Pull Quote: “I felt blessed to be doing something practical toward alleviating, in some measure, the suffering of the poor and powerless.”By Leon SuseranA very active pandit in the past, Suresh Sugrim seriously examined his true calling in life and decided that there were too many pandits preaching the scriptures, but the mere application of these teachings were all but evident in their daily lives and in this world. He believed that God was served through service to man but that this was being ignored a great lot since there was too much emphasis on the dogma and too many rituals, without enough consideration given to existential dynamics in the family of mankind.So he shed his dhoti and kurta, donned jeans and ‘tees’, and embarked on a divine journey that has catapulted into a movement that has achieved a momentum all its own in prayerful service to Man.Pandit SugrimSugrim knew too well about poverty and how it can make suffering become a reality, since he himself came from a very poor family background. It was a motivation to help the poorest of the poor that caused him to establish the New Jersey Arya Samaj Mandir, having migrated to the United States since he was a very young man.He has realized his passion to serve, reach out, and make a difference to those needing love, compassion, kindness and help, to better their lives in one way or another.But while the great passion was there to care for the poor, he encountered tremendous difficulties for resources to support the dreams that he always had to help the forgotten of society. He related that he literally begged.“I took a begging bowl to various avenues where Guyanese, primarily, were gathering for events (in New Jersey), often returning home practically in tears because it is very hard to beg,” he recalled.But he still maintained his dignity and persevered since he believed that it would eventually bear fruit.“I felt blessed to be doing something practical toward alleviating, in some measure, the suffering of the poor and powerless.”“The smiles on the faces of those who our Mission has helped over the years — with victims spanning age, gender, race, religion, andPandit Sugrim at the NJ Arya Samaj Mandir (2006) where he officiatedfrom all and every walk of life — all of whose lives have been touched in some meaningful way, and whose dignity has been restored by our efforts and those of the network of donors and volunteers,http://www.theworldsoccersshop.com/Brazil-Felipe-Anderson-Jersey.html, both in the USA and Guyana, is the ultimate satisfaction.”Pandit Sugrim still returns home to Guyana several times annually and, from the resources that he would have garnered overseas, distributes food, clothing and provides shelter for the poor.HUMBLE BEGINNINGS AND DIFFICULT YEARSSuresh Sugrim was born on July 13, 1961, at Skeldon, Corriverton, Corentyne, to Sugrim and Kawalla Surjnauth. He is the youngest of nine siblings.Sugrim received his education at the Skeldon Anglican Scots School, and then went on to New Amsterdam Technical Institute. He was raised in a very strong Aryan/Hindu family and community.“My Mom and Dad passed on at a very young age and did not have the opportunity to have to live to see the full growth and potential of their children,” he reflected.On a somber note, he noted that he recently lost a younger sister to ovarian cancer and a brother “who nurtured us in the days of poverty”.As a child, he was strongly encouraged to get involved with church-related functions. He was very dedicated to serving his community and developed a great love for God, with the latter characteristic eventually establishing him as a respected religious guide.In the 1980s he went to the United States, actually leaving Guyana with a scholarship to study in India “but due to poverty and financial crises, I could not have afforded to go to India”.He remained in New Jersey, an illegal alien for a number of years. Those years, according to Sugrim, were very difficult years of not having a job, a Resident Alien (Green) Card, a place to live.“I remember vividly in the early ‘80s going to America. I ended up in the streets sleeping in a cardboard box, but by the grace of God, I excelled and move beyond.”At a religious function with the late Shri Prakash Gossai in 2008He got his legal status after 10 years.“In 1986, I established the New Jersey Arya Samaj,” he proudly noted.LOVE IN ACTION FOR GUYANA’S POORPandit Sugrim served with distinction as the founder and senior spiritual leader of the New Jersey Arya Samaj Humanitarian Mission, Inc., continually demonstrating the spirit of brotherhood and love.During his remarkable tenure, Pandit Sugrim has devotedly served the educational, cultural, religious, social and humanitarian needs of the Arya /Hindu and other communities wherever he has gone.He has been lauded as a great social worker for his exemplary dedication and steadfas