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Paras Ramoutar
TRINIDAD, November, 2012, (by Paras Ramoutar): This oil-rich nation with
44% of its 1.3 million of East Indian stock celebrated its 167th Divali, a
public holiday since 1966. Divali celebrations climaxed as more than
300,000 Hindus lit diyas, burst fire-crackers and recited special prayers
and benediction to Mother Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Beauty. Prime
Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, in her Divali message, prayed, "Ma
Lakshmi, Bless Our Land." She continued: "Wherever there is
darkness in this land, whether in the form of perceived threats to fundamental
freedoms, whether it is the darkness of poverty, the violation of the
person, especially the rape and abuse of our women and children, I will
work to eradicate these forms of darkness and bring light and healing to
those affected."
The President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, Prof. Maxwell
Richards, noted that Divali had come to Trinidad and Tobago with East
Indian immigrants, but the Hindu Festival was now celebrated by persons of
different cultural and religious background. "Divali serves as a
visual as a visual representation of the Divali theme of the triumph of
light over darkness, of good over evil, of truth over falsehood and
knowledge over ignorance," he said. Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Winston Dookeran hailed the interpretation of Divali as, "a human
outlet to seek the spiritual enrichment and to transfer this element to the
total transformation of the society and mankind." He praised the
teachings embedded in Hinduism as, "an eternal message of hope, of
promoting the concept total love, truth and human understanding. Prakash
Ramadhar, Minister of Legal Affairs, said that there is an eternal message
of Divali which must be practiced in our daily lives.
One of the highlights of Divali in Trinidad and Tobago is the annual Divali
Nagar which attracts over 130,000 patrons during its nine-day programme,
and it featured religious, spiritual and cultural programs reflecting the
true nature and strength of Indian culture. Visitors from as far as India,
England, Canada, Holland, USA, South Africa attend. Indian High
Commissioner, Shri Malay Mishra, in an address, noted that, no part of
India ever hosts a Divali Nagar, and commended Dr Deokienanan Sharma,
president of the National Council of Indian Culture(NCIC) for holding it.
Sharma said: "Divali Nagar, through its cultural presentations, food
and dress, exposure to all the different sects of Hinduism and it theme
presentations have all combined to showcase Indo-Trinidadian culture in all
its glory."
The Indian Diaspora here was originally sourced from Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar between 1845 and 1917, when over 148,000 East Indians were brought
here by the then British colonial government to work on the sugar and cocoa
plantations.
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