THE EDITOR: The Hindu Women's Organisation of TT notes with serious concern the continuing assault on our places of worship. We would like to clarify that even public parks are converted into sacred spaces during this period of celebrations of a religious and cultural nature observed by the Hindu community until Divali.
Our mandirs have been broken into, murtis destroyed, buildings defaced, cooking utensils defiled by the cooking of meat in them.
These incidents have occurred in the east (Carapo), central (Hindu Prachaar Kendra, Carli Bay, Beaucarro, Mc Bean), and in the south (Tarouba and Williamsville), among other places in the country.
Ramleela literally means the story of Shri Ram, an incarnation of God who walked this Earth to show mankind how to deal with the challenges of life in a noble way. The central message off this street theatre is that evil as portrayed by Ravana in the Ramayana can be overcome by good, light can eliminate darkness.
Who and what are the creators of these warped minds, these individuals who use their energy for evil purposes when there is so much work to be done to create harmony among our different ethnic and cultural groups?
Does our Constitution not ensure freedom of religious practice?
These horrendous acts are directly opposed to our national watchwords, Discipline, Production, Tolerance and maybe the time has come to replace tolerance with mutual respect. It will fall to the authorities and strong advocacy from concerned citizens to make this significant change, as respect in its physical form is almost non-existent in our country today.
Many questions come to mind:
Where is the TTPS in all of this? Are investigations into these matters ongoing?
Have any perpetrators been arrested or charged? Can we have some feedback on what has been or is being done to ensure the safety and security of our community, as well as that of other religious groups?
Has any authority publicly denounced these acts?
On behalf of the Hindu community, we exhort our fellow citizens to practise peace, love and respect to each other as we observe this spiritual engagement with the divine. Let us all look forward to lighting our inner light at Divali and always.
KAMLA TEWARIE
via e-mail
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