The 3 pundits who sat at their own funerals

[K74T]

Richard Charan
Dec 6, 2020


TRADITION: Pundit Ramlal Gosine at his funeral in 2017.

In March of 2017, a woman walked into a supermarket in Point Fortin and made a very unusual purchase on behalf of her dead brother.

It took the grocers two days, but they were able to locate 1,600 pounds of table salt and truck it to a hillside house at Pablito Trace in Rousillac, South Trinidad.


TRADITION: Pundit Heeralal Gosine at his funeral in 2004.

The deliverymen didn’t know what to make of it, since they pulled up at a house in mourning, with tarpaulin tents and plastic chairs laid out for the wake and wailing.

It turns out that the salt was for the deceased, 64-year-old Pundit Ramlal Gosine, a Hindu holy man revered in the village for his reading of the Hindu holy books at night-time prayer services.

But that was not even the most peculiar part.

On the day of the funeral, Gosine arrived looking no different to how his friends, neighbours and devotees remembered him at the prayer services.

There was no casket in sight, no body in a box.

When Gosine’s body emerged from the hearse, he was sitting with legs tucked in the classic Buddha pose, in dhoti and T-shirt, a slight tilt to the head, a wistful smile, eyes closed, as if lost in the chants at a puja.

Gosine sat at his funeral on a litter, a chair made from strips of bamboo with poles on either side that allowed the pallbearers to carry him, like a Pharaoh.

The family did the rituals and garlanded the body, and sent him on his final journey.

That procession remains the talk of the village.

Gosine was hoisted into the tray of his neighbour’s pick-up truck and transported to Rousillac Presbyterian Church.


GRAVE STEPS: The grave of Pundit Ramlal Gosine at the Rousillac Presbyterian Church.

Che sitting in a hearse

Three years later last month, Trinidad and Tobago forgot all its Covid-related distress for a good few days when videos and photos emerged one Wednesday morning of murdered Che Lewis sitting, dressed like a West Indies cricketer, on a chair in the tray of a hearse taking him to his Catholic Church funeral.

The officiating priest was unimpressed. The body was stopped at the door. Che had to sit there while his father, also murdered, was given a send-off inside. Both were later cremated.

Much was said about the public display of a corpse, whether it breached some public health regulations, or was just in bad taste, with the funeral home claiming that such a send-off was never before seen in the country.

Of course, the people of Rousillac knew better.

It turns out that Ramlal Gosine was not even the first.

In June 2004, when his father, Pundit Heeralal Gosine died at age 69, the very same last rites and burial were performed.

Father and son would have followed Heeralal Gosine’s father, Pundit Mahadeo Gosine, who, when he died in 1976, was never taken to a mortuary.

Instead, the indentured immigrant who came to Trinidad as a teenager, and is recorded as dying at age 117, was put on ice at the house.

His body was dressed, set in a Buddha pose on a bamboo chair, and carried off to the graveyard.

Many Hindus assume that a cremation is their only option at the end.

But Pundit Parasram Maharaj, who officiated at the last two Gosine funerals, said it wasn’t so.

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

Maharaj knows of no one who willingly chose this last way out locally.

Melt away

In the case of the Gosines, Pundit Maharaj said they would have followed in the funerary traditions of their ancestors from India.

“The rituals are the same. The only difference was the bamboo chair and strings to hold the body and head in place, so it seemed the person was sitting there,” he said. As for all that table salt, it was not an attempt to mummify the bodies like the ancient Egyptians.

Pundit Maharaj said the belief is that it would prevent the body from “being eaten by worms”, and over time the corpse would “melt away” until nothing was left.

The Express asked the Gosines (there are eight surviving siblings) whether anyone else would be sitting at their funeral.

No thanks, they said.

It appears the tradition has died with Ramlal Gosine.

https://trinidadexpress.com/newsextra/the-3-pundits-who-sat-at-their-funerals/article_fe2076c2-3823-11eb-a161-9f9dd65aac19.html

[VexXx Dogg]

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

[Rovin]

well look dem pundits was original , weird how 1 was placed in a church yard ...

