TRIBUTE TO THE LATE THIRU ST MOODLEY

Thiru ST Moodley, a legendary administrator of the Sungum, who was dedicated and committed to achieving the optimum outcomes in service delivery for the benefit of both the members of the sungum and the community, left his mortal body at the age of 97.

On behalf of all the structures of the organization I convey our deepest sympathies and our profound condolences to the family on the passing away of a noble soul who has left indelible impressions in the hearts and minds of everyone. Thiru Moodley and I served on the Executive Council of the Saiva Sithantha Sungum for over two decades and worked together in the Sungum for even a longer period of time.

We had long and protracted interactions and engagements in that time and I got to know the heart of the man and knowing him as I do I found him as a person who adorned a pleasant personality, cheerful disposition and an incredibly beautiful demeanor. He may not have been in spiritual leadership but he has entrenched the fundamental values of our culture and therefore his life stood out as a symbol that epitomizes our rich religious and spiritual heritage.

ST Moodley was an avid follower of the teachings of our Master, Guru Swamigal and therefore he worked tirelessly, relentlessly, and passionately in undertaking the work of the Sungum. He became the Chairman of the Merebank Branch of the Sungum and with great enthusiasm he rolled out the functions and activities of this Branch. He designed and constructed a wooden and oak structure at his factory to house the Sacred Sivalingum in the altar of the Merebank Temple more than 30 years ago and it still stands with all its beauty and elegance generating amazing energy.

During the leadership of Swami Arjunanandha the Executive Council took a decision to relook at the constitution of the Sungum and the responsibility of convening the sub-committee meetings and coordinating the constitutional amendments was devolved upon the shoulders of Mr ST Moodley. After many months of hard work a new constitution emerged in 1994 which was a radical departure of the old one in that the Branches of the Sungum were also given responsibility in the management of the organization through representation on the Executive Council.

The application of this new constitution brought about a greater synergy and oneness between the Head Quarters and the Branches and also facilitated better communication. Mr ST Moodley was also tasked with the responsibility of printing new Prayer Books that embody the original words of the Master in response to the decision of the Spiritual Council under the leadership of Swami Arjunandha. This was an enormous and daunting task which Mr Moodley took as a challenge and worked tireless to achieve it.

Mr Moodley even looked at the 1937 and 1939 versions of the Prayer Book. On many occasions he met me at my work place to discuss the new prayer book and one occasion he came to see me to get a signature for a message I provided. His hard work yielded amazing results. Mr Moodley was undoubtedly one of the greatest administrators of the Sungum and he was eventually appointed the President of the organization, a role he fulfilled with great distinction.

Once he facilitated a workshop at our temple in Derby Street which looked at the challenges we were experiences, the areas of ineffective and inefficient service delivery and co-ordinated and implemented all the interventions as part of his service improvement plan. He even provided oak podiums built at his factory for use at Derby Street and Greenbury temples to improve the presentations of functions.

As a result of his attention to detail and his meticulous handling of finance he had good control over the income and expenditure of the Sungum. As chairperson he will not sign off on anything if he didn’t see both the invoice and the goods/services together as he was guided by his own business sense and acumen.

Mr Moodley was also integrally involved with the Merebank Tamil School Society (MTSS) and once he facilitated a workshop at the MTSS Hall with all the priests and management members to improve the quality of weddings at the aforementioned premises. I was invited to share the significance of each aspect or activity in the nuptial ceremony.

I pray that Mr Moodley’s soul rests in eternal peace and immortal bliss at the Lotus Feet of Sivaperummaan. May the bountiful grace, divine blessings and abundant love of Sivaperumaan be showered upon the members of the family to grant them strength, courage and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss our beloved ST Moodley from their lives.

Om Nama Sivaya.

Swami Siva Yogananda

Spiritual Head: Saiva Sithantha Sungum.