Dear Editor,

The controversy over the Miss Diwali pageant has given rise to some interesting views expressed in letters and blogs in different media about those who are opposed to the association of Diwali with the pageant.

“.. there are more important things that the Hindu community should be worried about..Hindus should not air their dirty laundry in public..”

This has been a bloody week. Trevlyn Nicholson, Nafeeza Khan and Alicia Foster were killed close to their homes. Bandits continue to brutalize citizens. In a society in which crime and corruption are rampant, the people who oppose the pageant ask that Diwali be commemorated for its spiritual values and unifiying celebration, to remind people about light overcoming darkness.    Red Thread rightfully called on religious leaders to be candid about speaking out against violence against women and children. In the ‘airing of the dirty laundry’, there is now an opportunity for the pandits and other religious leaders to advocate not only to their congregations, but to a larger public and lead by example in changing the culture which tolerates violence against women and children, and in which women are led to believe that being silent in the face of abuse is part of their sacred duty.

“..the men who oppose the pageant are hypocrites, they like to lust other women but they want to suppress Indian/Hindu women ..the pageant is an opportunity for Indian/Hindu women to show they are not docile and get exposure, and that they are modern..”

Many of the people who are opposed to the pageant, are concerned about the sexism in pageants generally and believe that the religious festival of Diwali should be removed from the pageant. Many recognise the futility of battling against the beauty pageant industry, which is supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and other Government agencies depending on the occasion. The Hindu community saw a call for ‘young, attractive, unmarried’ women   to participate in a Miss Diwali pageant.   There is nothing modern about the view that women must always be ‘young, attractive, graceful, elegant.. whatever’ to get attention in society. Modernity should be ensuring that all women (and men) should be able to achieve their potential regardless of their looks, age, physical abilities or whatever status or situation they face. We  should recognise the role models in Indian/Hindu women who have survived against various odds, who have left abusive relationships, who have survived sexual and other forms of violence, who have faced up to oppressions in different forms and who are responsible for the wellbeing of their families and their communities.

“the opposition to Miss Diwali is a sign of backwardness, puritanism, intolerance and censorship ….fundamentalists want to hijack the Hindu religion.. “

Hindu festivals like Diwali are marked by colour, music, dance, theatre. As with many religious festivals, it is easy to forget the spiritual aspects of the festivals and be consumed by the sights and the sounds. There have been no calls for a change in any of these celebrations – many of them which will occur in Mandir compounds will no doubt provide safe entertainment for people of all walks of life. One of the named sponsors, Polar Commodities has a colour advertisement in the Guyana Times of Wednesday 15 October, 2008. A woman in a bikini holds out a polar beer for the viewer to consume. Will Polar Commodities ask the contestant they are sponsoring to take off her sari after the pageant and do the same? Is that the kind of tolerance people expect of Hindus?

“..it is only a few people making a big fuss..how come they never protested in the past when Maha Sabha used to host it..the majority do not have a problem..”

The Guyana Pandits’ Council and Radha Krishna Mandir, Gandhi Youth Organisation, Guyana Sewashram Sangh, Mahakali Organisation of Guyana, ISKCON, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (Guyana) and Hindu Sevika Samiti (Guyana), Hindu Society of Berbice and Shri Krishna Mandir, and the Paropakarik Sabha (Essequibo) and the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha have asked that Diwali be removed from the pageant description. It is true that voices were never raised in the opposition in the past. Several reasons have been posited.

people did not care, and then people were afraid of speaking out in those days. The then head of the Maha Sabha was a member of the ruling party. Today, the Indian Arrival Committee is the only organisation to support the Miss Diwali pageant along with several companies. And yet, once again, it is ironic to hear, of those who support the campaign to keep Diwali sacred,  who are scared to speak out because of fear, just as in those dark days, they are afraid of victimisation. What an environment to celebrate Diwali, an environment of fear! When we talk about power, we should remember  Hiranyakashapu whose power came from Lord Brahma and what happened when Hiranyakashapu abused that power.

Yours faithfully,
Vidyaratha Kissoon