Monday, 4 November 2002  
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Deepavali a festival with extra significance

Today is the day of Deepavali, the festival of lights celebrated by Hindus around the world. In Sri Lanka the majority of the Hindus are Tamil-speaking, and for them as well as all their fellow-countrymen this year's festival has extra significance.

Deepavali literally means a row of lights. Hindus celebrate the occasion with religious worship, the making of sweetmeats and most importantly the lighting of lamps. It is a great occasion for festivity and fellowship involving the entire community, as the food is shared with friends and family and the day ends with merrymaking.

According to Hindu myth Deepavali marks Lord Krishna's victory over Narasuharan who had gained sufficient strength to drive the Gods away from their abode. There are other legends as well. When the demon Asuran was about to be eliminated he was permitted to crave a boon at his death. Asuran wanted his death celebrated with feasting and rejoicing. His craving was granted at his death on Deepavali.

Overall the celebration is one where devotees rejoice over the defeat of evil by the forces of good. Therein lies the significance of the lamp where light dispels darkness.

Deepavali is also a time for peace making. It is a time for communities to come together in fellowship and build relationships for the future.

Last year at Deepavali this country had sunk into an abyss that few thought we could emerge from. The war, in which citizen killed citizen was at its most horrible height. the devastating attacks in the country had brought the economy close to collapse. Political instability was rife, and most people had lost hope of ever seeing a better Sri Lanka.

The All Ceylon Hindu Congress captured the mood last year when they released an appeal to mark the day, which normally should be festive. The ACHC called on the faithful to pray to bring salvation to their brothers and sisters. Absent was the festive mood that Deepavali should most definitely be marked with.

A year later we are in a state where at least there is no war.

Still, there are hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankans homeless, many driven away from their homes by conflict. Thousands are orphaned, widowed or made childless. In the camps there is a generation that has grown up without the dignity of having a proper home. Our economy is in ruins, and the scars of the war run very deep in our collective psyche.

But we have one thing today, which we can cling to, and that is hope.

The tenacity with which the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have observed the ceasefire for these 254 days is something we have to be grateful for which has given our people this feeling of optimism. The peace talks in Thailand, which concluded it's second round yesterday also holds out more hope for a lasting solution as the negotiators have agreed to include what are called the "core issues" in their deliberations.

Much needs to be done. The incidents in Trincomalee and Akkaraipattu were clear indications that the fears and the tensions that caused the conflict still remain ingrained in the populations of the East. The clashes in Colombo although not related to the incidents in the East are also reminders that our society can turn a simple dispute into an ethnic conflagration. We need to push our society towards a point from where we can be ensured that there will be no return to conflict.

So the tension lies beneath the surface. But in all these situations good management of the incidents and firm, impartial action against wrongdoers have ensured that we do not descend to conflict once again.

This Deepavali, we can relax a bit. We can even celebrate. But as we do so we must also resolve to make sure our thoughts run towards peace and reconciliation.

The QUEST for PEACE

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