Kamla: Nation can learn from Lord Hanuman’s example

AS members of the Spiritual Baptist community celebrated their faith on Saturday, thousands of Hindus locally and worldwide also participated in religious celebrations of Hanuman Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Lord Hanuman.

In a media statement yesterday, Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar extended greetings to the Hindu community saying the nation could learn from the example of Hanuman’s life and character as the nation goes through a difficult economic period.

“We are all aware of the challenges facing our country, and at a time like this, we can look to the life of Lord Hanuman as a source of courage, strength, and hope. In these difficult times, let us look to Hanuman and seek his blessings to endow us with the courage to stand up for what is right, and for the strength to join together to rid our nation of the darkness, tyranny and oppression that citizens face today,’ she stated.

“Let us keep hope and faith alive in our hearts, as we move forward together to continue our work of building a brighter, more prosperous future for our nation.”

“On this day, as devotees fast, visit temples to offer special prayers and chant mantras in honour of Lord Hanuman I extend on behalf of my family, and my extended UNC family, best wishes to all and pray that Lord Hanuman blesses our lives with peace, happiness and prosperity,” she stated.

Hanuman Jayanti involves prayers and the chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa, which is a hymn of praise to Hanuman, who is best known as the most loyal devotee of Lord Rama. He symbolically stands for pure devotion, complete surrender and absence of ego.

She noted that Hanuman’s life and character represent an example of what each of us can do through “devotion to God and aligning ourselves with the forces of good, helping the weak, exercising self-control, unconditional faith and total surrender.”