Speakers expound on significance of ‘Rashtra Jyoti’
–    Symbolic lighting of the national diya
AT THE Indian Arrival Committee (IAC)/Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT & T) annual ‘Rashtra Jyoti’, which is the symbolic lighting of the national diya to usher in Deepavali 2010, held on Wednesday 3rd November  at the Promenade Gardens, speakers from every divide in Guyana all agreed on one premise – that the message of Deepavali transcended cultural mores to embrace all humanity in its sublime message of good overcoming all evil and that man’s soul is the repository of the transcendental light that shines within all of us, only to be extinguished or kept alight by our individual choices. The Promenade Gardens was again the chosen venue for the colourful cultural extravaganza, and the programme commenced at 1800 hrs with a prayer by Pandit Seeraj, followed with brief remarks by Chief Executive of GT&T, Mr. Yog Mahadeo.
The GT & T CEO who, in keeping with the theme of the occasion, paid obeisance to the divinity within everyone at the forum and said that the lighting of the national light celebrates Deepavali, which is a festival commemorated on the darkest night of the year, and that the diyas are lit in stark contrast to the dark night, dispelling the darkness – especially of ignorance and replacing it with the light of wisdom.
“The dispelling of darkness, my friends, is an expression of our soul,” continued Mahadeo, “an expression of our indomitable will to fight against the oppressive clutches of darkness and evil; and like all religious festivals, Diwali has such great significance that It speaks to the freedom of mankind, the freedom of our soul, and the freedom of our willpower to defeat our own (negative) habits, to fight evil and corruption, and to retain that which is good.  This is the power, the light and the significance of Diwali.”
Stating that the GT & T family observes all the religious festivals, Mahadeo said that the premier telecommunication company in Guyana started “Rashtra Jyoti” last year because it believes in the premise of starting what is good.
And starting what is good for GT & T, according to Mahadeo, began nineteen years ago, when the company started the revolution of telecommunications in Guyana, when GT & T begun its quest to deliver the dream of every Guyanese to own their own phone and to connect Guyanese to their destinations countrywide and throughout the world in mutual endeavours between the company and the people of the land. “…..we have stood hand-in-hand with you.  Over the years we have sometimes disagreed, but ultimately we have worked towards the service of our country….and throughout those years you, our Guyanese brothers and sisters, have stood by us.”
“…tonight I want  to make mention, my friends, that this company of ours that we call GT & T….from the top  of the company where there is more than 700 employees, everyone is a Guyanese….to the bottom of the company where there are the directors, the CEO…everyone is a Guyanese.”
The CEO said that, much more than that, is the fact that all the employees are relatives of families within the national construct, and the message that he has given to the staff of the company is that service delivery to a customer should be of a quality that staff members desire for their own families
“We may not be perfect, but we are getting better all the time.”
Mahadeo informed his audience that a little-known fact is that the company gets no less than two fibre cuts every week, where lines are deliberately chopped,  repairs and replacements to which divert resources from expansion and improvement programmes.  Opining that Diwali is a time for introspection, Mahadeo  said that GT & T is a champion in the development processes in Guyana, because the company have created new paradigms  for Guyana and built on which others follow, promising to continue this trend , where, even in darkness, the company has lit the way forward, because “the heartbeat of GT & T is the heartbeat of Guyana, and for that we are proud.”
“….across the country our buildings and our towers, our masts and our staff are all beacons of light tantamount to our love and commitment to our brother and sister Guyanese and for the development of our country….As we light our diyas in our homes across Guyana, spare one moment of thought for the development and the spread of positive energy throughout our country. “
Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, Mr. Robert Williams, expressed his appreciation that the Promenade Gardens was once again the chosen venue for this “historic” initiative.  The city official said that Diwali is a joyous time when “…we seek to purify our inner self and our physical environment.  It is a time when we emphasize the spirit of caring and sharing with love and deepen devotion.
