Dear Editor,
I write in response to the call for the renaming of the Diwali pageant by a group of Hindu organisations. I think the call is misplaced.
Many of the festivals which have originated in India were a reason to celebrate life and the steadfastness of spirit over matter. Not necessarily all of these festivals are celebrated in all of India for varying reasons and not all of these festivals are celebrated in Guyana by Hindus.
Diwali, in this case, marks the end of the last harvest before the winter. It is like a thanksgiving to the goddess of prosperity and wealth. It also coincides with the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, the defeat of Narakasura by Lord Krishna and the defeat of the arrogant King Bali. For Jains, it marks the nirvana of Lord Mahavira, and for Sikhs, the freedom of the Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind. There are many reasons to celebrate Diwali. But these are all reasons to celebrate life; the triumph of good over evil and the elevation of the human spirit.
Diwali pageants, as in Diwali dinners, or Christmas party/Christmas dinner, or Easter parade are just that: events around which celebration happens. It matters not how the celebration is done. For those Hindus who would like to disagree, please watch Paul Merton in India (available on the internet) and you will have a good eye opener on what Hindus in India think Shivratri is and how it is celebrated in some parts.
For me the issue is not the events, or the celebration associated with the events. The importance is the essence, the symbolism of the events that matter. What does a lit diya symbolise? How do we incorporate this symbolism into life?
That is the core issue. Hindu leaders around the world should be enlightening their followers to this. Not just the rituals associated with their culture, which they follow blindly but the essence of the symbolism.
This is a major grouse I have with many of the Hindu leaders. Swami Aksharananda is well read. Swamiji, it would make better sense to educate the entire Hindu public on the richness of the Hindu religion and stop this blind following of rituals without the richness of their meaning understood. Every sanskar has a reason, a deeper meaning. So does every festivity. I imagine the school headed by Swamiji is a step in this direction. But the pandits in Guyana need clarity of knowledge.
Renaming the Diwali pageant to sari pageant does not mean it will have any less number of persons going there or people will stop drinking rum inside the grounds. Or that the girls will be wearing something other than saris. These events are all money making. And money is associated with timing, an event that will pull a crowd. A sari pageant will not pull anyone at Easter, will it? So the event is designed when it will grease the promoters’ pocket to the maximum.
Maybe Pradeep Samtani will show the spirit of Diwali and donate the proceeds of this event to an orphanage.
The pageant itself is not a bad concept. I do not see it as girls parading themselves. A sari is a beautiful costume and can be worn with much elegance. Ordinarily, you will not find young girls wearing saris unless they are ardent members of a temple. The pageant encourages girls from different ethnic backgrounds to feel beautiful in a sari. This for me is part of Guyanese culture. Something that is unique to Guyana. The required talent piece is usually a dance. I have seen girls of different races trying to do kathak dance. This is the beauty of the pageant. It is a highlighting of Indian culture and hence in this sense, it is something which should be supported.
What the Hindu leaders should ask of Samtani, is to prohibit the consumption and sale of alcoholic beverages on the premises or outside of the premises to prevent a brawl and degrading what is a Indo-Guyanese tradition.
With a few changes, I believe the pageant will serve a god purpose. It is something which should be supported. We have a proud heritage and the symbolisms of our rituals are deep. It should be shared.
Yours faithfully,
Gitanjali Singh
