First Lady commends Dharm Shala for 95 years of service to the poor

First Lady Sandra Granger on Monday joined Kella and Pamela Ramsaroop, donors, well-wishers, family and friends of the Dharm Shala Home of Benevolence for all races to mark its 95th anniversary.

First Lady Sandra Granger takes a closer look at one of the candlesticks displayed at an exhibition hosted by the Dharm Shala as Kella Ramsaroop, Managing Director, explains its history
First Lady Sandra Granger takes a closer look at one of the candlesticks displayed at an exhibition hosted by the Dharm Shala as Kella Ramsaroop, Managing Director, explains its history

First Lady Granger heaped praised on the Ramsaroops who have ably filled the vacuum left following the death of their father Harry Saran Ramsaroop in 2013, who himself had taken up the mantle of leadership after his father, founder of the Dharm Shala, Pandit Ramsaroop Maraj died in 1950.
“This family has served and cared for those in need for nearly one century, and it continues to serve. That dedication is all the more remarkable in an age where so much store is being put in material things, where success is rated by material possessions and social position,” Mrs Granger said. The First Lady added, “we must commend Kella and Pamela for keeping faith with their grandfather’s and father’s dreams and for devoting themselves to the Dharm Shala.”
In giving a brief history of the genesis of the Dharm Shala, Pamela Ramsaroop said her grandfather, Pandit Maraj, travelled widely across Guyana and was moved by the plight of the needy. She said that before he founded the Dharm Shala with assistance from the Hindu religious society, he started out by giving alms, introduced indigent persons to religion and started a soup kitchen with assistance from businessmen and residents in the Albouystown area.
“A devout practicing Hindu”, who also appreciated the teachings of Christianity, Kella Ramsaroop said her grandfather’s compassion and commitment to the poor knew no bounds. In 1941, twenty years after he established the Albouystown facility, the Dharm Shala extended its services to Berbice, where it established a building of similar capacity and erected a temple and a church to serve its residents and the wider community.
After her grandfather’s passing, her father then dedicated 29 years of his life in service to the poor. Today, Kella Ramsaroop serves as the Dharm Shala’s Managing Director and works alongside her sister to operate the home.
Meanwhile, Nicholas Boyer, of National Hardware Limited, remarked that the warmth, which pervades the Dharm Shala is a testimony to Pandit Ramsaroop and the values that he passed to his son and granddaughters. He commended the family’s life of service to the poor, noting that it has inspired his family and has been the impetus, which motivated his and other families and donors’ involvement in the charity.
“When you come here to serve, whether you donate monetarily or by time, that you become part of this family and I encourage everyone here today, who is already part of the family, to continue to give and to be supportive of the work,” Boyer said.
On arrival at the Dharm Shala Complex, King Edward Street, guests were greeted by the sound of steel pan music played by Ras Camo Williams and a Powerpoint presentation of the work of the late Pandit Ramsaroop and his son Harry Ramsaroop.