A DURBAN woman, Dr Nuthan Maharaj, made history when she became the first female Hindu priest to pray at the inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Maharaj, a member of the South African Hindu Maha Sabha (SAHMS), was among the various religious and spiritual leaders who prayed at the inauguration at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on June 19.
“I felt honoured to be representing South African Hindus, but more proud to be representing all women in the country,” Maharaj said.
“Furthermore, this inauguration was significant for our country and boasts many firsts. Being the first woman to grace the stage with other respected leaders in our country was especially significant,” she said.
Maharaj said she was chosen to represent the SAHMS at the inauguration.
“The SAHMS, which is the Hindu mother body in our country, has a very progressive women’s chapter which seeks to grow and promote Hindu women leaders and priests. Hence, I was chosen to represent them,” she said.
Maharaj, who is also an executive board member of the Shree Sanathan Dharma Sabha of South Africa (SSDSSA), said her prayer commenced with invoking Supreme Lord Sri Krishna’s blessings upon the event, the president, the entire architecture of government and the people of South Africa.
“The prayer called upon the Lord to bless the president and the government, and to enable them to work in harmony in an integrated, equitable manner with utmost integrity and commitment towards uplifting the lives of the people of South Africa. Furthermore, to remove disparity and set our country on a trajectory for economic success, and integrity in governance for our beautiful country, South Africa,” she said.
Maharaj, who is also a member of the South African National Defence Force Hindu Advisory Board, said she hailed from a lineage of purohits (priests).
“My dad is 91 years old. Although he has retired as a performing priest, he is still engaged in scriptural reading and research. Since childhood, I have been exposed to the importance of scriptural studies and the practice of our Sanathana Dharma as prescribed.
“Having majored in Hindi and studied Sanskrit at university, I felt compelled to understand what the scriptural prescriptions are to conduct one’s religious practices, and to educate the younger generation who are curious why the various Hindu rituals and practices are necessary. As a Hindu I believe we have an obligation to respond accurately with scriptural reference, and hence my decision to pursue further studies as a purohit.
“My training as a purohit was obtained from the SSDSSA, an affiliate of the SAHMS. The SSDSSA’s purohit training programme is an intensive three-year course. I qualified as a certified purohit in 2020. Our Sanathana Dharma recognises the female power of the divine as the ‘Shakti’ or the energy force of the divine. Hence having a female bless this prestigious event is auspicious and significant in our cultural and political history,” she said.
Maharaj, an urban economic development specialist and programme manager for the Economic Development Unit at eThekwini Municipality, said her academic journey placed much focus on promoting female participation and empowerment.
“I felt extreme pride in living my quest. I felt privileged to be part of this prestigious and historic milestone in the history of our democracy. I felt truly blessed and honoured to offer prayers for our president and the Government of National Unity.
“My hope is that the president and members of the government will govern with utmost commitment to ensure upliftment of people of all cultures, beliefs and denominations.
“They must also lead and govern with integrity so that decades on our future leaders will have a pristine benchmark to emulate,“she said.
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