Dear Editor,
A group of forty Guyanese celebrated Diwali in the desert city of Jaipur, India on Thursday and Friday evening. The group, mostly from the NY area, are on a tour of India coinciding with Diwali celebration. Accompanying them are also a few African-Caribbean nationals who want to discover and experience India. In phone interviews with members of the group, they said they had been having a very educational experience in India enjoying every minute of the tour. They revelled in the celebration of Diwali with the country lit up for the occasion and coinciding with President Obama’s visit there.
A village hosted a pre-Diwali party for the group last Thursday evening and they celebrated Diwali evening at a mandir. On Saturday morning, the group left for the ancient kingdom of Udaipur and from there to Ahmedabad connecting on a flight to South India to visit Madras (Chennai) and Mumbai.
The India tour by the Guyanese is organized by Kali Tours of NY and is accompanied by tour Director, Ramesh Kalicharran, a former teacher at Diamond Government School. Popular New York-based singer, Devendra Pooran of West Coast Demerara, dubbed the Mukesh of the Caribbean, is also accompanying the tour and has entertained the group and Indian nationals at all of their destinations, including New Delhi and at the holy cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh. He turned in enthusiastic performances.
Pooran, who just released a new CD of top local Guyanese and Bollywood hits, said he is having a great time during the first visit to his ancestral homeland. Pooran has become a sensational star among the group as he has appeared as a guest on several radio and TV stations in India. At restaurants, patrons interrupted their meals to listen to him sing.
Hindi newspapers have trailed the group to provide media coverage of their visit in order to promote Indian diaspora visits from around the globe to their motherland.
In an interview, Tour Director Kali said his group had had a terrific time in India with Diwali celebrations making them feel special. He said Pooran was awarded citations of appreciation by local political officials for his outstanding ability to imitate Mukesh and Kishore Kumar of Bollywood fame. The group will meet stars in Bollywood next weekend, when they land in Mumbai, and Devendra Pooran will get a chance to sing with Bollywood legends.
Kali said Diwali was celebrated with great fanfare among the group most of whom were dressed up in traditional glittery attire. They performed Diwali puja and were entertained by a group of dancers. Aarti was also performed on them by the locals. The local temple was festooned for Diwali with flower decorations and strings of lights. Hosts and guests were dressed in traditional salwar kameez, choli, lahenga, shalwar, Shirwani for the celebration.
The group arrived in India about ten days ago aboard Air India’s 777 non-stop service from JFK where they were given a splendid send off by officials from India Tourist Board and Air India as well as Guyanese and Trini beauties. Describing their Air India flight experience as unique, unlike carriers to Guyana from JFK, the tourists said it was a comfortable flight with unlimited snacks, drinks and movies during the 15-hour journey. They were accorded a royal welcome in New Delhi with traditional garlanding with malas.
Kali said, “Delhi has one of the finest airports” he has seen.
The group so far has paid homage to Raj Ghat, crematorium of the late Mahatma Gandhi, historic sites, ancient palaces and the majestic Taj Mahal. They also visited places of religious interest including the fabled Aksha Dam, temples and masjids, and did some shopping for traditional garments. A visit to a popular Christian church in Mumbai as well as the Masjid in the Sea are also on the agenda.
Separately, in NY, tens of thousands of Guyanese celebrated Diwali the traditional way as in Guyana with diyas lit in front of homes, businesses and mandirs, supported with fanciful electronic lights. The celebration concluded at Pandit Oumadatt’s Mahatma Gandhi Temple in Queens Village on Saturday night in a concert hosted by the Holi Sammelan and Festival Committee organized by Dr Tara Singh, Shrad Kublall and others.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