[zoom rader]

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

Vexxx is ah Brahmin.......lawdd

[VexXx Dogg]

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

Vexxx is ah Brahmin.......lawdd

man was a madras/vedic pundit bai, them brahmin used to look down on we lmao

[Musical Doc]

My wife's godfather Pundit Prem from central, his funeral was the same way, He was sitting in that position. Reason was that when you reach Bramhin status the body is put in that position for the funeral. That's all the info I have

[zoom rader]

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

Vexxx is ah Brahmin.......lawdd

man was a madras/vedic pundit bai, them brahmin used to look down on we lmao

From my understanding the Tamil/Madras was the higher Brahmins in the brahims groups. They were considered the purest cause they are strictly vegetarians, they would not even wear leather goods nor eat eggs.

[mero]

How does one become a Brahmin?

Have a injun bredren in d states getting married to a Jainist girl . Way too much rules dey yes.

[abbow]

These were the Gosine's i referred to in the WTF post...its not all that uncommon.

[zoom rader]

How does one become a Brahmin?

Have a injun bredren in d states getting married to a Jainist girl . Way too much rules dey yes.

There are many non Brahmins doing proffessions such as Poojari, Purohita,Vedic scholars etc.

These are Brahmins not by caste but by Brahminical proffessions. Only the person who is born to Brahmin parents is recognised by Hindu society as Brahmin. Caste can not be changed .
So if you are nonbrahmin by birth , you can develop Brahminical qualities and professions. But becoming a caste Brahmin not possible.

So looks like only Vexxx and Eliteauto are tuner Brahmins

[mero]

How does one become a Brahmin?

Have a injun bredren in d states getting married to a Jainist girl . Way too much rules dey yes.

There are many non Brahmins doing proffessions such as Poojari, Purohita,Vedic scholars etc.

These are Brahmins not by caste but by Brahminical proffessions. Only the person who is born to Brahmin parents is recognised by Hindu society as Brahmin. Caste can not be changed .
So if you are nonbrahmin by birth , you can develop Brahminical qualities and professions. But becoming a caste Brahmin not possible.

So looks like only Vexxx and Eliteauto are tuner Brahmins

So you could be " high color" wet raj and not be Brahmin?

How can u tell a Brahmin? Or u have to be told they are Brahmin?

A black Brahmin could coas on a fair skin non Brahmin? What holds more weight? Profession or caste Brahmin?

[Cantmis]

My caste better than your caste!

[zoom rader]

How does one become a Brahmin?

Have a injun bredren in d states getting married to a Jainist girl . Way too much rules dey yes.

There are many non Brahmins doing proffessions such as Poojari, Purohita,Vedic scholars etc.

These are Brahmins not by caste but by Brahminical proffessions. Only the person who is born to Brahmin parents is recognised by Hindu society as Brahmin. Caste can not be changed .
So if you are nonbrahmin by birth , you can develop Brahminical qualities and professions. But becoming a caste Brahmin not possible.

So looks like only Vexxx and Eliteauto are tuner Brahmins

So you could be " high color" wet raj and not be Brahmin?

How can u tell a Brahmin? Or u have to be told they are Brahmin?

A black Brahmin could coas on a fair skin non Brahmin? What holds more weight? Profession or caste Brahmin?

From my understanding it goes by certain Last names and line of family , Its like the Royal Family.

https://www.momjunction.com/articles/br ... _00649615/

Dumb injuns like this fair skin BS and think you have to be fair to be a brahmin, which is not true .

Madras/Tamil are one of the purest set of Brahmins and these are the Brahmins that came to TT. A small number was employed by the British to oversee religious practices in TT

A lot of bogus brahmins took the advantage of new names when registering in TT and setting them apart form the other caste.

Caste Brahmins hold more weight but you have prove it via your name

[mero]

Very Interesting zoom.

Makes me wonder why a significant number of indos put extra emphasis on skin lightening/ marrying lighter colored spouses or rushing to have pretty fair skin children as a life achievement or their ticket to happiness and success.

[MG Man]

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

it's all traditional toots
Listen to any pundit spew contradictions at last rites
'soul done gone, body is just an empty vessel now, body is just dirt...soul has already transcended / moved on / reincarnated as a homosexual goldfish'
BUT do this and do that to the body else de soul can't move on....and do it 30 days / 60 days / 365 days too
83.7% of everything hindus do and believe is tradition, not religion

[zoom rader]

Very Interesting zoom.

