Swami Aksharananda: Contribution to Education and Culture in Guyana

Swami Aksharananda, the ubiquitous, indefatigable Hindu monk from Guyana received the Pravasi Samman Award on January 10, 2025, the highest that India hands out to any individual or organisation from the Diaspora. In this case it was Saraswati Vidya Niketan, (SVN) the school founded by Swami was recognised for its contribution to education and culture. Both the event and the timing are of tremendous significance and connect us with this most ancient culture.

Both President Droupadi Murmu and Swami bowing to each other with hands clasped in the traditional manner, it would be interesting to know how many Hindus in the West still greet each other this way. It is only one example of how far we have strayed from the ways of our foreparents.

It is also the time for the festival of Maha Kumbh Mela an extraordinary event held every 144 years at the holiest of locations, Prayagraj, the confluence of three sacred rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati.

The academic achievements of this “model school” as recognised by many Ministers and Heads of State are well known throughout Guyana and Caricom countries. In 2022 one of the best performers for the entire Caribbean was SVN student Atistha Seenarine.

What few may not recognise is how this piece of land within the country can teach governments and the populace about nation building.

CONSTRUCTION

The structure itself started as one building in the 1990s. For a while progress was slow with limited support. However, the determined monk used his contacts in Canada where he visited and appealed for help. Within a few years support poured in from many countries outside Guyana and the first building was open for a unique form of education in 2003 with an enrolment of about 30 students.

Once the excellent CXC results showed it was among the best schools in the country the student population ballooned to about 500 today and other buildings were constructed to meet the demand. There are plans to expand to include classes from kindergarten once financial support makes this possible. Supporters in New York have opened a special account for donations and friends are supporting many students by way of scholarships. The latest school is named after the late Mohan Nandu, a cultural icon from the same village as the school.

STUDENTS

Students and teachers come from every race and religion. While they may be exposed to Sanskrit prayers and some aspects of a Vedic lifestyle, upon graduation they leave without being asked to change their religion. This is much different from the days of Colonialism when one had to be converted to get a job as a teacher or a public servant.

Swami is one of the foremost opponents of any form of religious conversion, overt or covert, and is one of the most vocal religious leaders anywhere in the world when he learns that people are told to change their religion or they will go to hell. He finds it a harmful falsehood handed down from the days of the Roman Empire and forced upon colonies by their European masters who felt their culture and religion were superior.

Even students from the Amerindian communities attend and excel at SVN. Readers may recall the rare coincidence of Amerindian twins from St. Cuthbert’s Mission achieving identical results in their examinations in the same year.

A LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Throughout Guyana and especially in the towns and the capital, Georgetown, the sight and stench of garbage is quite evident. Contrast this with the premises of SVN and one would think they are in another country. Visit SVNGUYANA.ORG for more pictures and the latest info.

Education Ministries and Boards can learn much by visiting this oasis of cleanliness, peace and tranquility. Students pay fees but happily perform the task of cleaning the classrooms and the entire compound from 7.30 each morning and are ready for morning prayers and assembly at 8.00 am. Lateness and absenteeism is recorded daily.

While they are permitted to bring their own vegetarian lunch most purchase hot meals cooked on the premises each day.

Students are not allowed to have cell phone or tablets. Whether at school or at home use of social media can lead to disciplinary measures. Drugs, alcohol and cigarettes are prohibited.

These strict rules are not attractive to all parents and children but there is still a waiting list as the school still needs to expand to meet a growing demand.

School buses are provided for students thus sparing them from the noise and harassment on taxis and mini buses. SVN compound is a space of bliss and serenity that rescues the occupants from the noise some call music. PM Narendra Modi must have thought he was in India that is Bharat when he visited this unique school in November 2024. His positive impressions may have had something to do with the award.

The cornerstone of this peaceful environment most conducive of learning is the strict discipline expected of both teachers and students.

It is also the institution that contributes annually to the nation’s blood bank. This is the best form of giving as the donors do not know who benefits from their generosity.

TEACHERS

The teachers are well qualified and trained. Some have several degrees. They are dedicated to the goal of excellence in the little humans who pass through their hands. They comprise a mix of experienced retired teachers and former students, work weekends and generally longer hours than those in Government institutions yet carry on their normal lives. Current principal is Nirmala Singh, one of the first batch of students, a mother of three who has played a key role in guiding teachers and students in living up to the high standard that was established since the institution opened its doors in 2003.

All students are now included in educational cash grants from Government but pay for their own uniform and text books.

It is noted that in nearby Trinidad salaries of teachers of private schools are met by the State without interfering with the administration of the schools or the Boards.

If there are going to be significant changes in the behaviour of the citizens especially with regards to cultural knowledge and how to lead a pollution free life many more such institutions will be necessary. Each region should have at least one. It may be a long while before Caribbean countries follow suit but, in the meantime, cultural continuity can be promoted if a few students attend similar schools in Guyana, Trinidad or Surinam.

Many Hindus who have migrated have achieved material success and now know more about the principles of Sanatan Dharma popularly known as Hinduism and the contribution that Universal Vedic values can make to any nation. There will always be a need for qualified dedicated teachers who will return or remain home to share with future generations the values that sustained the oldest civilization on earth. The current festival of Maha Kumbh Mela which anticipates attendance of over 450 million devotees this year over a 44 days period is the largest gathering of humans on the planet. It should certainly impress the most skeptical of those who are now delving into the history of this spiritual Empire.

SWAMI AKSHARANANDA

The challenge in Guyana and the Caribbean is to find or mould a few more dedicated, fearless Aksharanandas for the region. Guyana which received about 238909 Indentured Servants from India since 1838 has only produced one home grown leader of his calibre so far.

He was born in the village of Cornelia Ida where the school is located and emphasised cultural education as a medium of change and development at an early age. He was a teenager in the 1960’s when he got his first job as a teacher. Government has taken over the denominational schools and establishing new ones and the requirement of religious conversion was abolished. It was a decade of racial and political violence as part leading up to struggle for Independence. The experience has left indelible impressions on young minds.

Swami is one of the few leaders who consistently and publicly denounce the practice of religious conversion. He echoes the sentiments of the great ones like Mahatma Gandhi and Swami Vivekananda describing it as violence and the single most destructive threat to peace and prosperity. If there are good and bad people in all religions there has to be some other explanation other than credit given to any single one.

Swami’s spiritual search led him to the land of his ancestors regularly and over the years he has developed special connections with prominent and influential leaders including Prime Minister Modi who visited SVN on his last trip to Guyana in November 2024. He is quite fluent in Sanskrit and completed his Bachelor and Masters degree from Banaras Hindu University in India and his Doctorate in Hindu studies from the University of Madison, Wisconsin, USA.

Once he was satisfied that he was on the right path he took his oath as a monk which includes that of celibacy. There were many religious leaders who visited Guyana and many priests who continue to perform rituals and keep the culture alive but none can match the scholarship, dedication, courage and discipline of Swami Aksharananda.

He does not hesitate to praise Swami Purnananda the founder of the Hindu College at Cove and John for his initiative of starting that institution. This son of India had arrived in Guyana before Independence and influenced many to retain and promote the values of their ancestors. Swami Aksharananda revealed the secret of this success with one word DISCIPLINE and with that he has trained the young minds to excel at the school he founded. He has recently passed on the role of Principal. We hope it is to serve a more universal purpose.