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RODDY DHARMA LUTCHMAYA 1932—1989
At the gate of the garden some stand and look within, but do not care to enter. Others step inside, behold its beauty, but do not penetrate far. Still others encircle this garden, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers, but having enjoyed its full beauty, pass out again by the same gate. But there are always some who enter, and becoming intoxicated with the splendour of what they behold, remain for life to tend the garden.
This quote, attributed to ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in a pilgrim’s note,1 beautifully describes the “gardener’s life” of Roddy Lutchmaya. The flowers he tended with so much care and love were not only the men, women, and children in his island-home of Mauritius, but those living in the other islands of the Indian Ocean as well. His every action was an expression of love and kindliness, and he was never happier than when serving Baha’u’llah and the Bahá’í friends.
Roddy was born on 7 June 1932 in Mesnil, St. Paul, Mauritius. He was the sixth child in a family of nine children. His formal education ended at the age of 17, and at 18 he joined the Government Service as a clerk. A few years later he was recruited as a senior officer cadet in the Prisons Service and underwent a one—year training in England in prison management.
After being appointed Superintendent, and then Deputy Commissioner of Prisons, Roddy became the first Mauritian to be appointed Commissioner of Prisons, a post which he held from 1967 until he passed away. He was also the first Commissioner in the annals of the Prisons Service in Mauritius to occupy this high office for such a long time.
Roddy came from a family that belonged to the Church of England, and was an active
1 First printed in The Garden offlze Heart, compiled
by Frances Esty and published in New York in 1930.
THE Bahá’í WORLD
member of that Church from childhood. He was always interested in religious and spiritual matters.
In 1956, he and a group of friends listened to a talk on the Bahá’í Faith and universal brotherhood given by an American doctor who was staying in Mauritius, after having pioneered in Reunion Island. The whole group was conquered by the principles of the Bahá’í Faith, and Roddy the more so because of his Christian background and his already profound knowledge of the Bible. He accepted the Faith in November of that year.
He had always been an earnest seeker after truth, so once he was convinced of the importance of the Bahá’í Faith—that it was in truth the religion of the New Age—he diligently studied it and put his trust in God, until he had an exceptionally deep understanding of its outer and inner significance.
Because of this spiritual endowment, and because of his complete trustworthiness, his innate capacity, and his great sincerity and faithfiilness in his Bahá’í services, he became a much-respected and honoured seiyant of the Cause. He manifested at all times devotion, vigour, and intensity in his services. His firmness in the Cause was exemplary and many of the young Bahá’ís who were closely associated with him learned what it meant to be a loyal and sincere follower of Baha’u’llah.
From 1957 until his appointment as a member of the Continental Board of Counsellors in 1985, he served on Local Spiritual Assemblies, first in his home town of Quatre Bornes and then in the town of Beau—Bassin/ Rose Hill. He was also a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Indian Ocean from its inception in 1964 until 1972, then a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of Mauritius from its inception in 1972 until 1985.
In his capacity as member of the Continental Board of Counsellors for Africa, he contributed enormously to bringing the Bahá’ís of the Indian Ocean islands closer together.
IN MEMORIAM 941
life, and devoted service to the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh. He said,
Roddy possessed a rare and exceptional gift as a shepherd. His motive was always pure and his spirit lofty. People were happy and comfortable in his company. His great quest for unity and brotherhood amongst men brought him early in life to embrace the Bahá’í Faith. And very soon he became one of its most ardent promoters and fearless defenders.
The funeral was attended by hundreds of people from all strata of the Mauritian society, including government ministers, heads of departments, high government officials, a host of Bahá’í friends from far and near, and many of the men and women he had befriended.
The Universal House of Justice paid tribute to Roddy’s memory when it cabled on 25 September 1989:
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4
Roddy Dharma Lutchmaya
Roddy was tmly a remarkable man, judged by any standard. He possessed that rarest of combinations: a spiritual and pious nature, a joyous, kindly and radiant heart, and a sound, discreet and well-balanced mind. In everything he did there was a special mark of quality, of excellence.
In 1966 he had married Premabye Appa, and together they had had four children. He enjoyed his life fully and had a genuine and enthusiastic interest in many things. For example, he was a founding member of the Amateur Dramatic Club of Mauritius. He was like a fountain, constantly giving of himself, forever doing something for someone. He always had a large and friendly smile and a kind word for all he met.
His honesty, integrity and love for humanity won for him the tmst and respect of his fellow men (Bahá’ís and non-Bahá’ís alike), high government Officials, and the people Who worked under him.
At his Bahá’í funeral service, a friend who had known him very closely for more than thirty years movingly eulogized Roddy, eXtolling his outstanding character, exemplary
DEEPLY GRIEVED SUDDEN UNTIMELY DEATH DEVOTED PROMOTER FAITH RODDY LUTCHMAYA. HIS INCESSANT INTENSIVE EFFORTS TEACHING FIELD MAURITIUS FROM EARLY YEARS ESTABLISHMENT FAITH THAT ISLAND, HIS LONG RECORD ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES ON NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY, CULMINATING IN HIS MEMBERSHIP ON BOARD OF COUNSELLORS IN AFRICA, WILL ALWAYS BE LOVINGLY REMEMBERED. HIS HUMILITY, STEADFASTNESS, PERSEVERANCE UNFORGETTABLE. HIS REWARD ABHA KINGDOM UNDOUBTEDLY BOUNTIFUL. MAY RISING GENERATION BAHA’lS ISLANDS INDIAN OCEAN FOLLOW HIS NOBLE FOOTSTEPS.
PRAYING HOLY SHRINES PROGRESS HIS RADIANT SOUL. CALLING FOR SPECIAL MEMORIAL GATHERINGS MOTHER TEMPLE KAMPALA AND IN BAHA’I COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT AFRICAN CONTINENT. CONVEY RELATIVES HEARTFELT SYMPATHY.
NATIONAL SPIRITUAL ASSEMBLY OF THE Bahá’í’s OF MAURITIUS
