Rabindranath Persaud, President of the Viraat Sabhaa Guyana

Holi, or Phagwah, is a seasonal festival which predates the Vedic era. From remote antiquity, this festival was celebrated with great pomp and joy by all cross-sections of the Hindu community.

Phagwah symbolises the freedom from confinement in every regard. It is a time when nature exhibits its beauty with the introduction of the spring season. With the advent of spring, Life blooms in every kingdom. The plants, animals, birds and humans welcome and celebrate the freedom influenced Mother Nature’s hospitality.

The season offers many opportunities for human reflection. Every human being should aspire to be a product of liberation. In simple terms, Man should recognise he is more a product of divinity than sin. Liberation, the high point of the Hindu Life, can be achieved only when the divine inherent potentialities in the individual is explored and exploited to its fullest extent. The capacity for such an exploration solely depends on the discriminate power of the aspirant; i.e. to be loyal to our conscience, rather than be a slave to our minds and senses.

Phagwah also sends the message of integration and cohesion. The multi-colours associated with the festival are a clear testimony of varieties adding to nature’s beauty.
It is the conflux of different flowers that influences the delight of the gardener; likewise, when there is human integration and cohesion, God, the great gardener, becomes delighted.

The changing season also sends the undisputable message of the dynamics of change. All changes at every level are influenced by Mother Nature’s hospitality: whether the movement of sea shells, the flow of the river, and the changes in body structure or even organisational changes; all inevitably are materialised by the power of nature, and should be accepted, like the different seasons. The phenomenal changes of life are transitory, and are not considered adversely by the wise.

The message of good triumphing over evil must not be overlooked. The story of Bhakt Prahalaal and his tyrant father Hiranyakashipu should never be forgotten. There is no crime in civil resistance.
Bhakt Prahalaal never resorted to violence; he excluded himself from the political affairs of the kingdom, which was ruled through dictatorship. He didn’t allow himself to be bullied by the opposing forces created by his father. As a matter of fact, he never wanted to inherit a kingdom that is rooted in violence and atrocities.

It was this type of resistance Mahatma Gandhiji emulated to confront his oppressors. Gandhiji’s victory over the British oppressors was a clear indication that hate, violence and war are not the answers to any crisis.

It is Bhakt Prahalaal who set the standard to befriend the one all-pervasive God, and strengthened his faith with that all-powerful Lord to weaken the dictatorship of his father and to create a new epoch, where righteousness and Dharm were established.

Holi is also a time for sharing. It is a time when farmers and peasant celebrate the harvesting of their crops and, at the same time, indulge in yagnas and pujas, thanking God for his benedictions and also securing blessings for their future crops. Basant therefore sends a universal message which has the potentialities to remove hopelessness and reinstate confidence.

May all be blessed through the significance of the festival.

The Viraat Sabhaa Guyana extends Holi greetings to all Guyanese!