Brother Haridas was born in Chatsworth, South Africa on 1 May 1963. He was raised in Tongaat and attended Tongaat primary and secondary schools after which he completed a teaching degree and higher diploma in education qualifying cum laude. During 1984 He was initiated into Vedanta by Dr Gurudewa, lecturer of Hindu Studies, and received his first training in Sanskrit and Vedic literature. He was given recognition by the Jihar Swami of Thricy as Sri Sadhak Haridas Acharya, but prefers to be known simply as Brother Haridas.In 2000 Brother Haridas pursued an Honours degree in metaphysics and completed magna cum laude before undertaking a Master's Degree under the direction of the university, after which he was awarded a scholarship to complete his PhD in Metaphysics and Global Ethics. During April 1982, at the age of twenty, Brother Haridas was blessed with his first spiritual experience at the Tongaat Kavady festival while absorbed in a deep state of meditation and concentrating on the naanum symbol, when a flash of light resulted in his complete transformation and spiritual awakening. It was that spiritual experience which initiated certain siddhis allowing Brother Haridas to heal spiritually. In September of that same year, He commenced the foundation of the Shree Ram Bhajan Group with the help of his late uncle Subramoney, specializing in the rendering of Hanuman, Muruga and Rama bhajans as a service to devotees of the nearby communities. This institution grew into the Tongaat Vedanta society, now known as the Vedanta Society which is currently a teaching institution called the Sri Bhagavata Vedanta Gurukula.
Over the following years Brother Haridas initiated the formation of the Tongaat Hindu Forum in 1995, which aimed to bring all Hindu organizations together under one concern that could counter proselytisation of Hindus and also provide a forum for the education of Hindus. The Shri Bhagavata Vedanta Gurukula then set up a successful Bhramanical unit to teach Brahmins in the Vaikansi Vedic tradition, specializing in the Vedas. This unit has produced seven well-trained Brahmins not only familiar with the Vedic chants but also well-versed in the Agna prayer rules and their application in service to the community.
This institution also boasts a Devi Samaj, a Women's League which deals with various issues impacting on today's women, and using the ancient principles of the Veda and Upanishads to provide moral and ethical guidance in addressing the challenges faced by modern women. In addition, this organization has a sector which focuses on the study and scientific research of Vedanta and its relevance in post-modern times, and on ethical developments and dialogues in relation to the modern human rights culture, ensuring it is not in conflict with fundamental ethics. The youth wing of this institution is engaged in many social welfare, youth and anti-alcoholism programmes which network with other youth organizations to promote spiritual values. The institution also has its own printing press which has been used for the publishing of several articles on Hindu thought and culture as well as a magazine which documents courses given at various conferences.
Today Brother Haridas is the National Chairperson for Social Justice and Work for National organisations, addressing social issues of poverty, violence and AIDS through conferencing and workshops aimed at promoting spiritual values and philosophies. The seva projects run in conjunction with the Mahatma Ghandi Phoenix Settlement and takes care of sixty AIDS orphans, running a clinic in conjunction with the Department of Health, and an agricultural scheme in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture. The building of homes is being conducted through skills development by training locals in building skills to replace shacks with concrete homes, with all materials being produced and sponsored by the Phoenix settlement.
In addition to all this, Brother Haridas is also the co-ordinator, trustee and secretariat of a craft-development initiative in contract with the Indian government whereby crafted products are marketed and sold via the tourist trade. He has also participated in national and international conferences; in the World Parliament of Religions with Dr Pallo Jordan, Minister of Arts and Culture; the All India Conference in Delhi during 2005; as well as many local university conferences on the issues of ethics, metaphysics, religion and social transformation.
In His aims and objectives as a spiritual master, Brother Haridas strives to take the ancient universal spiritual tradition of the Bharatia people and make it relevant to modern times in order to benefit the people in the sciences of yoga and towards a better way of life. He has found that the spiritual knowledge of the past has not been interpreted with this intention but needs a fresh interpretation without altering the core principles of Vedic text.
On His journey, Brother Haridas has witnessed much envy and marginalisation. Sadly, many find His ideas challenging and are unable to understand the spirituality He advocates. His greatest spiritual contribution has been to create a system that has brought together Hindi, Telegu and Tamil traditions, removing the sectarian elements of the Vedic tradition and allowing for multicultural development in the process. As a spiritual master, Brother Haridas has been widely accepted by different organisations. He has performed many Vedic rituals for the Satya Sai organisation of South Africa as well as having presented many talks at their centres and at those of other spiritual organisations.
Much of the religious development that took place in Tongaat was instituted by Brother Haridas' organization, though this is not commonly known. It is also not well known that he designed the framework for the ten-day chariot festivals along the lines of the Tirupathi temple. Brother Haridas' training centre is situated in Sunlark Drive, Suncrest, with satsang centres in Tongaat, Verulam and Phoenix. He is positive about the future of His organisation because His students are well-trained in Vedic chants and ritual.
Brother Haridas has the following message for today's society: "We must forget institutional thinking and behaviour. We have to go back to the fundamental spiritual laws that govern us. These laws are what bind the spiritual tradition. Everybody belongs to the family of God. These laws govern mental behaviour, the wholeness of being, therefore, giving to a person the fullness of life by which they can attain happiness and peace. So, instead of having belief, doctrine and dogma, we must go back to these fundamentals and apply them to our lives to transcend all institutional, racial and religious boundaries." He tells us that we must identify the current thinking trends of success, prosperity, health and happiness, and understand that religion is not a strain on these but a positive contributor to a better way of life.
Regarding our future Brother Haridas tells us that as long as humanity continues with its current religious trends, religion will become the source of the greatest wars the human mind can conceive and the greatest terrors the human condition will ever face. He warns us to prepare ourselves for the new age, the inevitable course that the world is going in a negative direction, predicted by every religion. In order to survive the decay in the world, people will have to become spiritually strong.
Swami Shankarananda was one of the first to be initiated by Brother Haridas some twenty years ago. This reminds us that Brother Haridas started His spiritual journey at a very young age. The Gayathri Peedam of South Africa., Murugesu Swami Dhanapeedam, The Centre for Spiritual Awakening, The Africa Kriya Babaji Sangum and The Jadatharaya Institute of Right Living and Yoga wish Brother Haridas divine good health and spiritual prosperity. Om.
