THE Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha is sticking to their call for Diwali to be celebrated on November 11, despite the official date being proclaimed a day earlier by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.But not all Hindus agree with the Sabha. Some of the country’s most powerful religious leaders and bodies are in agreement with the date proclaimed by the Minister – November 10.
The relatively new Viraat Sabha, which is composed of some of the leading pandits who once supported the Dharmic Sabha, is in agreement with November 10, and they have the support of the Guyana Pandits Council.
The Dharmic Sabha has claimed that they have been advising the Guyana government of the dates of the two Hindu religious organisations for the past 40 years.
But President of the Pandits Council, Rudra Sharma, told the Guyana Chronicle that that is a “fallacy.”
He said that the Dharmic Sabha only started to advise the government of the dates in 1993, and that prior to that, it was the Pandits Council which had advised of the dates for the two festivals the Hindus celebrate.
Sharma pointed out that the Dharmic Sabdha has had its dates wrong in the past. Regarding the full moon (Purnima) last month, Sharma said the Sabha printed on its calendar September 28, when it fact the new moon was sighted a day before.
According to the Dharmic Sabha, Diwali which occurs annually on Amawasya or the new moon day of the Hindu month of Kartik, is the 15th Tithi in the dark half of Kartik and the darkest night of the year.
And according to the Panchang/ Patra, this occurs on November 11.
“This coincides exactly with the western astronomers’ calculation of the new moon which is listed for Guyana as occurring on November 11 at 13:47 hrs. The new moon effect will be experienced as darkness falls, the Dharmic Sabha said, adding that performing Maha Lakshmi Puja on November 11 would, therefore, be on new moon day as prescribed.”
The Viraat Sabha disagrees. It has the backing of notable Hindu leaders such as the widely respected Cove and John Ashram, Swami Aksharananda, Pandir and Doctor Bhudendranauth Doobay (Cardiologist) of Canada and Panditt. Rajin Balgobin.
The Viraat Sabhaa argues that what is explicit, as contained in the Kaashi Panchang/Patra – an annual publication on astrology and Hinduism – is that Pradosh Kaal, Nisheet and Mahaa Nischeet Kaal (all being auspicious times), are present on November 10.
With Amawasya (dark night) ending on 13:47 hrs on Wednesday, November 11, after which, automatically, a new moon begins, Viraat Sabhaa is arguing that this further confirms November 10 as the official day, since the festival cannot be observed in the new moon but it must on the darkest night of the year.
To further support their point, the body noted that the Panchangs/Patras also allude to world zones for these dates. The zone for Trinidad and Tobago and Suriname, according to them, shows the festival to be observed on November 10. Trinidad’s Swaha calendar confirms this, they say.
The Dharmic Sabha is, however, sticking to its position, and will be celebrating Diwali on November 11, and will continue its countrywide motorcades as scheduled, including the final motorcade being on the date officially proclaimed as Diwali.
The Sabha has prepared a petition that has been sent around the country for the various Hindus to sign on to, which will further be submitted to Minister Ramjattan for him to rescind his proclamation of November 10 as Diwali and declare the holiday as November 11.

By Narendra Seoraj