Satnarayan Maharaj

Satnarayan Maharaj
CM
Secretary General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha
In office
1977 – 16 November 2019
DharmacharyaPt. Dr. Rampersad Parasram (5 May 2019 – 16 November 2019)[3]
Pt. Uttam Maharaj (30 April 2005-d. 29 November 2018)[4][5]
Pt. Krishna Maharaj (1986-2003)[6]
Pt. Sahadeo Persad Dubay Sharma (d. 1986)[7][8]
UpadharmacharyaPt. Ganpat Maharaj[9]
President GeneralPt. Krishna Rambally (2018-16 November 2019)
Pt. Uttam Maharaj (30 April 2005-d. 29 November 2018)
D. Omah Maharajh
Thirbhowan Seegobin
Vice SecretaryVijay Maharaj[10]
Preceded bySimbhoonath Capildeo[1]
Succeeded byVijay Maharaj (acting)[2]
Trustee of the Central Vishva Hindu Parishad
In office
26 January 2011[11] – 26 January 2014
Assistant Secretary of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha
In office
1972[12]–1977
President of the Caroni East Indian Association Youth Arm
Personal details
Born
Satnarayan Maharaj

(1931-04-17)17 April 1931 [13]
Chandernagore Village, Chaguanas, Caroni County, Trinidad and Tobago
Died16 November 2019(2019-11-16) (aged 88)
Saint Joseph, Tunapuna–Piarco, Trinidad and Tobago[14][15]
Political partyDemocratic Liberation Party (1971)
Spouse
Shanti Sagan Maraj
​
​
(m. 1953; died 2009)​
[16]
ChildrenVijay Maharaj (son)
Vindra Maharaj (son)
Vidya Satnarayan Maharaj (son)
Vimala Tota-Maharaj (daughter)
Sati Maharaj (daughter, deceased)
Deviyani Gobin (daughter) [17]
Parents
  • Pt. Sieupersad Maharaj (father)
  • Sirjudaye Maharaj (mother)
RelativesBhadase Sagan Maraj (father-in-law)
Deolatia Maharaj (paternal grandmother)[18]
Pt. Changa Maharaj (paternal grandfather)
Pt. Rampartap Misir (maternal grandfather)
Residence(s)Champ Fleurs, San Juan–Laventille, Trinidad and Tobago
Education
Nickname(s)Sat Maharaj
Hanuman ji of Trinidad
The Bengal Tiger[19]
The Big Boss
Religious life
ReligionHinduism
SectSanātanī
Religious career
GuruPt. Krishna Maharaj
Satnarayan Maharaj on the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha’s TV and Radio Jaagriti's talk show The Maha Sabha Strikes Back.

Satnarayan Maharaj CM, also known as Sat Maharaj, (pronounced [sət̪ənɑːrɑːjəɳə məɦɑːrɑːɟə]; 17 April 1931 – 16 November 2019)[20] was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian Hindu religious leader, educationalist, and civil rights activist in Trinidad and Tobago. He was the Secretary-General of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, a major Hindu organisation in Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caribbean.[21]

The Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha operates 150 mandirs and over 50 schools in Trinidad and Tobago. It was formed in 1952 when Bhadase Sagan Maraj, the father-in-law of Satnarayan Maharaj, engineered the merger of the Satanan Dharma Association and the Sanatan Dharma Board of Control. An affiliated group, the Pundits' Parishad, has 200 affiliated pundits. The organisation's headquarters are located in St. Augustine.[citation needed]

Under the Secretary General Satnarayan Maharaj, the Maha Sabha has modernised all 42 schools and built 5 secondary schools as well as 12 early childhood educational centres. Maharaj has also revived the observance of Phagwah and was instrumental in the creation of the Indian Arrival Day holiday and annual celebrations. The Maha Sabha also introduced a Children's Cultural Festival - Baal Vikaas Vihar.[22]

References

  1. ^ "Satnarayan Maharaj – Founder of the Indian Caribbean Museum of Trinidad & Tobago". 17 July 2018.
  2. ^ "Son to succeed Sat in SDMS". 15 November 2019.
  3. ^ "New Dharmacharya congratulated". 5 May 2019.
  4. ^ "Maha Sabha loses its Spiritual Head". 30 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Pundit Uttam Maharaj is new Dharmachaya". 3 May 2005.
  6. ^ "Death of a Guru". 21 October 2003.
  7. ^ "Pt. Bhisham Persad » » About Me".
  8. ^ "Rare Photos of Pandits of Trinidad".
  9. ^ Mahase, Radica. "Reflections on Divali in Trinidad and Tobago".
  10. ^ "Son to succeed Sat in SDMS". 15 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Sat Maharaj appointed trustee of Central Vishwa Hindu Parishad". 26 April 2011.
  12. ^ "Happy 80th birthday Sat". 25 April 2011.
  13. ^ "Happy 80th birthday Sat". Trinidad Newsday. 25 April 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  14. ^ "Sat Maharaj has died | Loop Trinidad & Tobago".
  15. ^ https://m.facebook.com/sdms1952/photos/𝑾𝒆-𝒃𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒏-𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓-𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒆𝒆-𝒐𝒇-𝑨-𝑽𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒆-𝒐𝒇-𝑴𝒚-𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚-𝒘𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏-𝒃𝒚-𝒕𝒉𝒆-𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆-𝑺𝒉𝒓𝒊-𝑺𝒂𝒕𝒏𝒂𝒓/331582438568000/?locale=ne_NP&_rdr [user-generated source]
  16. ^ "Sat Maharaj Has Died".
  17. ^ "Calls for a State funeral for Sat".
  18. ^ "Central Beat". Facebook.
  19. ^ "The Catholic News - Archdiocese of Port of Spain".
  20. ^ "A fighter passes on - Sat Maharaj has died".
  21. ^ "A fighter passes on - Sat Maharaj has died".
  22. ^ "Baal Vikaas Vihar Festival". DiscoverTT. Retrieved 13 July 2016.

Further reading

Sat Maharaj: Hindu Civil Rights Leader of Trinidad & Tobago ISBN 978-976-8249-70-8