauritius. Under his guidance Arya Samajs were established at places where Indians had settled in large numbers, such asVacoas,Triolet,Labourdonnais,Pamplemousses andRivière des anguilles. He conducted eveningHindi classes and toured villages to spread the message of theVedas. Following opposition to the registration of theArya Pratinidhi Sabha by the Government, Bharadwaj registered theArya Paropkarini Sabha in 1912 with headquarters in Port Louis where a new building was constructed.[2]
The Arya Samaj sent young men toIndia to be trained as preachers and organised preachers from India to visit Mauritius. One such preacher was Swami Swantantranand who arrived in Mauritius in 1914. He further promoted the learning of Hindi and improved theArya Patrika, a newspaper in Hindi which was the voice of the Arya Samaj. He returned to India in 1916 with Arya Samj well established and his work was furthered by Pandit Kashinath Kistoe, who had been sent to India for religious training. Kistoe took part in public debates with the orthodox Hindus but his greatest contribution was the establishment of Hindi schools. In 1924, the Arya Vedic School was established and subsequently two other primary schools were established. The DAV College of Port Louis was also established. Another preacher, Swami Vijayanand Saraswati arrived in February 1926 and used the latest audio visual aids to help with his lectures. He organised village processions and startedshuddhi (conversion) ceremonies.[2]
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In 1927 another Arya Samaj body, known as theArya Pratinidhi Sabha was formed, supported by some of the veterans of the Arya Samaj. The new body obtained recognition from theSarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha (World Council of Arya Samaj) inNew Delhi and grew popular. The fiftieth anniversary of the death ofSwami Dayanand was celebrated in 1933 separately by the two Arya Samaj organisations. In 1934, another group broke away from theParopkarni Sabha and formed theArya Ravived Pracharini Sabha. Despite these divisions, the work of Arya Samaj, particularly in promoting Vedic teachings and the Hindi language, continued until 1950 when theSarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha sent Swami Swantantranand Saraswati to restore unity by diplomacy. After protracted negotiations theArya Paropkarini Sabha and theArya Pratinidhi Sabha agreed to merge to form theArya Sabha Mauritius, but theArya Ravived Pracharini Sabha remained a separate body. Swami Swantantranand Saraswati returned to India and at the first election of the executive committee of the new Sabha all the former members of theArya Pratinidhi Sabha lost their seats. They then reconstituted theArya Pratinidhi Sabha in 1954.Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha intervened once again and sent Swami Dhruvanand Saraswati who managed to persuade theArya Pratinidhi Sabha to merge with theArya Sabha Mauritius in 1958. In 1970, theArya Sabha Mauritius and theArya Ravi Ved Pracharini Sabha jointly celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of the establishment of Arya Samaj in Mauritius.
The Arya Samaj vigorously promoted the teaching ofHindi and the first Hindi school was opened by the Arya Samaj in Mauritius on 18 July 1918. Gradually other subjects were introduced and the school became a government-aided institution. In 1920 there were 75 Hindi schools in Mauritius and following pressure from the Arya Samaj,Asian languages were included in the curriculum of schools in Mauritius. The teaching of Hindi gained impetus when another Aryan Vedic School was established in 1938. A teacher training school for Hindi teachers was also established. Various Arya Samajs conducted three hundred evening Hindi schools at both primary and secondary level. The Arya Samaj worked with other Indian organisations to pressure the Government to include the teaching of Asian languages in secondary schools. The establishment of D.A.V. College by the Arya Sabha Mauritius on 11 January 1965, satisfied some of the need for Hindi education at secondary level before it became an optional subject in all public and free private secondary schools of Mauritius.
The Arya Samaj believes in providing equal opportunity to women and the first steps in this direction was taken in Mauritius in 1912, when a women's association was formed inVacoas to promote education among women. In 1931, aMahila Mandal (Women's Association) was formed inPort Louis on the initiative of theArya Pratinidhi Sabha. In 1933 a conference for women was held, attended by over five hundred women from all parts of Mauritius. The Mahila Mandal held a conference in Port Louis in 1965 and again in 1970. At present there are fiftyMahila Sabhas in Mauritius, which encourage vedic prayer, provide education and encourage women writers.
In 1967 theArya Sabha of Mauritius established theArya Yuvak Sangh (Arya Youth Union) to promote Indian culture amongst Indian youth. There are twenty branches and conferences are held regularly.
The Arya Samaj also runs an orphanage, established in 1940.
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