April 21, 2022 marked 101 years since the existence of the Dharm Shala (Home of Benevolence for all Races), which has conducted numerous humanitarian acts throughout Guyana.
Heads of the Dharm Shala, Kella and Pamela Ramsaroop, with Guyanese Musician Herbie Marshall and Sonia Noel Foundation CEO Sonia Noel
This year’s celebration saw a partnership between the Dharm Shala and the Sonia Noel Foundation, a charitable organisation alike, owned by fashion designer and philanthropist, Sonia Noel.
The Sonia Noel Foundation organised for well-known Guyanese Musicians to entertain the residents with a one-hour show. One of the many musical talents the foundations entrapped was Herbie Marshall, who give the residents an option to select the music they wanted to hear and the wide selection crossed many genres which the veteran musician skilfully executed.
The residents were enthusiastically singing along to all the songs, ranging from well-known hymns like “Amazing Grace” to songs from Brook Benton, Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, and others.
Marshall, who performed, also shared stories of when he would visit his uncle, James Clarke, in the fifties to the attentive audience, adding to the entertainment.
Sisters, Kella and Pamela Ramsaroop, heads of the Dharm Shala, expressed much gratitude to Marshall and Noel and her team for the treat that afforded the residents entertainment and the opportunity to go down memory lane. Delicious snacks and fruit were served to the excited audience, accompanied by sponge and chocolate cakes from Bella’s Cake in Bartica.
“I think we all enjoyed it as much as the residents and this was a blessing. Herbie said yes without hesitation. Thank you also to Mr Hendricks, Natasha, and Naomi for assisting to make this a reality. I applaud Kella and Pamela for their dedication and contribution to humanity. We need to intentionally create the world we desire to live in,” Noel said in a statement.
The Dharm Shala also benefited from the Sonia Noel Bread Basket project which distributes free bread to various communities weekly. The Sonia Noel Foundation also collaborated with the World Care Organisation to distribute clothing for Easter to the underprivileged and the female residents from the Dharm Shala benefited.
Pandit Maharaj founded the Dharm Shala in 1921 after travelling the length and breadth of Guyana. He was a gold dealer in his earlier years so that allowed him to travel to the remotest parts of Guyana, where he encountered the plight of his countrymen.
On these trips, he witnessed their poverty, suffering, and deprivation and was deeply moved to the point where he knew that he needed to play his part in addressing them. He was enabled financially early in life to give up his profession and devote himself to full-time voluntary service towards helping the less fortunate of Guyanese society.
The Sonia Noel Foundation’s main purpose is to cater to the development of the creative industry within Guyana and the wider Caribbean.
