Umadutt — the handsome pundit, musician, businessman

At the Swaha, Shri Raam Dhaam Institute in Diego Martin, the handsome, Umadutt Maharaj, 31, stepped out of his car to a group of cheering devotees as he made his way into the temple at St Lucien Road. He is a celebrity, in his own right. He is well respected as an established pundit by the hundreds of Swaha devotees as well as those in the Hindu communities in Trinidad and Tobago. Looking at him one can sense an aura of deep spirituality. His work in the religious arena has given him a greater sense of being and now he is so engrossed in serving the people of the temple and carrying out the duties of a spiritual person that he lives in a world of his own - a world that is filled with teachings of great books such as the Ramayan, Bhagvad Gita and the Maha Puran (texts of Hindus). He is the managing director of the San Juan insurance firm, Kalyani, an agency of Tatil. He was chosen by the board of directors of Swaha to sit in the position of Spiritual leader when his uncle, Pundit Manideo Persad steps down shortly, as head of Swaha. Pundit Manideo is tipped to be the next High Commissioner of TT to India. Umadutt  is also an accomplished tabla player. Speaking from his home in Mowla Trace, Aranguez, Umadutt, told People: “The good thing about being a Hindu youth is that rules and regulations are all compact and ready for you to follow.

The religious texts have the answers to the most difficult questions in life and if you decide to adhere and abide by these rules then success is assured.” He added that the religious texts of Hinduism have answers for every era in time. Therefore even as the world advances, there are scriptures to deal with the ever changing times, he pointed out. He is the first son of Binmatie (deceased) and Sondatt Maharaj. And the eldest grandson of the well known Sankaracharya Pundit Hari Prasad of Aranguez. Following in his lineage of spiritual leaders, Umadutt joined his uncles and his grandfather to become a pundit, some 15 years now. For him life had its difficult moments but the pains and pressures helped to mould him into a unique person admired by many. At the age of 14 he lost his mother to cancer. He was extremely close to his mother and although he knew she would die, nothing prepared him for her actual passing.

It took a lot of time to come to terms with the fact that the individual who was always there for him was no longer there to call his name or serve him lunch. But Umadutt was bent on making his mother proud of him. He wanted to celebrate the life of his mother and he set out on a mission to accomplish this goal. While it was not an easy thing to do having to cope with his academics studies, he started learning and studying the scriptures during the late hours at night. Umadutt has another mother-figure whom he turned to during this time. His maternal grandmother Chandroutie Prasad was there for him. Chandroutie was only too happy to take care of her eldest grandson. “Back in those days I received a lot of love and affection from my uncles, aunts and grandparents and this really gave me the boost I needed to get on track,” he said.

Despite the distractions as a student of the Aranguez Junior Secondary School, Umadutt knew that his mother’s prayers were with him and he tried never to falter as a young man, but there were times when he would be encouraged to carry out little pranks in school he always knew his limits. He remembered only too clearly when his mother used the swizzle stick to discipline him. “She would be using the swizzle stick on our feet early morning when my brothers, Rabidatt, (who is 30 years old resides in Florida), Jaidatt, (now 27), and Chandradatt, (now 25, and lives in England)  refused to get out of bed. She taught us to serve God first before attempting any other project.” Speaking about his father Sondatt, he noted that he was always there for them. “He was always eager to prepare food and he would make light jokes with us. He would encourage us to choose whatever we wanted to do in life. And he was always encouraging us to study hard and gain a good education,” he said.

He also mentioned his uncle Hardeo Persad who gave him the opportunity to sit through many of his yagyas (congregational worship) and sing along with him. “I felt important and I tried to live up to the position that my uncle offered me in the religious arena,” he said. For the future, Umadutt would like to marry and start another step in life, of raising a family of his own. He would like also to implement ways in reaching the youths of the country who have gone astray. “I would like to make a difference, not by just preaching but building an institution or something that would serve the youths who are neither here nor there in life,” he said.