Out with the old, in with the new

Hindu body elects fresh board for Gauteng wing

THE South African Hindu Maha Sabha’s Gauteng wing is set to get a major shake-up with the recent appointment of a new board.

On Friday, its national president, Ashwin Trikamjee, said “new blood” would be injected into the branch to create a more youthful image.

The Sabha was established in 1912 to promote and preserve Hinduism.

The existing Gauteng board members appointed the new board.

The current president, Sinthal Ramiah, will serve until elections for the position next year.

Irashan Surbun and Sashnee Naiker have been appointed chief coordinator and project manager, respectively, of the Gauteng branch.

Trikamjee said the organisation’s growth spurred the need to make it more youthorientated.

“We are overwhelmed by the response we have received from the youth and their interest in the Sabha. We are looking forward to working with them,” said Trikamjee.

The organisation also introduced the Hindus United project. It is the brainchild of Durban media mogul Praneetha Aniruth — co-founder of Carver Media, a cutting-edge digital agency based in South Africa, California and India.

“Praneetha introduced the idea a month ago. It is an electronic forum called the R108 project, which funds itself.

“People join and pay a fee of R108 per month, a significant number for Hindus because there are 108 beads on the mala [rosary].

“This money will be used to do seva [charity] projects on a national scale,” said Trikamjee.

In another Sabha development, the director of Ganesha Communications, Naufal Khan, has been appointed director of the FNB Gauteng Diwali in the Mzansi Festival.

Khan said it would be held at the Apartheid Museum parking lot, Ormonde, Johannesburg, on October 19.

“This year, the focus is on educating the community about the Hindu pantheon. We will do this by storytelling, dance and drama,” said Khan.