Over 25 floats are expected to take part in this year’s Diwali motorcade which is set for November 10 and arrangements are fully in place despite the recent date controversy with the government, President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) Dr Vindhya Persaud says.
Speaking to Stabroek News on Tuesday, Persaud said that government’s decision to gazette the Diwali holiday for November 10 will not affect the motorcades organized this year with the last and major one scheduled for the evening of November 10. The parade will end at the La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara ground.
Persaud disclosed that over 25 floats will be participating this year which marks the 42nd anniversary for the event. The annual motorcade usually attracts huge crowds along the seawall. Arrangements are in train inclusive of cooperation with the Guyana Police Force (GPF) to assist both security and traffic wise. Accord-ing to the GHDS head, this year is being treated like any other and despite the dispute between the organization and the government, she is expecting their usual cooperation.
On October 18, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan had announced that the date gazetted for the Diwali holiday is November 10. This followed a dispute over the dates with the GHDS insisting that Diwali is to be observed on November 11, while another organization, the Virat Sabha, identified the date as November 10.
Ramjattan had told Stabroek News that he received a letter of complaint from the Virat Sabha regarding the November 10 date for the Hindu festival. As a result, he said, he sent the complaint to Dr Persaud and she responded via a letter that the date is November 11, which will be the darkest night of the year.
Ramjattan had further said that he contacted pandits and other officials around the country including a leader from Trinidad & Tobago, all of whom said that Diwali is November 10. He added that he received some 90 signatures from pandits nationwide in support of the November 10 date.
However, at a GHDS media briefing last week, Dr Persaud had said that mandirs across the country and other Hindu organizations are extremely disappointed and upset with the minister’s decision and will be celebrating Diwali on November 11. She had said they viewed the “high handed and dictatorial” decision made by Ramjattan as total disrespect and disregard of the Hindu community.
Ramjattan, on Friday had again defended his choice of November 10th as the date for the observation of Diwali while saying that 90 Pandits and Swamis have provided him with the rationalisation for the decision. He offered his explanation in a letter to prominent citizen Yesu Persaud, who a day earlier, wrote the Minister expressing support for the selection by Persaud of November 11th as the date for Diwali.
Meantime, a statement issued by the GHDS on Monday said the fabulously decorated floats will assemble at the Shri Krishna Mandir, Campbellville from 6pm on November 10 and will move west along Campbell Avenue into Sandy Babb Street, North into J.B Singh road and East onto seawall road to the LBI Community Centre ground. “Guyanese are encouraged to line the route of the motorcade to enjoy the fantastic display of Guyanese creativity,” the statement said. It added that “mandirs, youth groups and families have begun working on their floats and from all indications, floats will be simply magnificent this year.”
Apart from the display of the floats, the statements said there will be a stage show at 7pm during which there will be performances by the ZEE TV Saregama finalists Bishahk Jyoti and Shreyasi Bharracharjee among many other local entertainers. There will also be in excess of $3M in cash and trophies to be presented to the winners.
