The Arya Samaj Movement in Guyana is celebrating its centenary anniversary with a month of activities including donating $140,000 to an orphanage and mandir.

To commemorate the historic celebrations a number of activities have been planned and will be hosted countrywide by the Guyana Central Arya Samaj (GCAS) and affiliated mandirs. Included in this plan is the erecting of a monument at the Promenade Gardens, to celebrate the movement’s presence. Billboards featuring information about the movement’s presence will also be posted at various locations.

“Many of these activities have been underwritten by funds raised in New York by the United Arya Samaj Federation (UASF) and other organisations,” a press release said. President of the United Arya Samaj, Shir Vishnu Bandhu, “a stalwart and pioneer of the… movement in North America,” has been planning the celebratory events, the release said. Central and affiliated branches have been assisting Bandhu to host the programmes and the NY affiliate has been making donations to upgrade several local mandirs.

According to the release, from July 1 activities have been held nightly at a number of locations. Dr Satish Prakash, the eminent Hindu and Sanskrit scholar and a missionary of Arya Samaj has held nightly discourses on Arya principles. On July 12, Bandhu and GCAS executives donated $100,000 to the Cornelia Ida Orphanage and $40,000 to the Triumph Arya Mandir which hosted a discourse on July 14.

In addition, a medical outreach exercise will be held at the Vreed-en-Hoop Arya Samaj on Saturday followed by a centenary celebration on August 1 and a blood drive on August 21. Activities will also be held at the West Demerara Arya Samaj.

The Arya Samaj was introduced to British Guiana in 1810, the release said