Statement delivered by Senator the Honourable Dennis Moses,
Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs of the Republic of Trinidad
and Tobago, at a Reception at the High Commission of the Republic
of India on the occasion of the Festival of Divali
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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