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The Swami Of Accra The West African nation of Ghana is an unlikely

place to encounter a Hindu monastery. Photographer Smruthi Gargi Eswar

meets the eclectic cult [image] Photos of the gods An African Hindu

disciple scans the Bhagavad Gita [image] Fire-starter Swami Ghanananda

Saraswati [image] Daily bred A woman takes her turn at the collective

havan that follows the morning aarti [image] Young hands The children of

disciples are initiated into rituals [image] Egalitarians all Most

worshippers at the monastery are Africans from different professions and

backgrounds [image] Song of songs Woman singing bhajans at the

monasteryAS AN Indian in Ghana, I soon became aware of the country's

Indian community. It was while working on a photo-essay about

crosscultural interactions, especially interracial marriages, that I

learnt of the African Hindu Monastery. Now, Ghana is by no means

homogenous when it comes to religion. Though predominantly Christian,

with Islam being prominent in the north, most Ghanaians still maintain

their connections to older traditions of ancestor worship and belief in

the spirit world. Hinduism, though, is a foreign and recent entrant,

associated with the Sindhi business families who dominate the immigrant

Indian population. The presence of an African Hindu community,

therefore, came as a surprise. I decided to go and see the place for

myself. The African Hindu Monastery (AHM) is a simple white structure in

Odorkor, a suburb of the Ghanaian capital city of Accra. Started in

1975, it is headed by Swami Ghanananda Saraswati. The gentle-voiced

Saraswati was born into the traditional African faith. Although he

converted to Christianity when both his parents became Christian

priests, he continued his search for truth. Attracted by Hindu beliefs

and the practice of yoga, he travelled to India. While staying at Swami

Sivananda's ashram in Rishikesh, he decided to embrace Hinduism. At 35,

he returned to Ghana and acquired his first disciples, holding lectures

to educate Ghanaians about this ancient and foreign religion. Initially,

his teachings attracted the literate and the academic – university

lecturers and lawyers. Soon, some Indian families started to come.

Later, a meeting with one Swami Krishnananda (who was visiting from

India) inspired him to set up a monastery " where he could tell people

about all that he had learnt in India " . TODAY, GHANA'S population of 23

million includes 12,500 Hindus, of which 10,000, like their Swami

Ghanananda Saraswati, are indigenous Africans. While an older Sindhi

temple still exists in Accra (and the Sathya Sais, the Ananda Margis,

ISKCON and the Brahma Kumaris are also active), the African Hindu

Monastery (AHM) is now Ghana's largest centre of Hindu worship. Ghana

now has a Hindu population of 12,500, of which as many as 10,000 are

indigenous Africans The AHM's iconography and practices provide

clues to its hybrid origins. Its nonexclusionist attitude is apparent

from the picture of Jesus alongside the Hindu gods on the main

mantelpiece, as well as images of spiritual leaders from other

religions. There are even images of secular leaders from India. The

monastery's members also believe that the Supreme God is known by other

names, such as Yahweh and Allah. While it identifies itself with Vedic

philosophy, with Vishnu as the primary deity, there is an adjoining

temple for Shiva. In fact, the day starts with a Shiva Abhishek,

followed by an aarti, conducted by the Swami or one of his disciples.

This is followed by a havan (fire sacrifice) and the reciting of the

Hanuman Chalisa. In contrast to the specially commissioned havans in

most Indian temples, all those present can pour a spoonful of oil into

the sacred fire. Bhajans in Hindi — sung exquisitely in a Ghanaian

accent — might follow. Later, a Vedic text might be discussed,

either in English or in a Ghanaian dialect. The AHM is not just

accommodating of multiple religious traditions but also open to people

of all races, classes and communities. Indian worshippers are not only

members of the dominant Sindhi community, but also recent immigrants:

managers and contract labour alike. But most worshippers are Africans,

again from different professions and backgrounds. When I asked a

disciple about the group's opinion of the caste system, he pointed out

that there is no society in the world that does not break its people up

into the privileged and the unprivileged, be it through profession,

ancestry or race. Ghanaian Hindus like him, however, are clear that

people have an equal right to education, the means to a good life and

most importantly, religion. Some have given their children Hindu names

like Rama or Krishna after a naming ceremony CONTRARY TO its name,

the monastery has only one monk. Saraswati explains, " Hinduism is a new

thing [in West Africa], and I do not want to make somebody a monk who

later on abandons monkhood. It would bring a bad name to me and to

Hinduism. " Believers who want to become disciples enroll in a six-week

residential course, after which they are initiated. The transition to

Hinduism is a gradual one. For instance, an African Hindu would continue

to have a Christian or Muslim first name and a traditional African last

name – for example, Daniele Otchere. But there are disciples who

have given their children Hindu first names like Rama or Krishna after a

Hindu naming ceremony. Hindu rituals at marriage and cremation (rather

than burial) at death are also beginning to be adopted, though not

obligatory.The monastery likes disciples to pray and perform pujas at

home. In fact, the performance of rituals is seen as essential to being

Hindu. Sometimes, new believers' desire to perform Hindu-ness is so

great that it feels like they are play-acting – like the time when

several people fell at the feet of a visiting dignitary to show respect

`in the traditional Hindu manner'. But then, ritual is often the

embodied route to faith.

(As told to Trisha Gupta)

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 32, Dated August 15, 2009

PERUNGAVOOR SIVAALAYA KUMBABISHEGAM SOON PLEASE