Dear Editor,
GUYANESE Hindus are observing the auspicious festival of Navratri in Guyana and in the diaspora. It is nine nights of worshipping in addition to daytime prayers. Hindus also make special offerings in the mornings in their homes at their special altars or mandirs in their yard.

I have been fortunate to observe the festival in Guyana and in several parts of the Guyanese Hindu diaspora (New York, Florida, Trinidad, London, India) on countless occasions. The observance in the diaspora is a duplicate or an almost exact copy cat of that in Guyana. The rituals, traditions, festivities, feeding of worshippers, puja, etc. have been transplanted and duplicated from Guyana into the diaspora.

Guyanese have their own mandirs in several parts of the diaspora including but not limited to New York, New Jersey, Minnesota, Houston, Dallas, New Jersey, Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Tampa and West Palm, etc. Their mode of worshipping, as it is in Trinidad and Suriname, is almost the same in every temple and in every Guyanese Hindu home. There are over 50 Guyanese Mandirs in NY.

During this time of the year, being the most auspicious in the Hindu calendar, Hindus usually invite the pandit into their home for special puja dedicated to the Devis (Durga, Laxmi, Saraswati) in addition to Lord Rama, Lord Krishna, Hanuman, and Ganesh, among other deities. Hindus believe there is only one God but he takes many forms. God can be male or female – no discrimination in Hindu form of worshipping. Hindus pray to the Gods and Goddesses. That tradition is still practiced in the diaspora among Guyanese. Several jhandis or flags are raised during this period in their homes or yards or mandirs.

Also, as I observed in Guyana, temples host nightly Ramayana discourse during the entire nine nights. I attended several mandirs hosting discourses or katha during this period. In New York, almost every Guyanese mandir has been hosting a nightly discourse on the holy Ramayana. The same is done in other parts of the diaspora.

Special oblations and offerings are made during the nightly service as well as during daytime puja. This includes special leaves and flowers as well as special fruits such anar and sugar cane and clothing to the Gods and Goddesses. In NY, almost every item or paraphernalia used in the oblations and purification ceremonies is available. In fact, New York has greater availability than Guyana of the items used in the worshipping.
In Guyana, mandirs conduct aartee after the puja.

The same is done in New York and elsewhere in the diaspora. Guyanese mandirs served a packaged meal as devotes leave the temple.  The same is done in the diaspora. The tradition has been to serve a full buffet style dinner. But in light of COVID-19, almost every temple offers a package to go in Guyana and in the diaspora.

I note that in both at home and diaspora, worshippers are paced out observing COVID-19 protocols. One difference is that in New York, mandirs are packed with congregants. In Guyana, the mandirs are sparsely attended.

Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram