Yesterday, Hindus around the world celebrated Holi, the annual festival of colours.
It is often referred to as New Year celebration for the faithful.
On the day, Hindus share a common theme, and it’s based around colour, religious songs and the sharing of food. There is funfare and joy.
There is sharing.
The abundance of colours easily stands out as a defining feature of the celebrations.
For those who were at work yesterday, the festivities will continue into the weekend, when they will celebrate with enthusiasm, joy and laughter.
Holi is about a new beginning.
The faithful reflect on bringing an end to past errors and conflicts and look forward with hope and renewed vigour to a fresh start.
It is a time to let go, to forgive and to move ahead with optimism.
In our context, as a multiracial and multi-religious country, the day shouldn’t be just about Hindus celebrating a very special festival.
Let us consider the fact that we have an opportunity to appreciate an event we can all learn from.
As we go about our daily lives today, perhaps we should remind ourselves that we all make mistakes.
Yes, we are human beings after all, and we all have our moments of weakness.
Despite this, we each have the capacity to reflect, to learn, and to make decisions that are good for us all.
In a world where we are being forced to watch tensions between nations such as Iran, Israel and the United States escalate with firepower, death and destruction, we are reminded of the importance of forgiveness and dialogue over hostility.
The global stage often shows us how quickly division can spiral into tragedy. Festivals like Holi, rooted in the triumph of good over evil, offer a powerful counter-narrative.
Hindus around the world looked ahead with optimism and hope.
They embraced the idea of taking positive steps forward, having learnt from the past, and appreciating the lessons that come with reflection.
No matter what religion we belong to, or believe in, there is one common factor that binds us.
There is an appreciation of good over evil and acknowledgement of the fact that we all make mistakes.
Yet we live and we learn! We each can reflect on our mistakes, draw lessons from them, and make decisions that are good for us all moving forward.
Hindus gathered at temples, sang hymns, laughed, danced to beautiful music and threw coloured powder on one another.
Then they visited friends and family, moving from home to home, sharing joy and goodwill.
We live in a country that is special and such festivals remind us about who we are. We are fun loving people.
We have been living together in a country of many ethnicities and religions, far removed from the horrors of volatile nations of the world, from ethnic violence and killings, from indiscriminate abuse and the horrors of violence based on divisions.
We have grown up among different ethnicities and religions, embracing and accepting one another as neighbours and friends.
We share everyday spaces and experiences, riding the same buses, eating at the same restaurants, watching movies at the same cinemas, shopping at the same supermarkets and markets, and walking the same streets of our towns and cities.
Politicians may speak about division in Parliament.
Yet the reality on the ground is different. People are living their lives together.
Neighbours greet each other.
Children attend the same schools. Colleagues work side by side.
Communities come together in times of celebration and in times of grief.
We sometimes take these bonds for granted. We allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by rhetoric about division and difference.
Look around you, see and embrace diversity!
Fiji needs such events to remind us about unity, peace and happiness, to reinforce them, and to keep our people strong and united!
