Other Aryan Organisations
In 1934 the Vedic missionary Pandit Āyodhyā Prasād arrived in Suriname on the invitation of Mātā Mahādevī and her husband Pandit Gosāīn Rampersad Sukul to train Vedic preachers. Pandit Sukul and his wife built a new Aryan mandir in Paramaribo, but they refused to put this house of worship under the umbrella of Arya Dewaker. On 13 October 1935 they founded a new umbrella organisation, the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Suriname. Although it lasted until 17 April 1945 before the organisation obtained official recognition from the Dutch colonial authorities, Pandit Sukul and his wife succeeded in getting the recognition of their sabhā as the official national Aryan organisation of Suriname from the international Aryan umbrella organisation Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha. This meant a heavy blow to Arya Dewaker. Shortly later, however, Arya Dewaker was also accepted as a representative member of the Sarvadeshik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, so that the tiny country of Suriname became the only country with two member organisations!
In the 1950s the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Suriname also founded an orphanage and boarding school which they named after Mahatmā Gandhi. During these years this organisation had good contacts with the Surinamese political parties including the VHP, the party of the East-Indians in Suriname.
Already in 1947 a Caribbean Vedic Parishad was established on the initiative of Solomon Moosai-Maharaj, one of the prominent members of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Trinidad. Every year the council held a meeting of representatives of the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Suriname, the American Aryan League of Guyana and the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Trinidad. However, although the Vedic Parishad made a good start, it also knew long periods of inactivity.
On 25 November 1951 another Aryan organisation was founded, the Shrimati Prantik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Suriname with Pandit Ramdew Raghoebier in a major position. Later some other Aryan organisations were founded, most of them with one temple and sometimes also a school.
In 1970 an attempt for more co-ordination was made. The Arya Dewaker, Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Suriname and Shrimati Prantik Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Suriname formed the Ved Prachar Arya Mahamandal Suriname (VPAMS). But although another organisation, the Jagrat Arya Mandal, joined this co-operation body in 1984, it ended in a failure.
In the 1990s the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha Suriname still existed, but its orphanage and boarding school was closed and its temple fell apart. Nowadays there is nothing left of its house of worship.
Today Arya Dewaker dominates the Aryan scene in Suriname. This is confirmed by the opening by Arya Dewaker of Suriname's probably biggest and most beautiful Hindu temple in Paramaribo on 11 February 2001. The organisation counts fifteen mandirs all over Suriname, whereas three other mandirs are associated with it. Arya Dewaker also has a school organisation which runs five primary schools, three schools for vocational training and three secondary schools.
Read more about this topic: Arya Samaj In Suriname