Acharya Trydev Bungaradu

Diaspora

By Kishore Teelanah

Mauritians in the UK, many of them from the Greater London, have carved out a robust presence after settling here. There are many success stories of fellow Mauritians who did not leave any stone unturned and continued to make progress for themselves and their families.

An increasing number of stories of the diaspora are being published and certainly their ambition to make worthwhile goals demand hard work and determination to achieve their targets. Many of the Mauritians stay motivated as they work towards their ambitions for success. This story is one of sheer perseverance by Trydev Bungaradu who had started from humble beginnings to become a well-established Acharya Pandit (spiritual teacher and influential mentor) in the UK and abroad.

Acharya Trydev and his familyL to R: Pandit Trydev’s uncle and father both inspirational gurus to him from Mahebourgh, Mauritius. Both honoured for their contributions to the community

L to R: Pandit Trydev with his sons Nuvesh, Namish and wife Sintee

Childhood

Trydev Bungaradu (more commonly known as Pandit Trydev) was inspired by his father, uncle (a pandit himself) and grandad. He started with great enthusiasm to learn what it takes to be a Hindu priest at the tender age of 13. He did his learning and training at an Ashram in Beau Climat, Nouvelle France, Mauritius. His guru was Swami Satyakamananda Saraswati who did not relent on his standard of teaching and motivation to make a success of Pandit Trydev.

He really enjoyed his religious training while attending one pooja after another across Mauritius. His love for Rama Bhajanam prayer was undaunting since his childhood. This made him spend Saturday nights at an Ashram, then carrying out seva (selfless service) and pooja for the whole day on Sundays. After a gruelling weekend he would return home late in the evening by bus. 

Once he came to Britain, Trydev studied for a degree in Business followed by a postgraduate MBA course at Metropolitan University. He did not fully pursue his career in his field of business, but went on to become a manager in McDonald where he was promoted to work at their head office. His religious duties started rightaway when he first arrived in Edmonton, London. He was lucky to have many Mauritian contacts as well as Mauritian associations where he has performed regular prayers ever since.

Accolades for Acharya Pandit Trydev for the devout work he had performed over the years.

In his prayers, he introduced Ugaadi, Govinda Pooja and Ammrou for Devi to the devotees who at that time performed mainly Ramabhajan. Acharya Trydev has studied Agama Shastra (Tantric literature of Hindu schools), prayer for Vaisnav (devotion for Lord Vishnu and his avatar) as well as Shavaite Shakta (major Hindu traditions for worshipping Lord Shiva as the Supreme Being).

He has become a popular and respectable Hindu Pandit. Many devotees around London and beyond go to him for the conduct of religious services which also include Samskar, Namakaram, Vedic weddings and cremations. His ambition is to bring the new generations of Mauritians settled in the UK to understand and take pride in Mauritius Hindu culture. He is also hopeful that in the future, there will be a permanent centre for the Hindus where they can do regular prayers, celebrate their festivals and promote Hinduism.

Kishore Teelanah is an experienced Science Lecturer, having worked mostly in Further and Higher education. He taught Biological and Chemical Sciences, with responsibilities as a Coordinator, Manager and Head of Science in his recent job. Together with Science and Industry, he is very keen to write on the Mauritian Diaspora.

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 12 May 2023