Dear Editor,
I, and many other Guyanese in NY, take strong offence at WP George referring to ‘Diwali’ or any other Guyanese festival as “irrelevant matter” (title of missive SN, Dec 6). That description is distasteful and disrespectful of the culture of a people which holds Diwali dear at heart. No festival is without relevance to a people. They celebrate festivals because it is part of their culture and it defines who they are as a people. It is festivals like Diwali, Phagwah, Eid, Independence Day, Indian Arrival Day, etc, that bring different people together overseas. Thus, they are newsworthy. SN is applauded for providing space in the letter columns about festivals being celebrated in the diaspora, and it is hoped the paper will not be influenced by the intolerance displayed by Mr George.
Mr George should understand that a festival is not “irrelevant matter” that should not be given space in a newspaper. No culture or people is without festivals, and leaders in every nation embrace festivals and laud celebrants for partaking in them. It is for this reason that President Jagdeo, Prime Minister Sam Hinds, Opposition Leader Robert Corbin, President Obama, Prime Ministers Stephen Harper of Canada and David Cameron of the UK, etc, offer greetings on the occasion of Diwali. The festival is a national holiday in a dozen countries and it is celebrated as part of the culture of almost one billion people (20% of the world) including in Africa and Europe. Diwali and other festivals define Guyanese in the diaspora – in NY, New Jersey, Florida, London, Canada, etc. So, how in good conscience, can Mr George describe them as irrelevant?
It is shocking to see someone openly express such a view about a religious holiday, celebrated by almost a billion Sikhs, Jains, and Hindus. It should be noted that Diwali is not celebrated only by Indians. Guyanese of other ethnicities also take part in the festivities. Almost everyone in Guyana, including non-Hindus attend motorcades, visit homes of Hindus for dinner, etc, and everyone looks forward to the holiday.
Similarly, it is an important festival in the lives of overseas-based Guyanese defining who they are, and many non-Indians take part in the motorcade or the Holi Sammellan in NY. And although not a holiday, it is so important a festival that many of us take the day off from work to celebrate it in the US.
Also, Diwali was celebrated at several NY public schools, including John Adams where I taught evening classes, and at several colleges in NY (Columbia, NYU, CCNY, etc) and across the US, and several publications reported on it. I used to organize Diwali celebrations at CCNY when I was a student during the late 1970s and 1980s. Diwali was also celebrated at the White House and at the House of Commons in London and Ottawa, and at dozens of local legislatures in England, the US, and Canada, making news. So Diwali is not an “irrelevant matter.” Because it is such a massive event in communities where large numbers of Guyanese are settled, West Indian and non-Guyanese newspapers in NY provided coverage of the celebrations last month. Thus, I am surprised that Mr George would question why SN is providing letter-column space for festivals like Diwali or others like Eid, Teerath, etc.
Let me conclude by noting that my writings on festivals and other events provide a source of information on what is happening in the diaspora. I receive many compliments for my writing on the diaspora. If Mr George has no tolerance for Guyanese festivals in the diaspora, then he is not compelled to read about them. People of Guyanese origin are avid readers of Guyana’s newspapers and of the Stabroek News, in particular. Indeed, many of us get news of what’s happening to Guyanese in various parts of the US from the Guyanese newspapers. It is to the credit of the SN that it recognizes the service it provides to people of Guyanese origin living overseas and the ‘relevance’ of letters on the celebrations for Divali, Eid, Teerath, etc.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
