Unity, brotherhood will steer Guyanese towards prosperous future together – PM

…as kaleidoscopic Holi 2023 celebrations transcend all boundaries

participated in a chowtal –a session of singing of spiritual songs, while playing instruments, during the festivities.

Enjoyed with great fanfare, they danced to the rhythms of the Tassa drums, and in merriment threw coloured powder and liquids at each other. The greeting was, “Happy Holi, or Happy Phagwah” in the true spirit of friendship, joy, merriment, and love.

Guyanese immersed themselves in vibrant Abeer (coloured powder) and the playing of Phagwah, to welcome this year’s spring season on the Hindu calendar.

The highly-spirited festival which celebrates good over evil was ushered in on Tuesday morning with a Holi programme host- ed by the High Commission of India and the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre at the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) at Bourda, Georgetown.

Transcending ethnicity and religion, persons from all walks of life gathered at the ground where they enjoyed music and cultural performances. They also

The occasion saw the presence of Prime Minister, Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa; and other Cabinet members and members of the diplomatic community.

During his remarks, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said the festival is one that evokes cohesion in our people every year.

“It is essentially symbolic and for this single day, the participants of the occasion are all an equal mix of colours beyond their race. For this day, we are truly the same and that is an important thought that we should hold on to.”

“Just as we are able to blend beneath a mixture of colours, then so too, can we achieve oneness and unity in our minds through a collective commitment of tolerance, love, and brotherhood,” he said.

Prime Minister Phillips added that this “collective commitment is the aim behind our Government’s ‘One Guyana’ initiative. We believe unity and brotherhood will allow us to steer our country towards a prosperous future together for mutual enjoyment and benefits”.

The Prime Minister emphasised that this unity must extend beyond the day of celebration to become a way of life for Guyana to advance.

“So, as we partake in yet another occasion where the strength of Guyana’s multicultural heritage is on display, I encourage all Guyanese to remember the important lessons of Holi and to take those lessons and apply them to their lives beyond this occasion.”

Meanwhile, Indian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr KJ Srinivasa said Holi is the festival of the nation, and people await the festival because of the amount of joy it brings to all.

“…that is why today we are celebrating with beau- tiful colours playing around with friends with music, with dance, and with some good food,” he expressed.

Following this ceremony, a large influx of Guyanese across the length and breadth of Guyana celebrated this auspicious event by smearing and applying colours on each other, while cooking vegetarian foods and sharing sweet rice, gulab jamun, pera, and pholourie.