New book on Hindu temple&religious significance of Coco de mer

[Guest guest]

New book on Hindu temple gives historical, religious significance of

Coco de mer

 

A new book by writer Vijaratnam Sivasupramaniam, that will be

officially launched in a VIP-studded ceremony on Saturday May 24 at

National Theatre talks about the religious significance the wonder

Coco de mer nut had long before Seychelles was discovered.

 

Talking to Nation on Thursday May 22, the author, better known as

Siva, said that although the book, entitled "Decade of growth" was

basically about the Seychelles Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar

Temple, he intended to tell as much about these islands as possible

through the literary piece of work.

 

Saying he chose to write the book in English to reach tourists and

non-Tamil-speaking Hindus, Mr Sivasupramaniam explained that it was

therefore in view of his intended wide audience and objectives that

he had a coloured picture of the dome of the temple on the front

cover, and one of Coco de mer nuts on a tree on the back cover.

 

"Centuries ago, nuts of the Coco de mer palm were transported by

marine currents to the periphery of the Indian Ocean. They finally

ended up bobbing up on the shores of India, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka),

Maldives and Indonesia," Siva has written in the book, saying that

the origins of the nut were at the time not known.

 

"They were thought to be fruits of a giant underwater tree, thus the

new legend was born along with the name, 'Coco de mer' or nut of the

sea," he said.

 

He further told Nation that shells of the nut used to be the only

possession that devotee Hindu's would take with them in times of

total self-denial.

 

"They would collect water and food in the Coco de mer nut shells,"

he said.

 

The 90-page book devotes a number of pages to giving background

information about Seychelles, its environment and the people.

 

It then traces the beginning of organised Hindu religious gatherings

here to 1984 when the Seychelles Hindu Kovil Sangham was formed and

how it built the first and still only public Hindu temple in

Seychelles, this achievement having been made in 1992.

 

Among those who will take part in Saturday's launching of the book

is the Minister for Education and Youth, Mr Danny Faure, Indian High

Commissioner H.E. Malay Mishra and leading businessman, Mr R.

Ramadoss among scholars and Hindu clerics.

 

A medical physician, an accountant and a lawyer, all from diverse

age groups, and none coming from the Hindu community for

impartiality, will give a review of the book at Saturday's ceremony.

 

Siva came to Seychelles as a teacher in 1985 and rose to the

position of "Head of History" at the former National Youth Service

before retiring and becoming a prolific writer who contributes

analytical articles on various subjects in national and other local

media.