SAIVA SITHANTHA SUNGUM PAYS TRIBUTE TO 1860 INDENTURED HEROES

The Saiva Sithantha Sungum - Universal Mission pays homage to our 1860 Indentured Heroes, who arrived on the shores of South Africa some 162 years ago.

Over the course of their presence in South Africa, each generation has boldly and unselfishly left the previous generation in a better position than in which they found it.

Through sacrifice and an inherent desire for progress, South Africans of Indentured origin can stand tall knowing that they have contributed immensely to building our beautiful country.

However for all the progress, for all the achievements, there still remains work to be done.

It becomes the duty of this generation to raise our fellow countrymen and women out of poverty. To make our women and children feel safe. To ensure that we create opportunities for our young people and most importantly, that we continue to build our beautiful country together.

The Saiva Sithantha Sungum - Universal Mission was founded by His Holiness Brahma Sri Siva Soobramonia Guru Swamigal in 1937 and celebrates its 85th Anniversary this year.

Guru Swamigal and his early disciples were proud descendants of the brave souls who courageously made the daunting journey to these shores -either voluntarily or by force through the British system of indenture - another form of slavery.

Our forebears on those ships carried within themselves a deep pride for their religion and culture and made tremendous sacrifices to ensure the survival of their beliefs and traditions.

Guru Swamigal's mission was one such measure to reinvigorate the thirst for spiritual and social development of mankind. He too made many sacrifices to ensure that our rich culture, traditional and spiritual practices were adapted to the challenges we faced as a community in those early years.

Through his writings, Guru Swamigal advocated strongly for both the spiritual and socio-political emancipation of the people of South Africa. As a result, the main hall at the Sungum’s International Headquarters at 37 Derby Street in Durban was named ‘1860 Settlers Memorial Hall’ and was the first erected monument in tribute to our forebears.

The Saiva Sithantha Sungum - Universal Mission calls upon all South Africans to remember with deep understanding, the struggle, sacrifice, triumph and undying human spirit of our 1860 Indentured Heroes and the subsequent generations that continued and continue to build society.

ISSUED BY SAIVA SITHANTHA SUNGUM - UNIVERSAL MISSION