As the Hindu community celebrates Divali on Sunday 12 November 2023 it’s a solemn moment to reflect on the universal power of virtue in restoring the very essence of humanity, be good do good.
There’s every ingredient to suggest we are going through what is termed in Hindu mythology Kali Yuga, the age of Kali (demon), the age of darkness, the age of vice and misery, or the age of quarrel and hypocrisy.
The world is blemished by perpetual conflicts, transgressions, corruption, violence, exploitation, and oppression perpetrated and tolerated for obscure motives wrecking the lives of several thousands of people and maiming quite a significant number of other innocent ones.
Joining hands together across borders in encouraging empathy, comprehension, tolerance and authentic good, can make all the difference. It has the potential to bring light where there’s darkness, to illuminate the hearts and minds of those still blinded in obscurity, and to chase away the malefic forces of hatred and prejudice that’s gnawing away the very base of humanity, here and elsewhere.
Divali teaches us just that. It is not just a festival of light. Much more. It transcends the barriers of religion on a common theme of virtuousness, spreading rays of light, hope, and love, and unity in diversity for overall good.
Lighting the diya symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance, and righteousness over wrongdoing, in other words, the victory of good over evil. That’s in a nutshell the true essence of Divali.
Happy Divali to all our Hindu brothers and sisters.
Mauritian residing in Rodrigues, Amanoola Khayrattee (pen name Alfa King) is contributing writer and journalist to La Gazette Mag de l’océan indien and This Week News Mauritius.
Retired, former meteorological cadre, trade unionist and OSH consultant, Amanoola has written for in-house union and other journals, publications and magazines. He runs two blogs since 2007: “Alfa King Memories”, and “Le Journal d’Alfa King”. When he is not reading or writing, he is on a 10+ km daily hike in anticipation of his monthly trails.
Amanoola may be reached at [email protected].