Divali Nagar 2006 Closing Celebrations
TriniView.com Reporters
Event Date: October 20, 2006
Posted: October 23, 2006
The nine-day 2006 Divali celebrations at the Nagar site in Endeavour, Chaguanas ended with a bang on Friday 21st October, 2006. Throughout the week, thousands upon thousands of people gathered at the site to partake in the celebrations held there. Those in attendance were treated to different aspects of Hindu and Indian culture including the different foods and cultural wear on display and on sale.
This event, which has been celebrated since 1986 was first held at the Mid Centre Mall in Chaguanas and has grown ever since, so much so, that a change in venue was needed to hold the increasingly large crowd.
Present at this historic function were His Excellency, the High Commissioner of India to Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Jagit Singh Sapra, his wife, Anita Sapra, and the Minister of Community Development, Culture and Gender Affairs, Senator the Honourable, Joan Yuille-Williams.
On the Friday evening, guests were able to appreciate what the site had to offer for the last time, beginning with Sai Bhajans performed by members of the Chaguanas Sai Centre.
Other acts of the night included performances by Chandra Katwaroo, Ashley Ramlochan, Shaheed Ali, the Rangeela Indian Orchestra, Akrash Kissoon, Kamla Ramharrack, Tricia Ramdhan-Seepersad, Devanand Sookram, Dev Bansraj, Dev Bansraj Jr. and Pundit Rakesh Sharma.
What was of particular interest was the art creations by Indian artist Mr. Satyanrayan Mourya who drew a few religious themed items within minutes on stage. The crowd was in awe by his incredible talent and some shed tears at what they believed to be a miracle.
The manager of CLICO's Chaguanas Branch, Mr. Premdath Seegolam brought greetings to all on the closing night of the Divali Nagar celebrations. He stated that Trinidad and Tobago was a cosmopolitan nation and that the Divali celebrations were just one aspect, although an extremely significant one, that depicts the cultural diversity of the country. Also, he expressed that because the twin-island state of Trinidad and Tobago is a true representation of a cultural mosaic, people of all races and religious backgrounds could be found at the Nagar site. According to him, Divali should not only be a physical celebration, but a time to take a spiritual look toward our inner beings. Also mentioned was the view that recent events have caused separation and anger in the community and that he hopes that this Divali celebration would curb the animosity that prevails in our society.
Present to offer further cultural performances were the CLICO Shiv Shakti Dancers, Nirvana Shakti Dancers, 103fm's Donna Phillip, Kamla Ramharack, Polly Sookraj, Shivanand Maharaj and saxophonists Nari Mahabir and Narendra Maharaj.
Also featured on the closing night were the Miss India Caribbean World contestants who came out in all their splendor. The girls modeled their Indian wear and this was indeed a very welcomed aspect of the show.
Present to deliver a brief address was Mr. Hans Hanoomansingh who stressed the importance of the message of Divali in bettering the human condition. According to Mr. Hanoomansingh many men and women in the past and present have given tremendous sacrifice for the preservation and promulgation of Indian culture in Trinidad and Tobago. He expressed the deepest appreciation for all involved in maintaining these traditions and gave special thanks to the NCIC for their part. Although he praised the NCIC for their outstanding work, he also challenged the NCIC to mimic the grand architectural structures of India such as the Taj Mahal. He believes that this aspect of Indian culture is important because India is historically significant and houses some of the finest monumental structures in the world which should be replicated in Trinidad and Tobago to showcase another important aspect of Indian civilization.
President of the NCIC, Mr. Deokienanan Sharma, gave the final words of thanks to all who contributed to the upkeep of the Divali Nagar festivities. He observed that there was a notable absence of police in the beginning of the celebrations due to an administrative mix-up but thanked the Mayor of Chaguanas, Dr. Suruj Rambachan, Minister Christine Sahadeo and others for organizing a security force for the nine-day event. Mr. Sharma also remarked on the growing popularity of the Divali Nagar celebrations which is now an internationally recognizable event with internship from people all over the world via the World Wide Web. The dream to make Indian culture prominent in Trinidad and Tobago has been realized by the help of many, including the NAR Government who provided the first 15 acres of land to the NCIC, the Ministry of Culture's provision of $200,000 to aid this year's staging of the Divali Nagar celebrations and the additional 15 acres of land leased by the government for the improvement and growth of the Divali Nagar celebrations in the future.
The night ended with fireworks, accompanied by a Tassa drumming performance to provide the heat to spark the light in the sky.
Divali Nagar 2006 Closing Celebrations in pictures
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