Message from Her Excellency on Divali 2024

Oct 31, 2024

Fellow citizens,

Today, we join our brothers and sisters in the Hindu community, across the country and around the world, in celebrating Divali, the festival of lights.

Divali is an occasion of great jubilation, especially for those who have devoted weeks to fasting, prayer and meticulous preparation. As families and communities gather today to break their fast, exchange gifts, and light deyas, they welcome Mother Lakshmi into their homes, which have been carefully cleaned and prepared in anticipation of Her arrival.

Divali invites us to embrace a beautiful duality: it is a period for both joyous celebration and sober reflection.

We celebrate joyously Lord Ram’s defeat of Ravan and the liberation of Mother Sita and in doing so, replicate the lighting of thousands of earthen lamps to welcome Lord Ram and Mother Sita home.

Even as we engage in joyful celebration, Divali also offers us an opportunity for sober introspection and for spiritual enlightenment. The principles embodied by Lord Ram and Mother Sita remind us, not only to persevere in our pursuit of self-improvement and enlightenment, but also of our duty to translate faith into action, and live righteously towards our loved ones, neighbours and fellow citizens. Lord Ram’s victory over Ravan is not only a powerful symbol of the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil, but is also a poignant demonstration of the power of love, courage, faith and devotion to overcome even the most formidable challenges.

As we celebrate and as we ponder in our hearts the festival of Divali this year, let us vow to embody and practice the principles of Divali, every day. As we prepare our homes for the blessings of Mother Lakshmi, let us also reflect on the contents of our hearts, that truth about our attitudes, and the impact of our actions. By doing so, and by making the necessary changes in each of these areas, we truly invite the spirit of Divali into our lives, and we truly aspire to the ultimate goal of choosing good over evil.

I extend to the Hindu community and all citizens of Trinidad and Tobago heartfelt wishes for an auspicious Divali celebration. May the joy and peace of Divali fill every home throughout the nation.

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It is customary for the President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to receive the first poppy before its national distribution. In keeping with that time-honoured tradition, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was pinned with the first poppy, today, Friday, 30 October 2026.Making the presentation to Her Excellency were Colonel (Ret.) Lyle Alexander, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Legion of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services League; Mr. Adrian Gill, Secretary; and Mr. Lennon Sorzano, Office Manager.The annual poppy distribution honours Remembrance Day and helps support living veterans, ex-servicemen and their families through the proceeds raised. Remembrance Day marks the anniversary of the Armistice signed between the Allied Powers and Germany, which took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918, bringing the fighting of the First World War to an end. First observed in 1919 across Great Britain and the Commonwealth, Remembrance Day provides an opportunity to honour the service members who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. The red poppy became a symbol of remembrance because these flowers naturally bloomed across the war-torn battlefields of Western Europe during the First World War. Their appearance amid the devastation came to symbolise remembrance of those who lost their lives in the conflict. ...

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“A culture survives because each generation receives it with respect and chooses to hand it on.”In her feature address at the Ramleela celebration held at The President’s House on Friday, October 23, 2026, Her Excellency Christine Carla Kangaloo, ORTT, President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, commended the young performers for helping to preserve an important part of Trinidad and Tobago’s cultural and spiritual heritage.Her Excellency also reflected on the significance of hosting Ramleela during a year marking the 150th anniversary of The President’s House and the 50th anniversary of the Presidency, stating: “The highest purpose of this House today, is to serve the people and to be a place in which the nation can see itself - in its many faiths, cultures and histories, and in the citizenship we share.”𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲’𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐰.Sita Ram and Good Morning:My husband and I are delighted to welcome Ramleela back to The President’s House, for a second year. What we have all witnessed this morning, was more than a performance: it was an act of faith and renewal, as a new generation brought the sacred story of the Ramayan to life.I congratulate the young performers of the El Dorado North Hindu Primary School and the Tunapuna Hindu Primary School. Your discipline and care were evident in every scene. Young people have been a particular focus of my Presidency, and it is especially gratifying to me, to see you, not merely observing your religious and cultural traditions, but learning them and carrying them forward.A culture survives because each generation receives it with respect and chooses to hand it on. By taking part in Ramleela, you have joined a tradition practised for centuries, and rooted in Trinidad and Tobago for well over one hundred years. You have helped preserve an important part of our spiritual and cultural inheritance.This setting gives that achievement added meaning. This year marks 150 years since the completion of The President’s House and 50 years since the establishment of the Presidency, when Trinidad and Tobago became a Republic. The highest purpose of this House today, is to serve the people and to be a place in which the nation can see itself - in its many faiths, cultures and histories, and in the citizenship we share.An institution endures not by age alone, but by remaining open and responsive to those whom it serves. We are therefore honoured to make room, at President’s House, for a tradition which has itself endured through the care of successive generations.I extend a special welcome to the members of the Diplomatic Corps, who have joined us once again. Several of you are new to Trinidad and Tobago. I hope this morning has offered a glimpse into the character of our country: a Hindu sacred tradition, carried across oceans and rooted in Caribbean soil, now forming an inseparable part of our national story. Our multicultural identity is not merely a collection of customs; it is the continuing practice of making space for one another.Ramleela recounts the life of Sri Ram and the struggle between good and evil. Through Lord Ram, Goddess Sita, Ravan and the other characters, it teaches righteousness, courage, loyalty, self-restraint and duty. For those who perform it, Ramleela is an act of worship; for all who witness it, it is an invitation to consider the values by which we live.Young performers, the deepest value of what you have done will be revealed after the costumes are removed and the stage is empty. The stage teaches what goodness looks like; life asks us to practise it. The story therefore asks more than the learning of lines and movements. It asks you to be truthful when falsehood is easier, considerate when indifference is convenient, and courageous when the right choice is difficult.When you carry those values into your homes, schools and communities, Ramleela becomes more than a re-enactment; it becomes an inheritance lived. By your daily choices - in how you treat others, use your talents, and meet your responsibilities - the victory of good over evil comes to acquire meaning beyond the stage. By those choices, you help secure our country’s future.The lessons of Ramleela are universal. In Trinidad and Tobago, our religions and cultures do not tell the same stories or worship in the same way. Yet, each calls us to master selfishness, honour duty, protect human dignity and seek what is just. Unity does not require sameness; it requires that we recognise goodness, wherever it is found, and defend one another’s equal place in national life.I thank the teachers, parents, organisers and all whose time and care made today possible. I offer particular thanks to Trevor Seunarine, David Singh, Renaldo De Leon, Kevin Dass, Tyrece Boodoo, Virendra Harris and Reyaz Katwaroo, who freely gave of their time to construct the effigy of Ravan. Their volunteerism is a powerful reminder of how traditions endure when people decide to give to something larger than themselves.Young performers, take pride in what you have accomplished. Continue learning from those who shared this tradition with you and prepare, in time, to share it with others. The future of Ramleela is now in your hands. So, too, is the future of Trinidad and Tobago.May the lessons you portrayed today, guide the lives you live tomorrow. And may The President’s House always be a place where every community can see its inheritance respected, its children welcomed and its contribution to our Republic honoured.Thank you.-END- ...

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Message from Her Excellency on Divali 2024

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