DIVALI 2021 is going to be celebrated on Thursday.
For the first time in this country’s history, we will be celebrating Divali in a State of Emergency, with a 10 pm to 5 am curfew. Things have been very different this year, even compared to 2020, being the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The much anticipated Divali Nagar at Endeavour went virtual, so there’s no physical site to go to this year to partake in the ambience and East Indian culture, including music, educational displays, clothing and not forgetting the mouth-watering food.
There are no community festivals celebrating Divali this year: no lighting up of deeyas on artistically bent strips of bamboo; no singing of bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), no religious dances; no display of East Indian culture including no Ramleela (the Hindu play re-enacting Lord Rama defeating the demon, Rawan, in an epic battle and recuing his kidnaped wife, Sita). I’ve not even heard anyone bursting bamboo at dusk, a tradition in the nights leading up to Divali.
The month before Divali is ordinarily a popular time of year when Hindus have their yearly poojas. Simply described, poojas are a special ritual where God is worshipped with the assistance of a pundit (a Hindu priest) and where fruit, flowers, parsad and East Indian sweets (such as kurma, ladoo, barfi, gulab jamoon, jelabi, and peera) are offered in prayer.
Yearly poojas are something many look forward to, because of the sumptuous vegetarian dishes you get to eat afterwards (like curried channa and aloo; pumpkin, curried mango; curried chataigne; saheena, phoulorie and baiganee with chutney, and some mudda-in-law pepper and paratha roti at the side).
But alas, this year, because of Covid-19, inviting many guests over to partake in a meal at your home, as is the norm, is not really possible or encouraged due to the fear of contracting Covid-19.
In T&T, the use of fireworks had become widespread on Divali night, even though fireworks form no part of the religious of cultural aspect of Divali.
Fireworks are nice, but the noise and smoke pollution they generate are not in keeping with the concept of Divali. They traumatise our pet dogs (because of their sensitive ears, sometimes leading to their demise), babies cry and some types of fireworks I’m pretty sure are contenders for bringing on heart attacks.
I will definitely enjoy a peaceful and quiet Divali night, void of fireworks. (For the record, I support a total ban on fireworks as a whole, with an exception for the noiseless variety in controlled amounts and in controlled spaces.)
Sadly, we’ll still have the pollution aspect to contend with, as it seems this latest spell of Sahara dust/volcanic smoke combo is hell bent on making runny noses and burning eyes a new normal.
This coming Divali night, there’ll be no one walking the streets in their beautiful East Indian outfits or passing by in their cars to admire the lighted deeyas, at least after 10 pm. If you are still outside your home, you’ll risk getting arrested and charged by the police for breaching the curfew.
But just because Divali celebrations are very much subdued this year, don’t let your spirits be dampened. Divali is meant to be a time of peace, a time for introspection to recognise how we can better serve God and be better human beings, a time to take stock and be grateful for all the blessings that God has showered upon us; to spend quality time with our loved ones, to pray and to remember to have faith in the power of good over evil, light over darkness.
Neither Covid-19 nor a State of Emergency can extinguish the flame of Divali. May the divine light of Divali spread spirituality, peace, love, prosperity, happiness and good health to one and all!
Om asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya,
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya
om shanti shanti shanti.
From the unreal lead me to the real,
From darkness lead me to light,
From death lead me to immortality,
May there be peace.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for general informative purposes only and/or contain the opinions and/or thoughts of the writer only. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader. For legal advice on your specific situation, please contact an Attorney-at-Law of your choosing directly. Liability for any loss or damage of any kind whatsoever allegedly incurred a consequence of relying on content in this article is thus hereby excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.
Divali in a State of Emergency
DIVALI 2021 is going to be celebrated on Thursday.
For the first time in this country’s history, we will be celebrating Divali in a State of Emergency, with a 10 pm to 5 am curfew. Things have been very different this year, even compared to 2020, being the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The much anticipated Divali Nagar at Endeavour went virtual, so there’s no physical site to go to this year to partake in the ambience and East Indian culture, including music, educational displays, clothing and not forgetting the mouth-watering food.
There are no community festivals celebrating Divali this year: no lighting up of deeyas on artistically bent strips of bamboo; no singing of bhajans (Hindu devotional songs), no religious dances; no display of East Indian culture including no Ramleela (the Hindu play re-enacting Lord Rama defeating the demon, Rawan, in an epic battle and recuing his kidnaped wife, Sita). I’ve not even heard anyone bursting bamboo at dusk, a tradition in the nights leading up to Divali.
The month before Divali is ordinarily a popular time of year when Hindus have their yearly poojas. Simply described, poojas are a special ritual where God is worshipped with the assistance of a pundit (a Hindu priest) and where fruit, flowers, parsad and East Indian sweets (such as kurma, ladoo, barfi, gulab jamoon, jelabi, and peera) are offered in prayer.
Yearly poojas are something many look forward to, because of the sumptuous vegetarian dishes you get to eat afterwards (like curried channa and aloo; pumpkin, curried mango; curried chataigne; saheena, phoulorie and baiganee with chutney, and some mudda-in-law pepper and paratha roti at the side).
But alas, this year, because of Covid-19, inviting many guests over to partake in a meal at your home, as is the norm, is not really possible or encouraged due to the fear of contracting Covid-19.
In T&T, the use of fireworks had become widespread on Divali night, even though fireworks form no part of the religious of cultural aspect of Divali.
Fireworks are nice, but the noise and smoke pollution they generate are not in keeping with the concept of Divali. They traumatise our pet dogs (because of their sensitive ears, sometimes leading to their demise), babies cry and some types of fireworks I’m pretty sure are contenders for bringing on heart attacks.
I will definitely enjoy a peaceful and quiet Divali night, void of fireworks. (For the record, I support a total ban on fireworks as a whole, with an exception for the noiseless variety in controlled amounts and in controlled spaces.)
Sadly, we’ll still have the pollution aspect to contend with, as it seems this latest spell of Sahara dust/volcanic smoke combo is hell bent on making runny noses and burning eyes a new normal.
This coming Divali night, there’ll be no one walking the streets in their beautiful East Indian outfits or passing by in their cars to admire the lighted deeyas, at least after 10 pm. If you are still outside your home, you’ll risk getting arrested and charged by the police for breaching the curfew.
But just because Divali celebrations are very much subdued this year, don’t let your spirits be dampened. Divali is meant to be a time of peace, a time for introspection to recognise how we can better serve God and be better human beings, a time to take stock and be grateful for all the blessings that God has showered upon us; to spend quality time with our loved ones, to pray and to remember to have faith in the power of good over evil, light over darkness.
Neither Covid-19 nor a State of Emergency can extinguish the flame of Divali. May the divine light of Divali spread spirituality, peace, love, prosperity, happiness and good health to one and all!
Om asato ma sadgamaya, tamaso ma jyotirgamaya,
mrtyorma amrtam gamaya
om shanti shanti shanti.
From the unreal lead me to the real,
From darkness lead me to light,
From death lead me to immortality,
May there be peace.
Copyright © 2021 Neela Ramsundar, LL.B (HONS), L.E.C is a Civil Litigation Attorney at Law & Certified Mediator.
Disclaimer: The contents of this article are for general informative purposes only and/or contain the opinions and/or thoughts of the writer only. It does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship with any reader. For legal advice on your specific situation, please contact an Attorney-at-Law of your choosing directly. Liability for any loss or damage of any kind whatsoever allegedly incurred a consequence of relying on content in this article is thus hereby excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law.