–says Diwali is celebration of love, togetherness

By Tajeram Mohabir
PRESIDENT of the Guyana Pandits Council, Rudra Sharma, is calling on Hindus throughout Guyana to be united as the country celebrates Diwali, the Festival of Lights, on November 10th — the nationally declared date.

Sharma told the Guyana Chronicle that Diwali is the celebration of love and togetherness, and light over darkness.
He pointing out that there should not be any rancour and ill-feeling towards each other at this time, because of the Dharmic Sabha’s allegedly faulty calculation of the date for the festival.

For Hindus, the lighting of the diyas symbolises the destruction, through knowledge, of all negative forces, and this includes wickedness, violence, lust, anger, envy, greed, bigotry, fear, injustice, oppression and suffering.

In India, Diwali is celebrated on November 10th in South India and November 11th in North India. South India uses the Shalivahana calendar, and Diwali does not coincide with the beginning of a new year.

The date in the south falls on Ashvina Krishna Chaturdasi (the lunar day before the new moon). The exact date is calculated based on the last 90 minutes before sunrise (Arunodaya). Unlike the north, the festival is spelt Deepavali, and involves bathing before sunrise. The celebrations last for four days.

In the north, it is different. The celebrations go on for five days, and Diwali falls on the following lunar day on Ashvina Amavasya (lunar day of new moon). The date is calculated based on extended Pradosha (a few hours after sunset), and is observed by lighting diyas, lanterns and firecrackers.

NOT THE SAME
In addition, the daily celebrations are not the same. For example, on day one in South India, the celebrations commemorate the victory of Lord Krishna over the demon Naraka. And devotees take a bath early in the morning before sunrise.

In the north, on day one, it is the commemoration of the birth of Dhanvantari (the physician of the Gods). Dhan translates to wealth, and the Goddess Lakshmi is being worshipped for prosperity and well-being. The vast majority of Indian businesses start their accounting year on this day.

Here in Guyana, there has been some division in the Hindu community on the date for the festival, with the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha contending that the true date for the celebrations is November 11.
The Dharmic Sabha had pointed out that Diwali occurs annually on Amawasya, or the new moon day of the Hindu month of Kartik, and is the 15th Tithi (a lunar) in the darkest half of Kartik.
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 13:47hrs. The new-moon effect will be experienced as darkness falls,” the President of Dharmic Sabha, Dr Vindyha Persaud said.

She added that performing Maha Lakshmi Puja at 18:00 hours on November 11 would therefore be four hours later than the exact Amawasya moment, and within the new moon day itself, as opposed to doing puja at 18:00 hours on November 10, which would be about 20 hours before the actual occurrence of the new moon, and almost a full day before.

Incorrect
“This is clearly incorrect and not in keeping with the norms of Hindu tradition,” the Dharmic Sabha said, adding that it has been calculating for more than 40 years on the basis of the Bhavani Shankar Panchang, one of India’s most renowned and reputable Panchangs

The Dharmic Sabha, a cultural organisation, also claimed that it has been providing dates for Hindu Festivals to the Ministry of Homes Affairs (now National Security Ministry) for the past 40 years.
But Pandit Ramdial Balbadar of the Sanatan Vaidic Dharma Pandits Sabha said he very much doubts that Dr Persaud’s findings are based on the Bhavani Shankar Panchang.

He said the Bhavani Shankar Panchang does not differ from the 100-year Kaashi or any other Panchangs.
“Everybody agrees that Diwali is celebrated in the evening of Amawasya in the month of Kartik. The logical thing to do, therefore, it to determine the evening of Amawasya. To do this, you have to firstly establish the duration of Amawasya — its starting and finishing time, in order to correctly situate Diwali within this period. I know of no other method. Every event within the Hindu calender is located within an astrological time-frame. From the calculation, we see that Amawasya begins at 11:35 hours on November 10th, runs the entire night of November 10, and finishes at 13:27 hours on November 11. Which evening then is Amavasya? November 10th, of course!” he said.

He contended that Dr Persaud is actually saying that it is better to celebrate Diwali at 18:00 hours on November 11 than 18:00 hours on November 10, because the former is only 4 hours after Amavasya, while the latter is 20 hours before the actual occurrence of the moon.

“Is this what we have been reduced to, fixing our religious dates according to our whims and fancies? What kind of logic is this?” he asked.

Pandit Sharma also refuted the claim by Dr Persaud that the Dharmic Sabha has been providing dates for Hindu festivals to the Ministry for the past 40 years, pointing out that it only began doing so in 1993.

The Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha had also pointed out that Diwali is celebrated on November 11 in India, and Guyana should follow that date.
But Pandit Sharma told the Guyana Chronicle that India is 9.5 hours ahead of Guyana, and as such, if Guyana is to celebrate the festival within the timeframe it should be celebrated, the celebrations will fall on November 10, and not November 11.