Festival is celebrated by other groups

MALAYSIAN leaders must realise that Deepavali is celebrated not just by Hindus. They ought to follow the lead of leaders in first world countries like Canada and the United States, who convey their Deepavali (or Diwali) wishes not only to Hindus but also to Sikhs, Jains and (Newar) Buddhists.

In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau issued a statement on Monday, saying: “Diwali is an occasion for us to recognise the contributions of Canadians of South Asian descent, including Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, and Sikh communities ...”

And in the United States, President Joe Biden and his wife Jill wished a “happy Diwali to the more than one billion Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists celebrating this Festival of Lights ...”

I noted that the Panorama programme on TV1, which I watched on Deepavali day at 11.05am, did mention that the Festival of Lights was celebrated by Hindus and Sikhs. In The Star’s Starchild section on Oct 21, I also noted the editors extending greetings to all the four religious groups on Oct 21. This is how the greeting should be extended (pun intended).

Last but not least, I urge RTM’s TV2, as a national broadcaster, to have more diversity in programming during the festival. I was surprised that all the festival-related shows on TV2 were only in Tamil.

And why was the Monday night Hindi movie cancelled and replaced with a Malaysian Tamil drama that was a repeat?

Something is not right in our understanding of and outlook on the Festival of Lights, which celebrates moving from ignorance to knowledge, when greetings and TV programmes are targeted at only one religion and one community.

SAZALI HASHIM

George Town