Makes me wonder why a significant number of indos put extra emphasis on skin lightening/ marrying lighter colored spouses or rushing to have pretty fair skin children as a life achievement or their ticket to happiness and success.

They assume whiteness is next to godness.

Dem Injun just full ah 5hit

Same in the western world we were taught Jesus was blond with blue eyes, in fact Jesus was a Jew with bronze colour

[Dizzy28]

The vast majority of mainstream Trinidadian Hindu funeral rituals are to the benefit of the pundit/mahapatar(sic). Real conflict of interest. When I see the list I had to buy last year for my father shaving I was stunned. Piece of gold and thing all for the mahapatar.

The Vedic/arya samaj here don't have all the simmy dimmy with shaving and bandara etc and supposedly they follow the Hindu scriptures. Hindus need to get progressive leadership to make logical the religion.

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

it's all traditional toots
Listen to any pundit spew contradictions at last rites
'soul done gone, body is just an empty vessel now, body is just dirt...soul has already transcended / moved on / reincarnated as a homosexual goldfish'
BUT do this and do that to the body else de soul can't move on....and do it 30 days / 60 days / 365 days too
83.7% of everything hindus do and believe is tradition, not religion

[MG Man]

basically most can't separate tradition from religion
It's a pretty simple religion to follow: Don't be an asshoal...that's pretty much it
That's why hindus are easy prey for the presbyterian marketing machine
You already brainwashed to follow blindly, so why not blindly follow an easier path
Gonna be real bacchanal whenever pops pass because I not on that s#it

The vast majority of mainstream Trinidadian Hindu funeral rituals are to the benefit of the pundit/mahapatar(sic). Real conflict of interest. When I see the list I had to buy last year for my father shaving I was stunned. Piece of gold and thing all for the mahapatar.

The Vedic/arya samaj here don't have all the simmy dimmy with shaving and bandara etc and supposedly they follow the Hindu scriptures. Hindus need to get progressive leadership to make logical the religion.

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

it's all traditional toots
Listen to any pundit spew contradictions at last rites
'soul done gone, body is just an empty vessel now, body is just dirt...soul has already transcended / moved on / reincarnated as a homosexual goldfish'
BUT do this and do that to the body else de soul can't move on....and do it 30 days / 60 days / 365 days too
83.7% of everything hindus do and believe is tradition, not religion

[Bamboo boy]

basically most can't separate tradition from religion
It's a pretty simple religion to follow: Don't be an asshoal...that's pretty much it
That's why hindus are easy prey for the presbyterian marketing machine
You already brainwashed to follow blindly, so why not blindly follow an easier path
Gonna be real bacchanal whenever pops pass because I not on that s#it

The vast majority of mainstream Trinidadian Hindu funeral rituals are to the benefit of the pundit/mahapatar(sic). Real conflict of interest. When I see the list I had to buy last year for my father shaving I was stunned. Piece of gold and thing all for the mahapatar.

The Vedic/arya samaj here don't have all the simmy dimmy with shaving and bandara etc and supposedly they follow the Hindu scriptures. Hindus need to get progressive leadership to make logical the religion.

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

it's all traditional toots
Listen to any pundit spew contradictions at last rites
'soul done gone, body is just an empty vessel now, body is just dirt...soul has already transcended / moved on / reincarnated as a homosexual goldfish'
BUT do this and do that to the body else de soul can't move on....and do it 30 days / 60 days / 365 days too
83.7% of everything hindus do and believe is tradition, not religion

I read all the comments and learned something I never knew,

[zoom rader]

basically most can't separate tradition from religion
It's a pretty simple religion to follow: Don't be an asshoal...that's pretty much it
That's why hindus are easy prey for the presbyterian marketing machine
You already brainwashed to follow blindly, so why not blindly follow an easier path
Gonna be real bacchanal whenever pops pass because I not on that s#it

The vast majority of mainstream Trinidadian Hindu funeral rituals are to the benefit of the pundit/mahapatar(sic). Real conflict of interest. When I see the list I had to buy last year for my father shaving I was stunned. Piece of gold and thing all for the mahapatar.

