GUYANESE recently celebrated Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. It was indeed a display of our multiculturalism at its best as Guyanese by the thousands lined the route of the Diwali motorcade organised by the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha.

But beneath the festivities and dazzling lights resided a story of darkness and treachery as narrated in the scriptures.

Diwali is about the return of Lord Rama after 14 years in exile and symbolises the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The festival also coincides with harvest and New Year celebrations.

President, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali in extending Diwali greetings to the Guyanese people, stressed the importance of family and family values. This has particular relevance in the context of his One Guyana vision which seeks to unite all Guyanese regardless of ethnicity and political affiliation under the One Guyana umbrella.

Guyana is now at a stage in its development when the collective energies of its entire citizenry is needed to catapult this nation of ours to greater heights. And, as noted by President Ali, the message of Diwali is about removing darkness in every shape and form, removing obstacles that obstruct the development of our communities, our homes, families and these are things that the rich tradition of leadership of the Dharmic Sabha has worked hard and fought for in this country.

It is important that we reflect on our past, even as we celebrate our future. Older Guyanese can relate to our dark past when the political, cultural and moral fabric of our society was under stress due to the undemocratic and divisive tactics used by the then PNC regime to divide the Guyanese people. Not even religion and religious organisations were spared the wrath of the Burnham regime and those that refused, as it were, to toe the political line were subjected to all manner of subterfuges to have them divided, if not destroyed.

It was in the above context that the formation of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha has to be seen and appreciated. It was to the credit of the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud and his dynamic leadership that the majority of Hindus are now part of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the largest Hindu organisation in Guyana which now has at its leadership Dr Vindhya Persaud, who is continuing along the steps of her late father. Indeed, the idea of the Diwali Motorcade was the brainchild of the late Pandit Persaud.

As the message of Diwali has reminded us all, darkness can never prevail over light. Put in a different way, light always prevails over darkness. Guyana, with all its difficulties and challenges has triumphed. And as noted by President Ali, the last two years were particularly challenging due to a combination of floods, the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects of the war in Ukraine. Despite the challenges, “we went through some of our greatest injustices, and I want to thank all of you, all Guyanese who stood up like a lamp with brilliance in ensuring that justice, [the] rule of law, and freedom, fundamental issues were protected with the way you stood up for justice. And I thank you on behalf of the people of Guyana,” the President said in his Diwali message.

These are not only comforting but reassuring words coming from the Guyanese leader whose passion and commitment to a harmonious and cohesive society seems boundless.