Your Excellency Gauri Shankar Gupta, High Commissioner of the Republic of India and Mrs. Gupta;
Distinguished Ministers of Government and Members of the House of Representatives and of the Senate;
Your Excellencies Heads of Mission and other Members of the Diplomatic Corps;
Sir Dennis Byron, President of the Caribbean Court of Justice;
Members of Staff of the High Commission of the Republic of India;
Specially invited guests;
Members of the Media;
Ladies and Gentlemen;
Good evening
Your Excellency, High Commissioner Gupta, it is a pleasure for me to be present here this evening to extend Divali greetings to you, your family and your specially invited guests. As I conveyed to staff of the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs during the Ministry’s commemoration last week, our national anthem’s reference to “every creed and race find an equal place” resonates with our nation’s celebration of Divali. This event today provides us with yet another opportunity to increase our knowledge and share in the enlightenment of this festival.
Divali – also known as Deepavali, the Hindu Festival of lights, which signifies light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair - came to our shores 170 years ago with the arrival of indentured labourers from India. From 1845 to present day, Divali has undergone many changes to become one of the biggest festivals celebrated by citizens throughout our twin-island republic. Divali, which was officially declared a public holiday in 1966, allows us as a people to draw inspiration from this religious festival as we strive to develop our beloved country.
Yesterday we joined with the Hindu community in Trinidad and Tobago to celebrate Divali. The 2015 theme selected by the Trinidad and Tobago National Council of Indian Culture is “Devi Maa – The Divine Mother”. Celebrations this year in Trinidad and Tobago welcomed artistes from India as well as from other countries. In this regard, participants were afforded the opportunity to enjoy performances by students of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute for Cultural Cooperation and were thrilled with the appearances of well-known Bollywood actors. World-renowned Shah Rukh Khan conveyed special greetings to Trinidad and Tobago via satellite during the 29th Annual Divali Nagar which was broadcast for the first time to international audiences by the Zee TV network.
India’s involvement in this country’s observance of Divali is a further testament to the strong historical and cultural ties that have continued to grow from strength to strength since the establishment of formal diplomatic relations in 1962. Within recent years, cooperation between Trinidad and Tobago and India has transcended the traditional spheres of cultural cooperation, technical cooperation and trade. These traditional bonds have expanded to include agriculture, information and communication technology, energy, science and technology and traditional medicine, among others.
Excellency, in Hinduism, Divine Mother is the first manifestation of Divine Energy. It signifies omnipotence, omnipresence, love, intelligence and wisdom. Just as a child believes its mother to be all-powerful, and capable of doing anything for the child, a devotee believes the Divine Mother to be all merciful, all-powerful and eternally guiding and protecting him/her with her invisible arms.
Excellency, for this festival of lights, I hope that the warm and friendly relations that exist between our two countries can continue to be nurtured towards increased collaboration and cooperation. May the light that shines within each and every one of us guide our way to the greater prosperity and well-being of the people of both Trinidad and Tobago and India.
Shubh Divali
