On behalf of the Government and people of Guyana, I would like to wish all Hindus a happy Phagwah.

Phagwah or Holi as it is popularly called is unique. It is the Hindu Festival of spring that brings an abundance of colours which represents the vastness of nature. The festival also ushers in the Hindu New Year with joy, togetherness, and love.

This grand festival is based on many different legends, but the legend of Prahalad and his father, the demon king Hiranyakashyapu who had a sister named Holika, is most popular. Holika, the Aunt of Prahalad, offered to help her brother, the wicked king, to destroy the innocent and divine child Prahalad by sitting in a bonfire with him, hence the burning of Holika.

The story of Prahalad is significant in its message, especially to the youths of today. This message clearly asks that young people assimilate religious values now, rather than procrastinate. Such values will build today’s youths morally as well as spiritually, and establish in them character, calibre, and the capacity to be ideal men and women of today’s society.

The story also reminds us that the drama of life is enacting the lessons of wisdom and innocence that mold and shape our lives and our personalities, from the earliest years of our indentured fore parents who brought these festivals, such as, Phagwah from India to such lands as Guyana.

The festival is impregnated with deep and significant meanings. It is a time when peasants and farmers would have harvested their crops and put aside grains to offer as a part of sacrifice.

The festival sends a message of sustenance, too. This is a message that could sustain a world free from hunger and malnutrition. Hence, the festival encourages production and productivity in every aspect.

Let us make this a time to carry out a self-introspection; and as the festival advocates the principle of good over evil, let us all unite and pool our energies for the fight against the many evil forces in our society. May the spring bring with it goodwill, prosperity, peace and happiness to all.

Happy Phagwah.

March 19, 2008