tidings
Sean Douglas
RAJU SHARMA, Charge d’Affaires at the Indian High Commission in Port of Spain, on Friday said the people of Trinidad and Tobago were an example to the whole world in the way they celebrated each other’s holidays. He delivered welcome remarks at the Diwali 2022 celebration held at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Cooperation at Mt Hope jointly held by the mission and the institute.
“The time of Diwali reminds us to come together, greet each other and celebrate life as we seem to be escaping the clutches of the coronavirus pandemic.” He said that the people of TT follow traditions and spiritual practices from India.
“People of all religions and faiths celebrate all holidays together in TT. It is an example for other people from societies around the world to follow.”
Sharma praised the bravery, humility and determination of Lord Ram in the Ramayana story in overcoming suffering and challenges. He reverently remembered Lord Ram, Sita, Latchman and Hanumanji for the way they had lived their lives
“Now is the time for all of us to gain knowledge, be prosperous, stay healthy and exercise justice.” Let us foster in ourselves feelings of compassion, love, forgiveness and care for one another.”
Independent Senator Deoroop Teemal recited a short prayer and explained the significance of each word. It was a call for people to live lives characterized by dynamism, self-reflection and inner search, all guided by the divine mother. “The Divine Mother is asked to lead the process of transformation, meaningful change in our lives.”
He said that if one did not have the divine in his life, he was living an unreal existence. “The only truth in the universe is divine.”
The head of the Chinmaya Mission Swami Prakashananda appealed to the people to have a higher understanding of their work. He told a tale of one worker walking along digging successive holes, followed by another immediately filling each hole. When the pair were questioned about this, they said that a third man had also been hired to plant a tree in the open pit between the two men’s actions, but he had been sick from work. Prakashananda said that while the two men were in fact each doing their respective jobs, they had not done their duty with purpose, with a true vision.
He said that if one does not have the divine in his life, he is living an unreal existence. “The only truth in the universe is divine.”
