New angle on the Diwali date debate

Dear Editor, It was reported in the Kaieteur Newspaper under the caption “Govt. willfully dividing Hindu community – PPP” (15/11) that the PPP is accusing Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, and the Government of “willfully causing division in the Hindu community.” It was further reported that the “Party’s Central Committee resolved that the APNU+AFC government unnecessarily and willfully generated controversy concerning the dates for celebrating the Hindu religious holiday of Diwali.” Let me state that with or without Ramjattan’s intervention, there would have been two dates for Diwali. The controversy did not start with Mr. Ramjattan’s intervention; it began since a year ago; not only about the date for Diwali, but many apparent incorrect dates on Dharmic Sabha’s Calendar for 2015. The Hindu community was already divided along these lines. It was observed by many leading Pandits not affiliated with Dharmic Sabha that these dates were all strangely one day after the dates in other Calendars – Burning of Holika, Holi, Hanuman Jayanti, Nava Raatree, Janam Ashtmi, Pitri Paksha, Diwali, etc. For instance, the Burning of Holika was listed to take place 41 days from the date of planting, instead of 40 days. Why was Janam Ashtmi, an 8th day celebration, listed for the 9th day (nowmi)? Why was Diwali celebrated on the same date as in India – the 11th November?  It was suspected all along that Dharmic Sabha’s Calendar reflected the position of India, which is in a different time-zone from Guyana. The technical aspect surrounding these dates can best be understood through these analogies. Suppose cricket is being played in India on the 18th November at 10:00AM, India-time. Would you in Guyana put on your TV or Radio at 10:00AM on the 18th? No! The game would be finished by then. You do so at midnight on the 17th, i.e. the moment the game is being played. Again, if the Full Moon is listed for 4:00 AM on the 20th March in India, would you be using 4:00AM on March 20th as the Full Moon time in Guyana? No! You will have to use 6:30PM on the 19th march as being the moment of Full Moon in Guyana. Diwali was celebrated on the evening of the 11th November in India. Would you wait for the evening of the 11th November to celebrate Diwali in Guyana? No! Diwali time would have long past. But Dharmic Sabha did it. In the spirit of Hindu unity, we compromised by celebrating Phagwah according to Dharmic Sabha’s date, albeit wrongly. We did not make a hue and cry over it. But because of the characteristic uncompromising nature of Dharmic Sabha, we were not prepared this time to observe Diwali on an incorrect date. This is not about politics. These were some of our concerns. No one listened to us. Dharmic Sabha disdainfully dismissed us. If Minister Ramjattan, who happens to be a Hindu, listened to us, is it political? The PPP, while in Office, did not look after the interest of Hindus. During its 23 years in Government, for instance, how many Hindus were appointed Marriage Officers, Justices of the Peace or Commissioners of Oaths to Affidavit? We were told in no uncertain terms that all Pandits would have to become members of Dharmic Sabha before any consideration could be given. That Hindus had to seek the services of Christians and Muslims did not bother them in the least. Whom are they fooling now? Just after three months in office, this Government has appointed 14 Hindu Marriage Officers. It should be noted that Dharmic Sabha was informed early that a petition was made for the date of Diwali to be reviewed. It was given an opportunity, like every other Organization, to present its case for the 11th. What it did? In its written submission to the Minister, dated September 4, 2015, it admitted that Diwali ended at 2:00PM on the 11th, ‘and therefore, the evening of November 11 was 4 hours after the end of Diwali.’ It defeated its own case. How can they now blame Ramjattan for adjudicating in the manner he did, based on the evidence before him? The petition of 4,000 signatures presented in early November was too little too late. The damage was already done. On the other hand, the other organizations presented strong and compelling evidence to show that Diwali should be celebrated on the 10th. To date, Dharmic Sabha has not been able to refute or prove them wrong. It is Dharmic Sabha and the PPP who have made this issue political “with political motives.” During its Diwali ‘campaign trail’, Dharmic Sabha employed ugly political tactics by telling the people that those who supported the 11thwere supporting the PPP, while those who supported the 10th were APNU. Who, then, made the issue political? Who was sowing the seed of controversy and division? The PPP is advised to stay away from this issue. The Hindus who observed Diwali on the 10th are also PPP supporters. By labeling them as APNU supporters, they run the risk of losing them.  For us, this is not about politics. This is a matter to be resolved by Hindu leaders, not politicians. Pandit. R. Balbadar