In Brief
- A Call for Responsible Speech: President Christine Carla Kangaloo has urged citizens to speak truthfully without malice and to listen to differing views with patience during her 2026 Divali address.
- Action Over Admiration: Drawing on the symbolism of the deya, the President called on the nation not merely to admire goodness, courage and truth, but to actively practise them.
- Unity in Diversity: Describing Divali as a ‘gift to the whole nation,’ she encouraged citizens to ensure their words ‘bring light rather than heat’ so that differences strengthen national belonging.
President Christine Carla Kangaloo has called on citizens of Trinidad and Tobago to embrace truth, fairness and mutual respect in public discourse as the nation celebrates Divali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.
In her official Divali 2026 message to the Hindu community and the wider national population, the President urged citizens to move beyond simply admiring virtues such as goodness, courage and truth, and instead actively practise them—especially when it is challenging to do so.
Highlighting the core significance of the observance, President Kangaloo reflected on the sacred return of Lord Ram and Mother Sita to Ayodhya following 14 years of exile. She noted that the rows of deyas lit to welcome them represent the enduring triumph of dharma over injustice, knowledge over ignorance and light over darkness.
“The deya is small, yet it does not bargain with the darkness; it simply gives its light,” President Kangaloo stated, using the traditional clay lamp as a metaphor for personal responsibility and moral courage.
A central theme of the President’s address was the nature of communication and disagreement within society. She emphasised that practising truth requires the courage to speak fairly and responsibly, adding that this duty applies equally to both speaking and listening.
“When we speak, we should do so truthfully and without malice; and when we listen, we should receive differing views with patience and generosity,” the President said. “When candour is tempered by compassion, disagreement need not become division, and the exchange of ideas can deepen rather than diminish our common life.”
As families across the nation prepare their homes to welcome the blessings of Sri Lakshmi, President Kangaloo encouraged citizens to also prepare themselves internally by making room for conscience, compassion and discernment. She appealed to the public to ensure their words “bring light rather than heat,” allowing differences to expand rather than narrow the nation’s sense of shared belonging.
Describing Divali as a “gift to the whole nation,” the President noted that within Trinidad and Tobago’s multicultural and multi-religious landscape, a country’s moral strength is defined not just by the freedoms it declares, but by the courage its people show in protecting them.
President Kangaloo concluded her address by wishing the Hindu community and the entire Republic a happy, peaceful and holy Divali, expressing hope that every deya lit this year guides Trinidad and Tobago towards a future built on truth, justice and mutual respect.
