Now that Phagwa is upon us it would be a great opportunity for us to look beyond the singing of chowtal and the smearing of the body with gulal and heed the message of resistance to dictatorship and other manifestations of evil.
King Hiranyakashipu declared himself Bhagavan and succeeded in convincing his pandits and members of cabinet and the senior officers of the State to endorse his divinity but not his seven-year-old son Prahalad, the natural heir to the throne. Feeling insulted after his attempt to win Prahalad to his side failed, the King hired assassins to kill him. After their failure to kill the young prince, the King took it upon himself to get the task done but failed.
It is easy for those wielding power to become dictatorial, that is, ready to punish anyone who dear criticize their policies and programs. This dictatorial behavior was demonstrated recently in Minister Stuart Young’s reaction to remarks made by Ronald Harford, former Chairman of Republic Financial Holdings Ltd that government must account for its spending of tax dollars.
It is dangerous in a democracy when a leader places itself above criticisms. Such behavior must not be ignored but addressed frontally. Vasant Bharath, former minister of government, saw the danger and has made a press release through social media. He wrote: “… the dangerous dictatorial tendencies several government ministers have adopted in silencing dissenting voices in the Trinidad and Tobago.”
Not only Vasant Bharath and the Opposition must speak out but also all right-thinking citizens. This lack of respect for divergent thinking is a cause for concern. When King Hiranyakashipu declared himself Bhagavan, the pandits and his cabinet ministers applauded him so that they would continue to enjoy the plums of office. It’s similar to the flatteries Ravan’s men showered on him after his abduction of Sita.
Successful institutions are not governed by the whims and fancies of a dictator but by elected executives who have vested interest in the enterprise. Decisions are made in a board room after wide consultations and on many instances, consultants are hired for their services to help the board arrive at the best decisions.
If a respected voice like Ronald Harford can be shouted down, it certainly does not augur well for the country. A number of business houses and professionals who are looking on closely, would now be cautious to keep their views to themselves.
The recent ruling by the court against the ban of open-air cremation during the Covid was an indictment against the government and more particularly the Chief Medical Officer. As pointed out by the court, there were no scientific facts to support such an action and yet the ban persisted. It was a clear case of the Chief Medical Officer unreservedly surrendering his professional life at the service of the government. What was even more alarming was the awarding to Dr Roshan Parasram the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, the highest national award.
Prahalad’s resistance to wrongs is a beacon on the horizon to remind us that we must always stand for dharma which sustains the universe. Dharma is like the roots of a plant, if strong and deep would sustain the struggling plant and restore it to vibrancy. On the other hand, a plant with weak roots, though appearing luxuriant, would sooner than later collapse.
Without dharma the universe would fall into destruction, hence the promise of Bhagavan Krishna that he would take incarnation to protect his devotees, destroy evil and restore dharma
Phagwa is a celebration of victory. It is celebrated after the defeat of the evil king, Hiranyakashipu and his wicked sister, Holika. The colored water or abir represents the blood of the evil dictator. After the king was defeated Prahalad smeared his body with his blood.
Wishing all a Happy Holi!