Sahadeo Tiwari
Encyclopedia
Pundit
Sahadeo Tiwari was born in the village of Sarwan in Bihar
, India
on 25 February, 1892. He came to Trinidad
as an Indentured Immigrant in 1912 upon the vessel Sutlej
, and later married Sunbass Tiwari (not related). This marriage according to his daughter Kanti, produced two sons: Ramakant and Surrindra and, five daughters: Maianti, Shanti, Savitri, Kanti, and Reanti.
and as stated by the Port-of-Spain Gazette, was composed of predominantly orthodox, practising pundits who formed part of a Committee of Management that included: Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari (President), Pundit Bhagouti, Pundit Ramnarine, Pundit Dyalchan, Pundit Seereeram, Pundit Sohan, Pundit Seereedath, Pundit Sooknanan and Pundit Gosyne. The organization also had other objectives which were:
(a).To further and assist the education and advancement of the adherents to Sanatana Dharma.
(b).To provide by voluntary subscriptions of its members with the aid of donations:.For the relief or maintenance of members when in distressed circumstances..For the relief or maintenance of members during sickness or infirmity..For the payment of the burial and other incidental funeral expenses of any members if needed..For the giving of a dowry in a suitable case to the daughter of any member who by reason of his or her poverty shall be unable to provide for her marriage.
J.C. Jha noted that the group was formed by pundits and the pundits were critical of the Sanatan Dharma Association, another Hindu organization that had a number of Christians on its board.
It was because of such economic circumstances that Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari felt it best to perform the marriage ceremony of Francis Jairam Bhopalsingh and Rajoo Narayansingh in the day. The ceremony took place on April 23, 1933 at 11:00 am in Tunapuna at the Old Railway Station . By importing a book from India called the Vivah Paddhati, a Hindu manual on the marriage ceremony, Pundit Tiwari was able to silence his opposition against performing the ceremony during the day. Debate among the elite (Panchayat) was simple. Pundit Kaysho Byragie stressed that a wedding performed in the night meant that the Dhruva Taara (North Star) was shown to the bride and because the star was fixed, it was used to demonstrate to the bride that she should remain fixed in her commitment to her marriage. However, if the ceremony was done in the day, then Surya
Darshan or the Sun
was shown and it was made clear that the Sun held the same significance of the North Pole Star which was that it is in a fixed position. Thus, Pundit Byragie concluded, the validity of the day wedding was established through the facts put forward by Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari.
Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari died on the 14th April, 1972. During his life he tutored a number of well known Pundits such as the late Ramcharan Byragie, the late Satnarayan Panday and Pundit Param among others.
Pundit (explorer)
The term pundit or pandit was used in the second half of the 19th century to denote native surveyors who explored regions to the north of India for the British....
Sahadeo Tiwari was born in the village of Sarwan in Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
on 25 February, 1892. He came to Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
as an Indentured Immigrant in 1912 upon the vessel Sutlej
Sutlej
The Sutlej River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Sulaiman Range in Pakistan.The Sutlej...
, and later married Sunbass Tiwari (not related). This marriage according to his daughter Kanti, produced two sons: Ramakant and Surrindra and, five daughters: Maianti, Shanti, Savitri, Kanti, and Reanti.
The Sanatan Dharma Board of Control
In January 1932, Tiwari established The Sanatan Dharma Board of Control. The Port-of-Spain Gazette noted that the principal objective of the organization was to unify Hindus and further the interest of the Hindu religion among the Hindu section of the local community. The Sanatan Dharma Board of Control was based in TunapunaTunapuna
-Town:It is located between St. Augustine, Tacarigua and Trincity. Tunapuna is the largest town between San Juan and Arima. It is an important market and commercial centre, and is the seat of the Tunapuna-Piarco Regional Corporation...
and as stated by the Port-of-Spain Gazette, was composed of predominantly orthodox, practising pundits who formed part of a Committee of Management that included: Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari (President), Pundit Bhagouti, Pundit Ramnarine, Pundit Dyalchan, Pundit Seereeram, Pundit Sohan, Pundit Seereedath, Pundit Sooknanan and Pundit Gosyne. The organization also had other objectives which were:
(a).To further and assist the education and advancement of the adherents to Sanatana Dharma.
(b).To provide by voluntary subscriptions of its members with the aid of donations:.For the relief or maintenance of members when in distressed circumstances..For the relief or maintenance of members during sickness or infirmity..For the payment of the burial and other incidental funeral expenses of any members if needed..For the giving of a dowry in a suitable case to the daughter of any member who by reason of his or her poverty shall be unable to provide for her marriage.
J.C. Jha noted that the group was formed by pundits and the pundits were critical of the Sanatan Dharma Association, another Hindu organization that had a number of Christians on its board.
Vivaha Samskara
Pundit Tiwari was the first Pundit to perform a Hindu marriage ceremony or Vivaha Samskara in the day despite opposition from other Pundits who even threatened his life. The Hindu marriage ceremony at the time was performed in the night and this resulted in the procession from the boy side or Baraat having to stay overnight. The family of the girl side or Dulahin had to look after and entertain the Baraatians, a rather costly exercise.It was because of such economic circumstances that Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari felt it best to perform the marriage ceremony of Francis Jairam Bhopalsingh and Rajoo Narayansingh in the day. The ceremony took place on April 23, 1933 at 11:00 am in Tunapuna at the Old Railway Station . By importing a book from India called the Vivah Paddhati, a Hindu manual on the marriage ceremony, Pundit Tiwari was able to silence his opposition against performing the ceremony during the day. Debate among the elite (Panchayat) was simple. Pundit Kaysho Byragie stressed that a wedding performed in the night meant that the Dhruva Taara (North Star) was shown to the bride and because the star was fixed, it was used to demonstrate to the bride that she should remain fixed in her commitment to her marriage. However, if the ceremony was done in the day, then Surya
Surya
Surya Suraya or Phra Athit is the chief solar deity in Hinduism, one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wives, Aditi; of Indra; or of Dyaus Pitar . The term Surya also refers to the Sun, in general. Surya has hair and arms of gold...
Darshan or the Sun
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is almost perfectly spherical and consists of hot plasma interwoven with magnetic fields...
was shown and it was made clear that the Sun held the same significance of the North Pole Star which was that it is in a fixed position. Thus, Pundit Byragie concluded, the validity of the day wedding was established through the facts put forward by Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari.
Pundit Sahadeo Tiwari died on the 14th April, 1972. During his life he tutored a number of well known Pundits such as the late Ramcharan Byragie, the late Satnarayan Panday and Pundit Param among others.