In respect: Diwali celebrations put off
The Diwali celebrations scheduled for October 29, Saturday, have been postponed by different organisations in part out of reverence for Begum Nusrat Bhutto.
The annual Arts Council event will now be held on November 14 instead, said Raja Chauhan, the founder and organiser of the group Culture Creators, while talking to The Express Tribune.
The triumph of good over evil, colorful rangolis and firecrackers are the highlights of the Hindu festival, but for the people of Sindh this year’s celebrations have already been marred by two tragedies - the flood and the death of Begum Nusrat Bhutto - a family much loved and supported by the Hindus.
The Pakistan Hindu Council arranges a musical night every year at Diwali but it has been cancelled. Instead, the council will hold a combined wedding ceremony for needy couples on November 12. Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, who is the patron in chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council, explained that the spirit of celebration was already low because of the floods. Numerous Hindu families living in Sindh’s countryside have been severely affected by the floods and are internally displaced at the moment, he said. But the death of Begum Nusrat Bhutto has further lowered spirits among the Hindus of the province as they have always been great supporters of the Bhutto family.
He said that in view of the dismal state of flood-affected families the council is planning to arrange a combined wedding ceremony for as many couples as possible. “We are gathering resources to marry off as many as 120 couples this time, which is more than previous years.”
In Karachi, temples will, however, mark the occasion with pooja ceremonies. The largest gathering usually takes place at the Swami Narayan Mandir near the city courts, said Raja Assermal.
There are four more temples that attract people as well. They include the Temple of Laxmi Narayan at Native Jetty, Hanuman Mandir at Soldier Bazaar, Sheetla Mata temple at Bheempura and the Shiv Mandir.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 25th, 2011.
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thanks to my hindu brothers ,we are all pakistanis !!
Hi Nurswan Diwali in true sense is not a religious festival. Usually, festivals are not religious but cultural events. In India, Diwali is celebrated post harvest when farmers have had some money on their hands. It also signifies the onset of winter during which time one would be normally indoors. Mythology and not religion is at the core of these cultural events.
In some way the word Hindu has done some disservice to the culture that existed in India. This word finds no mention in any of the old scriptures. The word made us a people following a certain religion, which does not exist, and in competition with other religions, when it had no such agenda.
Is this not a total contradiction of religous laws and values? Diwali is an ordained celebration in honour of the respective gods of the religions who celebrate it. Why cancel or postphone it and/or its associated festivals out of "respect" for a luminary human being that died? I too have the utmost respect for the Bhutto family as an outsider looking in on South Asian politics. I was always an avid fan of Fmr Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. (And on a lighter note would'nt mind and "arranged" marriage with Bilawal)
But religiously speaking is this not putting a human being above the celebrations in honour of the gods. Is it not a desecration of a religious practice to deprive those who would want to celebrate it? The two issues should have been separated. A special commemoration could have been held for Ms Bhutto. As a democrat I firmly believe that peoples rights should not be summarily taken away from them and I am not of the opinion that a "High Council" of any faith does not have the religious mandate to cancel or postphone a prescribed/ordained religious event and its celebratory festivals instituted in honour of their respective supreme beings. To me it's a contradicion. I can not image Eid celebrations, Hannukah, or Christmas being postphoned or cancelled out of "reverence" for a "mortal"
Reminds me of my mother! May her soul rest in peace. Atlast the family will be reunited in heaven. I am sure she is happy there!
@ RH - true !!
@Ishant: Take a deep breath, and repeat after me: "India does not equal Hindu. Pakistan does not equal Islam". The former are countries, the latter religions. People of all religions exist in both countries.
yeah, as if otherwise there would have been good celebrations for an Indian festival in Pakistan.
on what date is the diwali in pakistan this year?