{"id":201362,"date":"2026-11-07T17:19:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T20:19:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/?p=201362"},"modified":"2026-11-07T13:32:07","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T16:32:07","slug":"pandita-rampertap-divali-is-about-solidarity-love-and-forgiveness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/pandita-rampertap-divali-is-about-solidarity-love-and-forgiveness\/","title":{"rendered":"Pandita Rampertap: \u201cDivali is about solidarity, love and forgiveness\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Divali, the Hindu festival of lights celebrated worldwide on Sunday, 8 November, is primarily about togetherness, love and forgiveness, according to pandita Vandana Rampertap. The religious leader stresses that the celebration is not intended only for family members, but also offers an opportunity to strengthen mutual bonds within Surinamese society.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

In<\/span> a conversation with the Communicatie Dienst Suriname (CDS, Suriname\u2019s government communication service) on Friday, 6 November, at the main mandir of Arya Dewaker, Rampertap reflected on the deeper meaning of Divali. According to her, the festival of lights goes beyond lighting dias and organising festive activities.<\/p>\n

\u201cDivali is a moment of being together. Not only with your own family, but also with your neighbours, your friends and acquaintances,\u201d the pandita said. She emphasises that unity, love and forgiveness are central to the celebration.<\/p>\n

Message of unity in diverse society<\/h3>\n

Rampertap points out that Suriname is characterised by great cultural and religious diversity. It is precisely during Divali, she says, that the connection between different population groups becomes apparent. The joint celebration at Onafhankelijkheidsplein in Paramaribo is an example of this. A giant diya has been placed on the square especially for the occasion.<\/p>\n

The pandita refers to a mantra within Vedic Dharma, which she says calls for equality and mutual connection.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mantra tells us that we are all human beings. Regardless of race, culture, rich or poor. We are all human beings created by one great, powerful supreme power. And why should there then be division?\u201d she asks.<\/p>\n

According to Rampertap, the essence of Divali therefore lies in overcoming division and promoting harmony. \u201cThat is the message of Divali,\u201d she states.<\/p>\n

Preparations and symbolism of light<\/h3>\n

In the run-up to Divali, Hindu families make various preparations. Homes and yards are cleaned, while attention is also paid to inner cleansing. According to Rampertap, these actions symbolise letting go of negativity and making room for a new beginning.<\/p>\n

In addition, traditional dishes are prepared and dias, small oil lamps, are lit on the holiday. The light symbolises the dispelling of darkness and the triumph of good over evil.<\/p>\n

Cultural and religious activities<\/h3>\n

At various locations in Suriname, processions and religious gatherings are organised on the occasion of Divali<\/a>. Local associations organise activities in which participants walk together to the mandir.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe then walk to the mandir. And then the further activities are held there,\u201d Rampertap explains.<\/p>\n

The celebrations are generally supplemented with cultural programmes, including theatre and dance performances, speeches and shared meals.<\/p>\n

With her message, Rampertap calls on society not to view Divali solely as a religious holiday, but also as a moment to reflect on the values of tolerance, mutual respect and togetherness.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pandita Rampertap emphasises that Divali is about solidarity, love and forgiveness, and promotes unity within Suriname\u2019s diverse society during the festival of lights.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":201355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"no","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_29234516172805655_1445375691985227":"","facebook_29234516172805655_1158244960706604":"","facebook_29234516172805655_108923581283702":"","facebook_29234516172805655_1309923202201307":"","facebook_29234516172805655_1093738170500407":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[{"account":"facebook_29234516172805655_1309923202201307","service":"facebook","timestamp":1794082824,"status":"success"}],"rop_publish_now_status":"done","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18437],"tags":[20386,26447,16291,20032,26449,26448,26450,16292],"class_list":["post-201362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-culture","tag-divali","tag-key-news","tag-nieuws","tag-pandit-rampertap","tag-public-holiday","tag-religion","tag-suriname"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","pp_force_visibility":null,"pp_subpost_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_force_visibility":null,"pp_inherited_subpost_visibility":null,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/images.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201362"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":201442,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201362\/revisions\/201442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/keynews.sr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}