Answer these concerns, Mr Toola

THE EDITOR: I wish to respond to an article “Attacks on Pandits” by J Toola that was published in your Newsday on Monday October 4, 2004 in response to an article by me that was published on September 20, 2004 in the Newsday. Firstly, I would like to congratulate  J Toola for responding to my  article. I am very happy that  another Hindu can step forward to add to the debates in the national media. My only fear is that he does not restrict himself to defending only Brahmins when there are other aspects of Hindu society that need defending.

Secondly, I cannot understand how J Toola can interpret my letter as an “attack on Brahmins.” My letter was more focused on articulating a Hindu ideology for Trinidad and Tobago and the world at large. The role of  Brahmins  as guardians of the Dharma is  one aspect of Hindu life. There are other  issues such as labour, politics, media, gender, crime, drugs, etc that Hindu society needs to have a position on. J Toola must  not restrict Hinduism to the welfare of the Brahmins. I agree with him that Brahmins have a role to play as priests.

Organisations such as the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha need  to evaluate the performance of the priesthood to measure how effective they have been in preserving and propagating Hindu Dharma. For example, are our pandits equipped with the knowledge to meet the challenges of the 21st century? Do we need an institution  to train pandits or should we continue with the apprenticeship system? How does Hindu society respond to  the onslaught of the tele-evangelists that target the poorer and weaker sections of Hindu society? Can J Toola answer these concerns?

D H SINGH
Chaguanas