–President Ali hails coming together of Guyanese, unifying nature of the Festival of Lights

By Cassandra Khan
THOUSANDS of people turned out on Sunday to witness the return of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s Diwali Motorcade after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Families and friends all gathered to see the floats as well as the Grand Stage Programme at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Community Centre Ground on the East Coast Demerara.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, addressing the gathering at the LBI Ground, praised the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, who started the Diwali motorcade here, for his work in propagating Hinduism and the Hindu culture and tradition in Guyana.

He also extended greetings to all Guyanese, especially those of the Hindu community.

“Diwali recalls the welcome return of Rama, Sita and Lakshman to Ayodhya. The festival also reminds us of the blessings of fortune bestowed by Lakshmi,” the President said in an earlier message to mark the occasion.

President Ali related that Diwali is observed through worship, the sharing of sweetmeats and gifts, and outpourings of affection, kindness, and friendliness towards others.

The cleaning, decorating and illumination of the home reflect the pride and reverence attached to the observance of this festival.

“This sacred festival erupts in spectacular, bright, colourful and lively expressions, symbolic of the drowning out of negativity and despondency, and the banishing of ill-will, malice and division,” President Ali said.

He noted that Diwali foretells the inevitable triumph of good over evil, the supersession of knowledge and truth over ignorance and dishonesty, and the primacy of unity over disunity.

“Diwali is a time for families, friends and foes to come together and celebrate the shared bonds of humanity. The noble ideals associated with this dazzling and illuminative festival remind us that the greatest gifts, which life and divine providence have bestowed upon us, are meant to be shared with our fellow brothers and sisters,” the Head of State related.

He added: “The sacred texts of Hinduism direct that all Creation is infused with oneness; a divine spark exists in all of us.”

President Ali noted that the unity of the nation is essential to the objective of shared prosperity. Under the ‘One Guyana’ banner, Guyanese are coming together, rejecting the forces of division and hatred, and uniting in the pursuit of peace, progress, and prosperity.

“May the spirit of Diwali, celebrated with such fervour in our country, help to fuse our people closer together, respecting our ethnic diversity, setting aside division, and uniting all in pursuit of the common good!” he said, as he urged the gathering to remember those who lost their lives to COVID-19. Through much hard work, the government has stood strong in response to challenges occasioned by the pandemic, floods and other incidents over the past two years.

Human Services and Social Security Minister Dr. Vindhya Persaud said there are over 30 participants in this year’s motorcade.

“It seems like people are inspired; it is a unifying force. It really represents Guyana and how we celebrate our diversity; how we celebrate each other, and how open we are to respecting and understanding each other’s space and culture,” said Minister Persaud, who is also the president of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.

Minister Persaud was extremely happy that Guyana is showing the world, once again, how Guyana celebrates Diwali, and the motorcade, which is “iconic”.

She noted that this is spiritual, and it is such a thing of beauty and in many ways, the beauty of the spirit behind the float, the beauty of people coming together, the beauty of everyone sharing love, and the beauty of finding the light within sharing it.

The Guyana Chronicle spoke to some spectators at the motorcade who shared that they were happy to be out again, after the two-year hiatus.

Karan Simerson, who would normally come out every year with her mother, said the motorcade met every expectation she had.

Cheni Rockliff and her two-year-old son, who was attending his first motorcade, were amazed by the lights. Rockcliff said she was glad to be back out enjoying the floats, and is happy that her son can be exposed to the culture, even though they are Christians.