Pundit Maniedeo Persad FLMI(Dist.), ACII was born in 1962, the fifth son of the Shankarachaya Pundit Hari Prasad and Mataji Chandrawti Prasad.
Academically he is the holder of two professional qualifications in insurance and is the founder and Managing Director of EKTA Group of Companies and the Founder and Managing Director of SWAHA Media Ltd which holds the Concession for ieTV. He negotiated and managed the acquisition of the media house in 2017 and has also created ieRADIO an internet radio station as the sister Company to ieTV. He was recently in 2021 awarded the Commonwealth Innovation Award for his contribution to Responsible Electronic Media.
He started Punditai practice from the age of 15 and has completed over 44 years’ service in the Hindu Community to date. He is one of the Founding Directors of SWAHA Inc and has served in many capacities on the Board of SWAHA and in National Committees over the years particularly in Finance, Administration and Media. He is the creator of many programmes on Hinduism for Radio and Television and created the SWAHA TV Series since inception in 1990. He has also written a book on the worship of Lord Ganesh which is used in the Sri Ganesh Festival worship.
In 1999, he founded the Sri Ganesh Festival Committee serving as Chairman has developed celebrations in the West. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the International Gita Forum which was started in 2012 and annually has participation from India and diaspora countries.
Pundit Maniedeo Persad is the Founder and Spiritual Leader of SWAHA Sri Raam Dhaam a four storey Hindu Complex on St Lucien Road Diego Martin. He has served as a Government Senator during the Seventh and Eight Parliaments of Trinidad and Tobago. In 2003 he was appointed as Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commissioner to the Republic of India with concurrent accreditation to Japan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Indonesia resident in New Delhi India until 2010.
Pt Maniedeo is married to Rohini Persad who conceptualised the SWAHA Sri RAAM Dhaam design. Pt Maniedeo and Rohini have two children Kalyaani Vaani Persad and Pundit Kavish Veda Persad who is attached to SWAHA Sri RAAM Dhaam.

The building of this Centre was a collaborative work with many families involved in this project many of whom are highlighted. Further updates will provide information on our Leaders and families in our history segment being developed.