“As we celebrate with the traditional diyas, cleaning our homes and purification of our souls, let us contemplate ways of improving the general condition of our city – Georgetown. “  The Deputy Mayor said that the spiritual significance of Diwali must not be lost, but should allow for the renewal of spiritual and moral values so that headlines would reflect more positive occurrences “..and more love and devotion to each other.”
Pt. Ravi Persaud, who gave a brilliant dissertation on the significance of Deepavali, elucidated thus:  “Deepavali, the Festival of Lights, had its origins from the beginning of time, or what you may call removed antiquity.  The first mantra in the very first book, which is called the “Rig Vedas”, which is the very first book in the world’s library, the first word is “agni”, which refers to light….In the “Bhagwat Gita, Shree Krishna Chandra Bhagwan spoke to Arjuna ….cherish the devas, and the devas will cherish you…..The first deva that he referred to was in the form of light – the form of the sun , Agni, and the feminine of that agni is referred to as “Lakshmi” – the mother of all lights.
“When we celebrate Deepavali, we are celebrating nature’s contribution to mankind, for example, the sun, the earth, the moon, the waters, the atmosphere.  The very first prayer (speaks to) he who preserves nature, he who works in conformity with nature, and he who prepares an environment conducive for life, that person will become blessed and prosperity will be bestowed upon them, which is the Vedic interpretation .”
“The Puranas have it that every time evil propensities, whether in oneself, or in any established way – such as in the case of Ravan from the Ramayan, like King Hiranyakashyapu from the Bharat Puranas, like Kans Maharaj from the Prem Sagar – in all of these, when demonical forces are being conquered or defeated, the devtas and the peaceful people would prepare lights to celebrate because, when you revoke evil propensities you become like light; and so light plays an integral part in the development of every being.”  Pt. Ravi quoted scriptures which taught that the first gift from God to man was light in the form of the sun; also the soul, which is the witness to all one’s actions, is also called light, making light and life inseparable
Quoting from a doha in the Ramayan that translates thus: “Like water and waves are inseparable, like fire and heat are inseparable, the word and its meaning, the earth and its fertility, the flower and its fragrance, similarly life and light are inseparable.”
Pandit Ravi informed his audience that during the darkest night of the year Diwali is celebrated and that humankind will be transforming that darkness into a most illuminated night, the significance of which is that dispelling darkness in its many and varied forms lie in our own thoughts, ideas, efforts, our own willpower, and in our own hands.
Pt Ravi said that the observation of Deepavali should not be merely a ritualistic and surface celebration, but that the expectation is that the significance should encourage everyone to always work toward overcoming evil propensities and dispel all darkness that impede the light of human development.
He alluded to the tradition when businesspersons will establish new accounts for the future year, because Deepavali also has an economic meaning, as well as environmental and cultural meanings; as our soul it has spiritual meaning, and physically, it is representative of the light and the good things of life, which encompass all-round development, so that we can raise the nation, raise a family, raise ourselves, rather than debase an individual, debase a family, and debase a community.  Pt. Ravi said that Deepavali is always about raising the standards of life and establishing light wherever we go.
Chairman of the Public Service Commission, Mr. Ramesh Dookhoo said that the deeper meaning of Deepavali transcends religious and ethnic boundaries, because the festival is a celebration of the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.  According to the PSC Chairman, Deepavali is a time when the inner light within us is encouraged to reveal itself.  Referring to the thousands of Guyanese of all ethnic groups and persuasion who traditionally enjoy the spectacle of the countrywide motorcades and the fact that the festival has become truly national in scope, Mr. Dookhoo said that it is the true significance of Deepavali that we must embrace.
“It is a time of joyous sharing between families and friends, and among neighbours of all faiths.  This is the true spirit of Deepavali which must be nurtured and strengthened by Hindus all over Guyana and throughout the world.
“Last year, when President Obama lit the ceremonial diya in the White House, two million American Hindus celebrated the gesture, and I believe they were very proud Hindus. Obama lit a traditional lamp as a Hindu priest with a three-pronged tilak on his forehead chanted (text from the Upanishads in Sanskrit) ’lead us from the unreal to the real, and from darkness to light, and from debt to liberation’……on November 7th the President of the USA will celebrate Diwali  with children in the city of Mumbai.”
