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A Tribute to Bhanmattie Arjun Mangra By Seori Autar |
New York, April 2002: The Mahila Mandalee at Port Mourant, Guyana, is a hand-carved monument that speaks volumes about a selfless lady, a "devi" who dared to dream not only for herself, but for others as well.
We lived in Port Mourant, Corentyne a heavily populated Indian area back in the 1970s, majority Hindus. Those were the sweet days
Ms. Bhanmattie Arjun, widely known as Aunty Mattie was one of the stalwart Hindu women of Miss Phoebe village who engaged in temple kirtans (congregational worship), havans (ceremonial worship) and yes, read from the Hindu scriptures. Others in this genre who became lead singers were Ramdai Teeka (Aunty Baby) and Deorati Rampersaud.
I was about seven or eight the first time I saw Ms. Bhanmattie Arjun. Always wearing a white sari, Ms. Arjun was different from the other women I knew. She carried herself regally, conducting poojas and reading from the Hindu texts at the local Mandir. Ms. Arjun was a "Pandita," a learned person who read and discussed religious topics with ease a rare characteristic of few Guyanese women. She was medium built, fair skinned, had the kindest eyes, a heavy throaty voice and a warm smile. She wore eye glasses and I remember her singing bhajans, discoursing about Lord Krishna and reading from the Ramayana and Bhagavad Gita.
Throughout the span of 20 years as I look back, I see Ms. Arjun as a woman of real substa
nce.
She had studied Hindi and read the Purans (with my father, Teacher
Autar and other scholars in the Port Mourant area) and many Hindu
texts as a single parent while in Guyana. Instead of relenting
on the challenges of her personal life, she had actually taken
an active role in the Port Mourant community by educating herself
and other Indian women about religion and culture. She found
strength in spiritual work and masterminded the construction
of the Mahila Mandalee in Miss Phoebe, Port Mourant some twenty
years ago -- which stands as a local monument of social service
and spiritual love. The first time I stepped into the Mahila Mandalee as a child, it was merely a wood/concrete frame under the preliminary stages of construction. Ms. Bhanmattie Arjun later told me it was her intention to provide for the spiritual needs and upliftment of the village women in the Port Mourant area. It was her only dream which had come true.
After many years, I met Ms. Arjun in New York conducting a Yagya in Richmond Hill, Queens. I was delighted to see her shining like a dazzling gem, dissipating the darkness with her knowledge, insightful discourses and spiritual persona. I noticed she was wearing a colored sari, as she had remarried Mr. Mangra, a supportive husbant to her spiritual activities. In fact, she conducted elaborate home poojas and spiritual discourses at their Grand Concourse home in the Bronx.
It was a rare treat to see Aunty Mattie on the Vyasasana (seat of honor for Hindu Priest) in Richmond Hill, Queens again. Her nightly readings created a stir and strength among other Guyanese Indian women in New York as well. The majority of women in the audience attested that this was true. I sang a bhajan at the yagya and we caught up on old times. As the five-day yagya concluded, Ms. Arjun encouraged the women to continue in their regular religious gatherings.
Soon, the New York years flew by with the wind and Aunty Mattie became sort of isolated from the religious work she so loved. She hated the East Coast winters with a passion and had endured at least eight of them. We spoke on the phone from time to time and visited a couple of New York Hindu temples together, but the eve of her life had set in earlier than expected. Two years ago, at the age of 58, Mrs. Bhanmattie Mangra became seriously ill and left us forever.
Today, I have taken the opportunity to reminis about this remarkable lady and the immense social contribution she provided her community. The Mahila Mandalee attests to the struggles and victories of yet another, brilliant Guyanese - she will be remembered as an ideal role model for Indian women.
"When ordinary people do extraordinary things, they transform their lives and the lives of those around them" Oprah Winfrey