The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Guyana, which translates to Hindus for Selfless Service, is a non-profit and non-government organisation that has been empowering youths for over two decades.
One way HSS seeks to empower youths is through its camps. Since 1996, the same year the organisation was founded, HSS has been conducting camps all across Guyana. One of the camps conducted, Hindu Heritage Camp, is held every three months at various locations in Guyana. The last camp was held in April 2017 at Hague Hindu Temple, which saw about 65 participants coming from the surrounding villages and from as far as Tuschen.
Seeing the success of the camp, the HSS team of about 15 volunteers between the ages of 13-35 years was inspired to plan a camp in Tuschen. Along with the youthful team of the Tuschen South Hindu Temple, HSS volunteers planned, managed and successfully executed the camp.
Each of HSS camp has its overall focus and its specific focus. Overall focus is placed on Hindu heritage and efforts to preserve it. Each camp focuses on a specific form of Bhagwan (God). Previous camps focused on Shri Hanuman and Bhagwan Shiva.
The most recent camp, which was held from July 14 to 16, focused on female empowerment and the need for respect, while ensuring females were encouraged to be independent, strong, resilient and powerful leaders in our society.
With 72 participants, ages 6 to 65, the camp’s programmes included a mixture of physical and “intellectual” activities. The programmes were structured in a way that ensured participants had fun while learning about their heritage and importance of teamwork. They were also treated to delicious meals prepared by the HSS and Tuschen Mandir volunteers. Activities were conducted by male and female instructors for the respective groups.
The physical activities focused on Yoga/ Surya Namaskar, martial arts and traditional games. Other aspects of the camp featured a ‘geet’ (song) that focused on Hindu heritage and a call for awakening and the Mahishasura Mardini Stotra, which glorifies God in its feminine form (Devi/Shakti). Ramayan singing with the focus on Sita Devi (again in keeping with the focus on the female forms of Bhagwan (God), was done. There was also a session of Hindu Jeopardy, brain teasers, treasure hunt, and friendly competitions. These were conducted by the volunteers of HSS. Additionally, there were three ‘baudhiks’ (lectures) delivered by local prominent individuals. These lectures, which were well-received, focused on maintaining heritage and the need for females to be empowered and respected in society.
