Saturday, October 17 2009

In his 2009 Divali greeting Panday said, “today we face our darkest hour. We are stifled with corruption, discrimination, racism and inequality from a heartless government, that remains committed to spending lavish amounts on cocktail parties, Friday afternoon limes, tall buildings and sharing the public’s purse with their friends and supporters.

“Crime and murders are at their worst ever. Food prices and the cost of goods and services are beyond the reach of the average citizen and continue to climb. Agirculture and food security is almost nonexistent. Our health sector is in shambles and the administration of justice is at its lowest ever. These are the evils confronting our society today,” Panday claimed.



“Despite our many challenges we must look to the future with hope, as the Holy Scriptures have taught us the lesson of good over evil. With the lighting of those tiny clay deyas, I call on you to pay homage to God for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, security, courage and peace. “Mother Lakshmi has been long revered as the remover of darkness. It is through the light that the splendour of this world is revealed.



For Hindus, darkness represents ignorance, and light is a metaphor for knowledge. But scripture also tells us that for Mother Lakshmi to appear to dispel the darkness everyone needed to unite, to work as a team, to churn the ocean. Divali then signifies the need for community and village and by extension the nation to unite for a common purpose.”