THE EDITOR: TT celebrates Divali on October 31, a public holiday since 1966.
Divali continues to generate national appeal from all sectors of the populace, whether at Divali Nagar or spread throughout the nation.
Our country is crying for leadership at all levels of society. The task at hand is to find quick and serious responses to the economic, social, cultural problems, to unemployment, rising food prices, deterioration of public utilities, and governance.
Divali promotes multiculturalism and secularism and has become an institution in TT. It is a festival that continuously knits mankind with the Creator. The teachings, the messages, the philosophy are embedded in our spiritual texts, all of which have given hope, faith, forbearance and tenacity to past generations, and will certainly do the same for us and future generations.
The prescription for all social, economic, cultural and political challenges will be found in the great religions of mankind. Hindus and the Indian diaspora have an integral part in this process. We must not replace our sacred religious texts with political manifestoes, which in some cases are the norms.
As we observe Divali 2024, we must engage ourselves in the noble task of a spiritual revolution as pronounced by the great seers and religious leaders to chip in and help change the course of human history now, or we will face the perils of hopelessness leading to doomsday.
We in TT can boast that our republican Constitution safeguards and promotes religious freedom and observance. And we will not surrender this basic inalienable right to any man or government.
The observance of Divali has its roots in the arrival 186 years ago of the first East Indians who came to these shores from India, principally Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They not only contributed to the socio-economic development of the country, but engineered a religious and cultural platform.
The Indian diaspora proudly celebrates numerous East Indian religious festivals such as Lord Ganesh Ustav, Lord Hanuman Jayanti, Ram Naumi, Lord Krishna Janamasti, Holi, and a network of other religious and spiritual occasions.
The lights of Divali must not be a one-day affair, but they must become part of mankind's natural instincts. And the observance of Divali must be respected, for it is not an occasion for fetes, but one of sacredness.
Acharya Swami Avdheshanand Giri, in his Footprints, called on mankind to wake up from lethargy, inertia and indifference, be active and dynamic, and be harmonious with everybody and everywhere: “The ultimate reality is one, infinite, eternal, self-existent, self-luminous and self-contained spiritual being. Faith and practice can enable you to overcome any and every obstacle in the spiritual path. If you want to be happy, make others happy. This is the divine law. Love is an irresistible and inevitable force.”
We all must promote familial and communal contacts at all times. As we celebrate Divali, let us renew our efforts to keep the flag of Hinduism and Indian culture flying now and e
