A celebration of light, love and unity

THE Diwali motorcade is an exciting, colourful and vibrant display of floats decorated with lights, foam, feathers, and people beautifully dressed in their cultural wear depicting the spirit of Diwali. As a young man, Khemraj Lall was always captivated by the exquisite Diwali motorcade. But he was even more fascinated by the people behind it. Today, Khemraj is the driving force of a team that puts together the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s Motorcade. Growing up, Diwali was a celebration and experience like Christmas for him and now, he is helping bring Diwali to life.

Apart from this being his second year as the manager for the Motorcade, Khemraj is also the general secretary of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha’s youth group and has been a part of the association for close to 10 years. The Diwali motorcade is one of the most anticipated occasions of the Diwali season. It is where men and women line the streets to see their culture and religion displayed with bright floats that each tell a story and where many memories are made.

“Diwali makes me feel cozy, safe and warm. The lights, the sweetmeats and the entire thing that it is all about. It is more about family, love and togetherness,” Khemraj shared. The warmth of the lights and the love have always made Khemraj feel closer to his family and roots. He stated that, “It comes from my fore-parents and what they taught us and the traditions from my grandma and grandad that we kept and we still do them today. It is like I still have a part of them with me. Like, I still have them here.”

The Motorcade is a vital part of Diwali. Khemraj and a team of fifteen to twenty people are the players who work tirelessly to craft the Motorcade from scratch. Most people who work on the Motorcade have jobs and obligations but dedicate their evenings to building the magnificent float that will be showcased on Saturday.

“Each person is responsible for a different aspect of the float. Whether it is buying the material, getting sponsorships, reaching out to sponsors, getting the hard material or getting the floats built. It is more teamwork than it is a one-man job. It cannot be a one-man job,” Khemraj stated.

Although with more hands, the work would be easier, Khemraj says it is the crew’s dedication. The long hours of designing, welding, and painting make it all happen. “We have a good turnout, normally between 15-20 persons.” Khemraj further stated that, “Are they here every night? No. But we have the turnout we need. If you have one or two dedicated individuals, nothing is impossible.”

The creative aspect and general idea that has to connect with the theme of Diwali is the work of Khemraj. “We have a team and we have an advisor, but I practically bring it all together. Of course, my team has their input, but I have been doing this for a long time, and I am here hands-on. ” Khemraj said. The biggest underlying factor about the Motorcade is its ability to represent or conceptualise the core elements of Diwali. As Khemraj explained, “The thing that needs to be understood about a Diwali motorcade is that it is not just getting beautiful things by putting them together. It has to all resonate around Diwali.”

Deciding on what will be represented on the float is the team’s first and oftentimes biggest step. But sometimes, they just know what they want to create. “Sometimes you just have to look at something and know that it is right, creativity or no creativity, because it fits.” However, when the finished product is done and ready to display, people see the lights and colours, but what is not seen is the precision it takes to put it together. “Sometimes, I have to decide if I should put an arch here or there. And then something may be five centimetres off. This requires a lot of math. All of the arches I hand drew. Everything is measurements and precision, yes, this is beautiful, but how can I make this beautiful with this aspect,” Khemraj explained.

Perception is also something the team pays attention to. Ensuring that every aspect of the Motorcade is seen for what it represents so that the entire exhibition can be seen for the story it aims to tell. “It takes a team because I may look at something one way, and another person looks at it and sees something else. And the Motorcade is not only for me or two persons. It is for the entire Guyana,” Khemraj said. “We need to see the perspective of everybody and ensure that what I am looking at and seeing is what other people out there are also seeing.”

Khemraj says doing what he does is a dream come true for him. As a young man, he marveled at the lights, intricate details and designs. Khemraj fondly shared that, “Ever since I was a kid and I would see the Motorcade, I would be wowed. I would wonder who does that, how can somebody make that. And now here I am doing what I thought was impossible.” As a Hindu, Khemraj says that the work he does gives him a profound sense of love for the simple things. “Being able to live my life as a Hindu as well as a medical student who can give back to society. Those are things that I find the beauty in life for,” he said.

The diyas, the holika, and even the Motorcade are, to Khemraj, a way of uplifting his tradition and religion in the multicultural country of Guyana. He shared that “Dhamra in Hindi means righteousness. It is uplifting our Hinduism for society. That is all we do. That is our goal. And our motto, the Hindi translation, is, action thy duty, reward not thy concern. We do it because we want to.”

On Saturday evening, the Dharmic Sabha displayed their floats among the many others as they move from the Shri Krishna Mandir on Campbell Avenue before heading South towards the La Bonnne Intention Community Centre Ground. Khemraj is encouraging all Guyanese to come out in their numbers regardless of their race, religion or culture. He expressed that, Ignorance is what fuels all the different issues in society. That is no understanding of not knowing each other. And when you bring that light through ignorance, it makes unity.”