Exercise moderation andrestraint during Carnival

THE EDITOR: While some people in the Hindu community will be observing the religious occasion of Shiv Raatri that normally coincides with Carnival, there are many others who will be joining the national community in the Carnival festivities.

There are those who would choose to ignore Carnival and focus on Shiv Raatri, but the Satya Anand Ashram as a national institution has a responsibility to not only Hindus who choose to participate in our Carnival celebrations but also send a message to all citizens irrespective of their faith.

As the Carnival season heats up before the final observance of the “Greatest Show on the Earth,” I wish the national community a safe and fun-filled Carnival.

I urge my fellow nationals to exercise moderation in all their Carnival activities and not give in to the temptation of the excesses of the season.

I call on all our leaders to exercise restraint in how they celebrate Carnival. Leaders should fully enjoy the Carnival but recognise and remember the position and place they hold in society and conduct themselves accordingly.

I urge them to conduct their Carnival celebrations with dignity and decorum so that they would have no issue should they find themselves on social media or in the mainstream media.

To this date I still have the unfortunate image of the Prime Minister chipping in a band with a young woman during a previous Carnival. I am still embarrassed by that.

The examples our leaders establish provide a template for the impressionable minds and also affect the behaviour of young people.

When we are regularly bombarded with images of schoolchildren fighting and conducting themselves in a disgraceful manner, we wonder who is to blame, The answer is simple: “We are to blame.” Children live what they see. Let us as adults set the right example.

To the many others who choose not to join in the Carnival celebrations, please pay due care and attention on the beaches or wherever else you may choose to go. Those who decide to leave the country, remember the economic crisis that our nation flounders in and the challenges to secure scarce foreign exchange.

The almost unchecked crime situation is also something we must all have at the forefront this season, whether we observe Carnival or not. Criminals appear to be more emboldened every day, carrying out increased home invasions.

I call on all citizens to remember that there is a day after Carnival … not for a cooler fete but to continue the business of trying to make a living in our country.

PUNDIT SATYANAND MAHARAJ

spiritual head

Satya Anand Ashram