Ena - an instrument of peace

Her smile lights up the room. She exudes positive vibrations. She is Ena Maraj, 44, of Pasea Road, Tunapuna — a woman who is brave enough to get into an arena dominated by men. The arena is Ramayan Reading. The Ramayan is a religious text of Hindus which was brought to the country by the indentured labourers 158 years ago. This task was done by the Brahmin race (high caste) of India. And only men were allowed to go behind the Ramayan and read and explain. 

The art of singing the Hindi words of the Ramayan, explaining in English, then drawing the relevant reference that applies to everyday living is difficult. Ena believes that she has been given a gift from God that enables her to deliver discourses from the Ramayan with ease. “I am reading the Hindi words and explaining to my listeners and sometimes the words just come to me from no where. I am able to reach the young people and get their attention. This to me is amazing,” she said with a radiant smile which she maintained throughout the interview with People.

Reminiscing about the early days she was always a religious-minded person as a child growing in the village of Red Hill, D’abadie. Her parents Mr and Mrs Ajodyha Ramkissoon were religious people and Ena followed their footsteps. All her devotion as a child must have paid off as she sits comfortably behind the huge Ramayan text and can easily read and explain the most difficult words of the text. This is a task attempted by those who spend many years learning and studying the scriptures in India. Ena was married 20 years ago and is the mother of three children: Davindra, Anita and Naridra. Her eldest son, Davindra has also taken the religious path in life and is now a practising pundit.

This, Ena is very proud of. Again, she attributes her successful family life to the devotion she did and continues to do on a daily basis. She explained that it was after her children grew up that she had the time to pursue the singing of religious songs properly. “Many people would say that I have a beautiful voice. They would invite me to sing at home functions such as the birth of a child, weddings and anniversaries. And I would go with the hope of bringing joy and happiness to the people at the function,” she said.  Although she had good command of the Hindi language having learnt from her parents, Ena enrolled at the Kewley Street School in Tunapuna to pursue Hindi. She learnt from the well-known Hindi tutor, Professor Timal. Within a short time Ena became proficient in Hindi. She then went on to study the Ramayan from Pundit Deosaran Sharma and Kumar Sammy also of the El Dorado Shiv Mandir. She also picked up the dhantal (steel instrument made to accompany the hand drums) and the majeera (a brass instrument) and she quickly mastered them.

In introducing her to the temple members, Pundit Deosaran noted that Ena impressed everyone with her quick grasp of the Hindi language, plus her ability at public speaking and singing bhajans. Ena is now contacted to read and explain the words of Ramayan in scores of homes throughout the country. Her favourite part of the Ramayan is Lanka Kaan, where Lord Hanuman was brought down from the skies by Bharat. She noted that by merely waving a blade of kush grass, Bharat was able to summon the attention of Hanuman. “It shows that Bharat had immense love, devotion and faith that he conquered Hanuman and was able to understand about his elder brother Rama who was at the time living in the forest.”

Ena has found herself counselling many people who come to her for advice. “I am always willing to reach out to people who have lost their way in life. I believe if there is something that I could say or do to put them back in the right frame of mind then I have accomplished the greatest goal,” she said. She encouraged the younger people to go back to God and offer prayer on a daily basis and they will witness a change in their lives. “Everyone is hungering for happiness. The real happiness is finding peace within your own person. To find that your inner strength and peace, one must connect with God. It is perhaps the only way to find true happiness,” she said. She noted that finding God is like finding the light that will take you through the world of darkness. “Whether you are a Christian, a Muslim or a Hindu, you must have that moment alone to connect with God. That moment brings about a certain strength that only surfaces in time of difficulty,” she said. For the future Ena would like to record some of her discourses to be marketed to the people throughout the world who needs spiritual guidance. She would like to see more women folk coming to the fore and reaching out to the less fortunate in society.