“In Guyana we have always been a multicultural society in which all faiths and ethnicities join together in celebrating each other’s festivals, and our progressive religious leaders practice peace, love and harmony amongst religious groups.  We are indeed fortunate to live in such a society and we must always remember that the things that unite us are indeed greater than those that divide us. We have grown together in a spirit of unity and love and Deepavali is one of the times when we come together in celebration of that unity.  We of the Private Sector are pleased that at this Deepavali festival we are closer as a nation than we have ever been, and more prosperous than we have ever been before.
”Our economy grew over a number of years and business is prospering in many sectors.  We are convinced that the future will be brighter for all Guyanese, and that we can all come together in harmony, in the true spirit of cooperation to build our country further……..May ignorance be replaced by enlightenment, and communal harmony illuminate the lives of those who are in need of help so that all can prosper.”
Representative of the Indian Arrival Committee, Aditya Persaud, said that the IAC has progressed tremendously since it was established in 2003, with its main focus being promoting Indian culture and dealing with social issues in the country.  He detailed some of the activities of the organization throughout the years and outlined some of the forthcoming events, which are clean entertainment that families can enjoy together.  He also spoke of reformational and transformational social interactions to assist persons who have suffered from natural and man-made catastrophes, such as the floods of 2005 and the murderous and ugly assaults on innocent persons in Guyana during difficult times in the history of our land.
Vice-Chairman of the PNC/R and representative of the Party, Mr. Basil Williams, Mr. Basil Williams, also spoke of the significance of the Festival of Lights and exhorted Guyanese everywhere to adhere to the principles enshrined in the doctrines of Deepavali.  He also joined with the other speakers to encourage all Guyanese to rise above partisan persuasions and reach out to each other in the spirit of the Deepavali celebrations.  The Upper Berbice Chamber of Commerce sent a message to be read by the MC.
Representing President Jagdeo was Attorney-General Mr. Charles Ramson, who preluded his feature address with a synopsis of the meaning and the festivities of Diwali.  Applauding Pt. Ravi’s brilliant dissertation on the meaning and traditional mores of Deepavali, the AG drew a nexus between the current prosperity of Guyana, alluded to by Mr. Dookhoo, and the festival of which the symbolical deity is Mother Lakshmi, who is the goddess of light, love and wealth. He recalled the struggles of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, whose transcendental love for humanity encompassed the entire universe, evident from his propagation of a new global dispensation as propounded in his “New Global Human Order,” a concept espoused and embraced by world bodies, which he says is the philosophical and traditional development trajectory of the country’s current administration.  He lauded President Bharrat Jagdeo’s exceptionally brilliant leadership and his adherence to the promises made to the nation by Dr. Jagan for advancing the concepts of developmental imperatives that has fructified in the prosperity that Mr. Ramesh Dookhoo alluded to in his address.
Dance items were done by the Ishara and Shelita Dance Troupes, with songs being rendered by Pandit Dhamo Prashad and Ms Devi Pooran.  Master of Ceremonies was Neaz Subhan of the IAC.
The National Diya was then lit to signify the overcoming of adversities and the heralding of prosperity of Guyana.
This year’s “Rashtra Jyoti” is the second collaborative cultural Deepavali programme between the IAC and GT&T, with the highlight of the programme being the lighting of the National Diya (earthen lamp) to usher in Deepavali 2010, which symbolizes the triumph of light over darkness, with all its implications and ramifications.
During the inaugural “Rashtra Jyoti” last year, the National Diya was lit by His Excellency President Bharat Jagdeo, who said “….children are the diyas of our lives…” and adjured the nation to heed the tenets of the scriptures and apply them to daily existence.  A release from GT & T stated that Leader of the Main Opposition Robert Corbin and other officials also symbolically lit other earthen lamps.