Tobago Hindu Society celebrates Phagwa on Saturday

The Tobago Hindu Society will host its first official Phagwa celebration on Saturday.

It is the first Phagwa since the Tobago Hindu Society turned sod for its temple in Signal Hill.

The society’s president, Pulwaty Beepath, told Newsday on Monday, Hindus would usually organise a private Phagwa celebration among a small group. This year, the event will begin with a prayer at 1 pm, followed by remarks by India High Commissioner Arun Kumar Sahu and an address from a THA official.

There will also be cultural performances before participants celebrate the festival by spraying abeer on each other.

The event will be hosted at the Signal Hill site. Beepath told Newsday she hopes this event will be enjoyed by Tobagonians who have never experienced it before.

“We have an open invitation to the assemblymen to join in the celebration of colour or they can stand on the side and observe if they wish. This is a historic moment for the Hindu community and the island. I am also amazed by the way my vision for the presence of Hindu culture on the island is coming together.

"We want the people of Tobago to know the different celebrations Hindus have outside of Divali. This time is a holy and spiritual time for us. We want the people of Tobago to be a part of all these special occasions."

The goal is to bring more of the Hindu culture to the island.

She said the society is on its way to what she envisioned 30 years ago.

Just last month the society hosted a sod-turning ceremony on the four acres of land gifted to them by the THA eight years ago.

Area representative Nigel Taitt, Chief Secretary Farley Augustine and other members of the society are expected to be at the event.