-mesmerize spectators along motorcade route
Guyanese of all ages, even babies in prams, last night again converged along the route, on the seawall, and along the East Coast corridor to catch a glimpse of the Diwali Motorcade on its way to the La Bonne Intention Community (LBI) Ground, where thousands more waited for the commencement of the annual Diwali programe, annually hosted by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha. Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud has taken Hinduism to new heights in a multiplicity of ways, creating many ingenious firsts in this land where ancestors’ traditions are honoured and the ancient scriptures revered.  Among the many firsts is the popular calendar event, the countrywide annual Diwali Motorcade, which continues to achieve unbelievable creative heights, with entries every year surpassing those of the previous year.
Creative energies of those devoted to the propagation of Hinduism convert ordinary vehicles – minibuses, cars, pickups, trucks, even a horse-cart and RK’s auto-rickshaws  that normally transport people and produce which, for one evening, become transformed into chariots for the gods, with Mother Lakshmi being pivotal to the decorative features.  The scintillating kaleidoscope of colourful pageantry mesmerized everyone, and the unenviable task of the judges was made even more difficult this year, because the entries were surpassing in their innovative creativity that captured the quintessence of the ambience of this Festival of Lights and the transcendental brilliance of Mahalaxhmi in all her glorious forms.  The main motorcade traditionally culminates in a grand cultural extravaganza at the LBI community ground.
An entry obviously belonging to the small vehicles category came from as far away as Cumberland, East Canje. Berbice. 
Other entries included the Shieldstown Durga Devi Mandir; Success Hindu Temple, which had several miniature goddesses delicately balanced in lilies; specially innovative was the entry of the Mon Repos Shree Satyanarayan Mandir, which displayed Sheshnaag guarding the divine couple, Mother Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu, with Lord Ram, Bharat, and Mother Sita, and Lord Ganesh protectively guarding all the deities; entries from Blairmont and Rosignol from the West Bank and West Coast of Berbice; Enmore/Hope Sanatan Dharma Mandir; Montrose Mandir; the Good Hope Mandir, which was uniquely designed with Mother Lakshmi regally poised in a lily nestling amidst a basket of brilliant lights;  the Better Hope Mandir, which looked like a castle in the clouds surrounding Heaven; the Lusignan Radha Krishna Mandir, which was cleverly designed to portray Lord Ram, Bharat and Mother Sita in front, with a symbolic Mother Sita precariously cushioned on a lily at the back of the small vehicle; the Bhuvaneshwar and cotton Tree Mandirs, as well as several others that had preceded the arrival of Chronicle’s staff.
What was exceptional were the private entries, which included the outstanding Balesar family, Regal Stationery, and the Station Street, Kitty Community displays.  Distinctive were the sole horse-drawn entry, all the way from the Dhanan Filling Station of Cotton Tree, West Coast Berbice and RK’s auto-rickshaws.
An indisputable winner was the glorious and brilliant entry from the Beharry Group of Companies, which came alive like a Garden of Eden, with fountains spouting water aloft then flowing gracefully into rivulets, revolving lilies bearing miniature Mother Lakshmis, shooting flames replicating Mother’s divine energy of light, and live guitar music.
Needing special mention also were the outstanding Dharmic Sabha float and the Iskcon Nimai Pandit Study Centre of the Hare Krishna Movement, which also displayed shooting flames in an entry that was energized with the live music played by mainly young children, led by Prabhupadeva, who was dancing in pleasure as they chanted the name of Lord Krishna. 
According to the organisation, the Deepavali motorcade is now indisputably the largest event in the country and brings together people from different religious persuasions, races, and ages in an atmosphere of harmony as they converge at strategic points countrywide to view the elaborate floats.                the sublime message, through various interpretations, of the divine festival of lights, as symbolized by Mahalakshmi, the benevolent mother of the world, who bestows upon her children light, wealth, and love.  The events were incident-free as everyone seem to have heeded the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s appeal for individuals to refrain from using alcoholic beverages, which were strictly prohibited at all of the events that were planned, admissions to which were absolutely free.
The Sabha’s central motorcade moved last evening from the Shri Krishna Mandir in Campbellville, proceeding through Sandy Babb Street, JB Singh Highway, Kitty Public Road, along the East Coast Public Road to the LBI Community Centre Ground. 
The cultural programme showcased the amazing talent of the country’s top singers, including Mohan Nandu, Sookrani Boodhoo, Rekha Singh and Krishna Mandata. Young singers from the Dharmic Sabha’s cultural youth arm, Emerging Voices mesmerized the audience with their performance while the Dharmic Nritya Sangh captured everyone’s hearts with their superlative dance performances.   His Excellency President Bharrat Jagdeo presented prizes to the winners.