Remembering Hindu priest Dockie Maragh

By Devon Dick

On May 18, Pandit Ramadhar Maragh's body was cremated according to the Hindu rites. He was born December 25, 1924 to parents Sukmar Maragh and his wife Edith.

Ramadhar was raised in Smith Village, now Denham Town, at 3 Little King Street, the epicentre of Indian culture.After some years, his wife died and he was left with the unenviable task of raising 12 children on his own.

Uncle Dockie, as he is popularly known, has been recognised by the Government of Jamaica with the Order of Distinction for his services in the Indian community. He is hailed in the book of Laxmi Mansingh and Ajai Mansingh, Home Away From Home (1999), as one who has made a significant contribution to Jamaica in general, and the Indian community in particular. He also served as a justice of the peace.

His grandson, Rajesh Jaghai, in giving the remembrance of his grandfather, described the significance of his death as the "equivalent of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church dying. That's how important he was to us! He was the most recognisable figure to descendants of Indian immigrants".

Additionally, this Hindu priest was important to the Denham Town Baptist Church. In fact, Horace Russell, former pastor of Denham Town Baptist Church, claimed that Maragh and his children were the backbone of the Denham Town Baptist Church.He cooperated with Christians in general, and Baptists in particular.This is a far cry from the historical prejudices between Hinduism and Christianity in Jamaica.

The East Indian immigration to Jamaica began in 1845.These East Indians celebrated the religious festival of Muharram, which is a festival of the Muslim faith commemorating the martyrdom of the two grandsons of the Prophet Mohammed. The majority of East Indians who came brought their religious faith of Hinduism, but some Muslims and Christians were among the immigrants.

SIMILARITIES AND CONTRASTS

Hinduism is animistic with belief in the presence of the soul in plants, animals and humans, and in that sense, the Hindu faith was similar to the African religions, with emphasis on the natural order of animals and plants.

However, there are differences, in that the African religious faith has a concept of a Supreme Being, while there was no such concept in Hinduism; and while Africans have an intermediary role for ancestral spirits, such role was non-existent in Hinduism.

When the East Indians first arrived in Jamaica, English Baptist missionaries were opposed to their introduction, seeing them as threats to the job tenure of those workers of African origin.In addition, the Indians were prejudicial towards the Africans, who were considered to be of no caste. Hindus had to congregate in secret to worship, and it was only in 1957, when the law was changed, that the Government of Jamaica recognised Hindu marriages.

Maragh has done a great work in promoting interfaith cooperation. Last August, he invited me to preach the sermon at the funeral service for his eldest son, Raphael 'Dada' Maragh. This was in the Hindu service. I would also pray with him when he faced great distress.

My maiden visit to the Hindu Temple on Hagley Park Road was as a result of his invitation. Pandit was respectful and accommodating of other religions. Unfortunately, because Christianity tends to be exclusive and has a heavy emphasis on making proselytes, its adherents are often not respectful of other faiths and not willing to cooperate with other religions on matters of mutual interest.

Pandit Maragh was kind and hospitable. I have lost a friend, neighbour and colleague. Jamaica has lost a great citizen, but he has left a legacy of interfaith cooperation and racial integration.

Devon Dick is an author and Baptist pastor. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com.