The Vedic/arya samaj here don't have all the simmy dimmy with shaving and bandara etc and supposedly they follow the Hindu scriptures. Hindus need to get progressive leadership to make logical the religion.

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

it's all traditional toots
Listen to any pundit spew contradictions at last rites
'soul done gone, body is just an empty vessel now, body is just dirt...soul has already transcended / moved on / reincarnated as a homosexual goldfish'
BUT do this and do that to the body else de soul can't move on....and do it 30 days / 60 days / 365 days too
83.7% of everything hindus do and believe is tradition, not religion

MG done start to fight for land

[MG Man]

basically most can't separate tradition from religion
It's a pretty simple religion to follow: Don't be an asshoal...that's pretty much it
That's why hindus are easy prey for the presbyterian marketing machine
You already brainwashed to follow blindly, so why not blindly follow an easier path
Gonna be real bacchanal whenever pops pass because I not on that s#it

The vast majority of mainstream Trinidadian Hindu funeral rituals are to the benefit of the pundit/mahapatar(sic). Real conflict of interest. When I see the list I had to buy last year for my father shaving I was stunned. Piece of gold and thing all for the mahapatar.

The Vedic/arya samaj here don't have all the simmy dimmy with shaving and bandara etc and supposedly they follow the Hindu scriptures. Hindus need to get progressive leadership to make logical the religion.

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

it's all traditional toots
Listen to any pundit spew contradictions at last rites
'soul done gone, body is just an empty vessel now, body is just dirt...soul has already transcended / moved on / reincarnated as a homosexual goldfish'
BUT do this and do that to the body else de soul can't move on....and do it 30 days / 60 days / 365 days too
83.7% of everything hindus do and believe is tradition, not religion

MG done start to fight for land

no fight brah...I done get the lawyer to forge a new will...pops have no clue, and dead men tell to tales

[VexXx Dogg]

The vast majority of mainstream Trinidadian Hindu funeral rituals are to the benefit of the pundit/mahapatar(sic). Real conflict of interest. When I see the list I had to buy last year for my father shaving I was stunned. Piece of gold and thing all for the mahapatar.

The Vedic/arya samaj here don't have all the simmy dimmy with shaving and bandara etc and supposedly they follow the Hindu scriptures. Hindus need to get progressive leadership to make logical the religion.

I thought hindus believed in cremation for the whole reincarnation ting?
My gramps was a pundit but I'm a nowherian so I don't know

Somebody hadda validate this

You actually have multiple choices—cremation and the disposal of the ashes in a body of water; the burial; and to be eaten by birds of prey.

it's all traditional toots
Listen to any pundit spew contradictions at last rites
'soul done gone, body is just an empty vessel now, body is just dirt...soul has already transcended / moved on / reincarnated as a homosexual goldfish'
BUT do this and do that to the body else de soul can't move on....and do it 30 days / 60 days / 365 days too
83.7% of everything hindus do and believe is tradition, not religion

yea my gramps was one of the founding members of the vedic mission.
Vedic pundits real chill and simple tbh. It's really the philosophy of "be good and try not be a cnut".

[eliteauto]

Great philosophy

[MG Man]

. It's really the philosophy of "be good and try not be a cnut".

that's why I'm an atheist

[fireworks]

Very Interesting zoom.

Same in the western world we were taught Jesus was blond with blue eyes, in fact Jesus was a Jew with bronze colour

Actually he is Hebrew.

Jews is a slang for residents of Jerusalem. Like saying god is ah Trini. Jesus wasn’t even from Jerusalem he was from Galilee

[zoom rader]

Very Interesting zoom.

Same in the western world we were taught Jesus was blond with blue eyes, in fact Jesus was a Jew with bronze colour

Actually he is Hebrew.

Jews is a slang for residents of Jerusalem. Like saying god is ah Trini. Jesus wasn’t even from Jerusalem he was from Galilee

Jah bless him

[xtech]

Very Interesting zoom.

Same in the western world we were taught Jesus was blond with blue eyes, in fact Jesus was a Jew with bronze colour

Actually he is Hebrew.

Jews is a slang for residents of Jerusalem. Like saying god is ah Trini. Jesus wasn’t even from Jerusalem he was from Galilee

Jah bless him

I think he is Jah