– in the triumph of good over evil

By Gabriella Chapman

STATE House, which was last year declared a cultural mecca by President David Granger, last evening opened its gates to a large number of people who came out in all their finery to usher in the annual Festival of Lights.

And doing the honours as host this year was none other than Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, in his capacity as Acting President in President Granger’s absence.
He used the opportunity to remind his audience of the story behind the venue where the event proper was being held, this being the Baridi Benab on the residence’s well-manicured grounds, saying that it was the President’s idea to create a meeting place of sorts for the populace on specific occasions in keeping with one of the many traditions of our First Peoples.

That bit of history lesson out of the way, the Prime Minister proceeded to thank the President for making the venue a people’s place, saying:
“Being here for the first time, representing and doing this in the name of His Excellency, I think that we can bring back some of the values; the spiritual values; the knowledge that would come from those values, for good life, for honest living, for clean leadership. We have to go back to that original light.”

He also thanked the people for coming out in their numbers and choosing to spend the evening in his company on such an auspicious occasion.

Said he: “We all should see Diwali as the lighting of the light within us; the light that tells

us that we have a conscience; that we don’t have to behave like those who enslaved us and kept our people in bondage…

“A light that tells us that there is a vision that can take us forward.”

And looking on the bright side, the Prime Minister said: “This year must be a year where the lights of Deepavali give us a reason to be better, to do better, to create better in our society, so that all of us can be in a better place.”

The next item on the evening’s grand agenda was the placing of the traditional diya’s and rangolis and around State House, and engaging in photo ‘ops’ with attendees.
The event featured a wealth of poems and Satsangs, generously spice with large helpings of a variety of traditional Hindu foods, including sweetmeats.

There were also performances by the members of the Lodge Hare Krishna Temple, Windsor Forest Arya Samaj Youths, Brahma Kumaris, Raj Yoga Centre and Leguan Mandir.
During the event, condolences were extended to the family of the former owner of Liberty Cinema, businessman Pradeep Samtani, who passed away yesterday. His contribution and efforts to preserve East Indian culture was lauded by the Prime Minister.

One of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, Diwali symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.

During the celebration, temples, homes, shops and office buildings are brightly illuminated.