Dear Editor,
I was fortunate to be invited to attend the annual Diwali Nagar in Trinidad which opened on the evening of Thursday, October 20 at the Nagar site in Central Trinidad. I attended almost every year over the last couple of decades, as do many of my Guyanese as well as Trini compatriots in North America. It is a sight to behold spectacular lights and magnificent cultural programmes. The Nagar is in its 30th edition. It is a celebration and exposition of Indian culture and it has become an integral part of the national calendar of Trinidad. The Nagar continues nightly until October 28, the night before Diwali is celebrated. Diwali is on the 29th in Trinidad, similar to the official holiday in Guyana. Some 10,000 graced the opening ceremony that was attended by Ambassadors, Ministers of Government, Members of Parliament, Local Government Councillors, Mayors, Regional Chairs, and community leaders. Dr. Vindhya Persaud, the head of our own Dharmic Sabha, delivered the feature address. She received a standing ovation with her speech interspersed with applause. It was well received one of the finest speeches I heard from the religious leader. President Jagdeo was a featured speaker some years ago. Many Guyanese performed at editions of the Nagar and some were scheduled for performances later in the week. The Chief Guest was Minister of Culture Dr. Nyan Gadsby Dolly.
The Diwali Nagar celebration is hosted by the National Council of Indian Culture or (NCIC). As its PR officer noted, the Diwali Nagar has helped “a great deal to alert the national Trini and regional Caribbean community about the religious, cultural and social thoughts of the Indian diaspora since the arrival of Indians in Trinidad between 1845 and 1917; Indians first arrived in Guyana in May 1838.
The Nagar celebration began with pomp and ceremony. There were rituals and dances, singing and drama and other cultural activities. There was also an exposition on the role of the Ganges River to humanity. The event began with the symbolic lighting of the Nagar’s first deya, a bhajan, singing of the Ganga Maa stotram performed by the Hindu Prachaar Kendra, and a dance.
One of the highlights of this year’s Nagar, as was also the case last year, is the live broadcast nightly by India’s Zee TV. Guyanese may have seen the programme live on TV. President of NCIC Dr Deokinanan Sharma delivered the opening address welcoming guests. Dr. Sharma noted that Diwali Nagar, nine nights of celebrations, has brought an awareness of the Indo-Trinidadian culture and is an event which is fast growing in popularity. Some 200,000 visited the Nagar last year.
The Feature Speaker, Dr Persaud, in reference to Maa Ganga, noted that “the people of Trinidad and Tobago definitely understand the meaning of ensuring that women have a position that is pivotal to the development of a nation.”
Quoting from Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi, Persaud said: “If you can educate a man, you educate but one, but if you educate a woman you educate the nation…tonight I want to encourage you all to think of women in such a way and in such a light, empower, educate and enable all the women, all the girls, not only in Trinidad and Tobago but the world so that they can continue to be inspirations of all who they come into contact with.”
Persaud praised NCIC for hosting the Diwali Nagar celebrations year after year and said that Diwali Nagar goes beyond hosting the event but has a deeper meaning, particularly with the young generation. She hopes the Nagar can be replicated in Guyana.
She said: “As you celebrate 30 years I encourage you to do it with absolute pride because as a people you have united, you have worked tirelessly and incessantly to make this happen consecutively and it’s not just these moments when we share the beginning of every Diwali Nagar but it is what is involved. The training of young people, the immersion in culture, their exposure to the wider ambit of Sanatan vedic dharma, their introduction to values and principles and more importantly the sharing of cultural traditions and beliefs among all people regardless of religious and ethnic background”.
Persaud is of the view that if people understood each other’s beliefs, the barriers separating them would be broken and there will be unity. She said a global village means having to reach out to the other.
It is hoped that the Nagar can be copied in Guyana it will help to educate Guyanese about themes on Hinduism and for non-Hindus to understand and appreciate Indian history and culture.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
