The Indian High Commissioner to Fiji Palaniswamy Karthigeyan says Ramayan served as the guiding light for indentured labourers when they were faced with depth of darkness in Fiji.
Speaking at the Ramayan Mela in Suva last night, Mr Karthigeyan said the first batch of indentured labourers arriving in Fiji carried nothing except their deep and abiding faith in Ramayan.
“You can call Ramayan in any way, in every way you want, in one way, if you look at it, is a religious text, but if you look at it in another way, it is perhaps model code of ethics, morality,” he said.
“It is a model code of divinity, it’s a code of our rich cultural heritage.”
He said the culture of Ramayana motivated indentured labourers when they were faced with immerse hardships.
“The very fact that today refugee Indian community is thriving, is celebrating its rich cultural heritage, would not have happened if not for the determination, resilience of the ancestors for whom Ramayana served as the guiding light, as a source of inspiration when they were faced with depth of darkness.”
Currently there are over 2000 Ramayan mandalis around Fiji.
