Indian High Commission shares Holi day with Jamaica
Published:Monday | March 25, 2024 | 12:11 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter -
As the world celebrates Holi today, Masakui Rungsung, high commissioner of India to Jamaica, is pleased to see that non-Indian natives living in Jamaica are helping to keep the traditions of Indian culture alive. This was evident during Sunday’s celebration of the popular and significant Hindu festival at Hope Gardens in St Andrew.
Rungsung told The Gleaner on Sunday, during the celebrations held a day early, that it is support from Jamaicans that is keeping the traditions alive, but more help is needed from people in India and local sponsors.
He is somewhat disheartened by the fact that he was unable to bring troops from India to perform in the island during the Holi celebrations as was done for Bollywood Extravaganza, which was held in August last year at Jamaica College.
“For example, I would like to bring in some troops on what I was planning to do [for Holi], but we tried to get some funds, [and] it’s not easy to bring troops all the way from India if not sponsored by the Government of India or some other agencies. Just to raise the entire funds from Kingston, it’s not easy, so that’s the whole reason. Otherwise, if I had funds, I would bring in every month,” Rungsung told The Gleaner.
He also called for help from Indian business owners in Jamaica, who have the wherewithal to help maintain the cultural activities during their traditional Indian celebrations such as Diwali, but is also mindful of the pressure on them.
“To do it consecutively, I think it’s difficult for them to also come up [with resources] two or three times in a year to sponsor events,” he said.
Today’s annual festival, being held at the dawn of spring and celebrating the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna and the triumph of good over evil, also commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu. The celebrations are held among Indians in their respective communities, but to get more Jamaicans to appreciate the cultural relevance, the Indian High Commission in Jamaica has brought a new dynamic to it that can be enjoyed by all.
Rungsung said that in earlier years, the Indian High Commission would host from 200 to 300 people for Holi celebrations, but it was subsequently brought into the mainstream to garner the support of more people. On Sunday, individuals and families from across the island celebrated on the lawns beside the India-Jamaica Friendship Garden on the grounds of Hope Gardens.
“You will find more than 1,000 people here. In fact, we released or issued more than 2,000 wristbands with the whole idea of letting other people come in. If you see the crowd, most of them are not known to me because they are Jamaicans [from] the general public, and that’s the whole idea,” Rungsung said.
“We are doing it. We are getting there. As I said, the Indian community has been very supportive,” he said.
He indicated that on the heels of the Holi event on Sunday, the Indian community in Montego Bay, St James, on the western end of the island, will celebrate the Holi festival on the actual day, today.