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Pundit retires from SAPS

CHARLENE SOMDUTH charlene.somduth@inl.co.za COUNSELLING AND PRAYER

AFTER more than three decades of serving as a Hindu chaplain for the SAPS, pundit Satish Maharaj has retired.

Maharaj, 60, from Parlock in Newlands West, will now spend his time propagating Hinduism through his recently opened prayer shop, Rudhraksha.

He grew up in Sea Cow Lake where he lived in a six-bedroom home with his father, Ramamund, also a priest, mother Dayawathie and sister Shireen.

They shared the home with his uncle, aunt and cousins.

“Back then communal living between families was popular. Families lived in harmony. Our bathroom and kitchen were outside the home.

“Most of my family members were priests so I always had spiritual influences in my life. As a young boy, I would watch my father conduct prayers and offer counselling to families,” he said.

Maharaj attended the Vedic Sanmaraka Primary, Sea Cow Lake Primary and Lakehaven Secondary schools.

After matriculating he was employed in the accounts department at a shipping company. He went on to study shipping import and export and graduated with a diploma.

Maharaj also studied teaching. “While working and studying I helped my father with priestly duties. After eight years in the shipping industry, I chose to get into teaching. I taught maths, English and Hindi.

“I taught at two primary schools and two high schools. I also took on the role of a counsellor giving advice to pupils and their families when they experienced problems.”

The father of three worked as a teacher for 12 years before joining the SAPS.

“I was a reservist and I heard that the SAPS was looking for a chaplain for the Hindu faith, and I put through my application and was successful. I went for different courses that prepped me for the position. I was deployed to the Durban South area.”

His role focused on the well-being of police officers.

“Police officers face a lot of trauma. Going to murder scenes, seeing bodies dismembered, finding children dead, going to scenes of car crashes and speaking to children who have been raped.

“Officers are expected to be macho men who can handle anything but this is not the case.”

Maharaj said he has helped hundreds of police officers with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“There is this notion by the public that cowboys don’t cry but I have dealt with police officers who break down in tears after being at a horrific scene.

“The faces of those deceased people linger in their minds– some of these officers even stop talking for a while because of the stress.”

He said one of his other duties was to notify families of police officers killed while on duty.

“I was called out at any part of the day or night to break the news to families and counsel them. When a police officer dies by suicide, I have to be present to again counsel the families.

“It was not an easy job. My faith and spirituality helped me connect with families.”

Maharaj said he also held suicide prevention programmes at the SAPS.

“We wanted officers to know that suicide was a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I took a proactive approach by educating police officers.”

He also played a role in social cohesion.

“In the early ’80s while working for the shipping company I was the first Indian time-keeper for the Natal Wrestling Board of Control.

“In both these positions, I watched the segregation of races and how everyone was treated unfairly, and I decided to try to promote social cohesion.”

Maharaj said at SAPS he also taught people of all race groups about Diwali and other Hindu festivals.

“I would have a Diwali programme. We would ask everyone to dress up in traditional wear. I had literature about the Hindu practices and anyone who was interested in learning could get books from me. I always spoke about peace and why it was important to respect each other’s culture.”

Maharaj has also featured in the Netflix series The Indian Detective, where he plays a swami who was poisoned.

He said his wife, Nimmi Maharaj, is a retired teacher and the backbone of the prayer shop. They have been married for 39 years and have three children – Salisha, an attorney; Arishka, a chartered accountant; and Kuveer, a police officer.

Maharaj also still holds many different portfolios in various religious organisations.

He is looking forward to running his prayer shop which was opened in May. The shop, Rudhraksha, is named after his grandson Rudra, he says.

“Rudhraksha is actually the chanting beads of Lord Shiva. Rudra is the apple of my eye.

“The shop will be used as a propagation centre for Hinduism.

“I plan to compile Hindu literature that explains why we conduct certain prayers.

“Youth today have lots of questions. I hope I can provide answers.”

NEWS

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2021-10-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-20T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://thepostza.pressreader.com/article/281556589021948

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