The visually stunning celebrations of Divali and other Sanatan Dharmic [Hindu Festivals] in Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname has given precedence to the notion that the Indian culture and Hindu religion, brought by the Indentured Servants from India (Bharat) is still alive, relevant and visible. The Dharmic Hindu religion and culture among the Indo-Cheeneedad [ Trinidad]/ Indo-Trinidadian] is the only cultural and religious tradition that has a direct connection with Bharat [India], a native product of Mother India while all other cultures that Indians practice are SIDE BARS. What this means is that without the presence of the Hindu religion there is almost nothing truly tethering the other religions Indians practice directly and solely with India. Indian culture continues to persist because of the presence of the Hindu religion otherwise it would just be down to the trivial things; chutney sauce and chutney music, and that’s still a maybe. Only a native indigenous religion can consistently root Indian culture with Bharat.
Divali celebrations, however, are erroneously referred to as the triumph of good over evil and to a lesser inaccurate degree, light over darkness. This has become the repetitive belief about Divali that it’s just some fanfare about trivial neutral matters celebrated by all religions and a diluted uproar of inconsequential symbolism. Light over darkness, who cares? Indian Hindus repeat this with fervor like clockwork. However, the only evil on display is the Indian Hindu ignorance and their lack of knowledge comprehending their own great heritage, civilization and their dharmic teachings. Hindus must be vigilant over the words, symbology and ideas they use to ascribe and describe their own Hindu beliefs as a misunderstanding and misinterpretation of proper Hindu theology leads to a breakdown of dharma itself. One of the things I’m referring to is the fact that Divali is not good over evil. There is no such idea in Hinduism as evil. These are Abrahamic ideas from religions like Christianity and Islam. Hindus believe in the idea of dharma and adharma or duty and ignorance. Hindus should start to make these small academic changes to the way they reference their religion. The symbology and belief that Goddess Lakshmi comes to Indians homes and the lighting of Deeyas is to educate, dispel and defeat ignorance and adharma. I do hope this Divali when SHE comes to erase the ignorance among the Indian Race, SHE goes among the Hindus first concerning their own faith before the rest of the world because if Hindus cannot understand the true meaning of Divali what is left for everyone else? We cannot expect non-Hindus to do the thinking for us. The burden is on us to teach what Divali is really about. Divali DOES NOT CENTER on repetitive slogans. Lord Rama, the avatar of Vishnu came to restore righteousness into the world.
It’s imperative that Hindus keep the Indian race and culture highly visible and relevant by continuing to have dharmic values stay alive through their various celebrations and by their everyday display in Trinidad through having some mark of Hindu identity as a rakhi, bindi, mangal sutra, sindoor or tilak whether they are in the home, business, grocery or workplace. Place your articles of faith, your murtis or images of your Gods and Goddesses and display them proudly. We must bring Hindu dharma out of the shadows and Sunday morning service and boldly and courageously display our faith for all to see.
Hindus must understand that there is a cultural and religious war to monopolize the idea of God. This is being waged by what is widely and globally understood to be, exclusivist dogmatic religions. They target Hindus for conversion by playing on Hindus’ liberal sensitivities and accommodation of everybody else’s God and culture. The only way for Hindus to combat and triumph over this type of actual ‘evilness’ is through knowledge of our Vedas and the strength to sustain Hindu dharma.
Happy Diwali / Shubh Deepavali on this Day, October 31,2024.
Vassan Ramracha.
