Source: By Anil Mahabir, Hinduism Today Trinidad Correspondent
CHAGUANAS, TRINIDAD, November 6, 2001: The annual Divali Nagar opened tonight at the National Council of Indian Culture grounds located in Chaguanas, central Trinidad, the birthplace of 2001 Nobel Literature Laureate VS Naipaul. The feature address, at the opening ceremony, was delivered by Swami Shri Manas Datta of Mysore India. The Nagar, which runs until the night before Divali day, will feature religious songs, books, lectures, theatrical performances and readings from the Ramayana, Gita, Vedas and Upanishads. A special emphasis will be on the works of Indian-born artist Satya Narayan Mourya, who is being featured at the Nagar for the second consecutive year. Lighting the first deya was Pundit Ramesh Tewarie of the Edinburgh Hindu Temple. The Prime Minister of Trinidad, Basdeo Panday and his wife Oma Panday will be visiting the Nagar on Saturday, November 10th. Two formal dining areas for patrons with gourmet tastes will be opened this year, as well as a food court which will serve vegetable “Indian” dishes indigenous to Trinidad, as well as vegetable dishes from all over the world. The theme of the 2001 Divali Nagar is: “The Hindu Contribution to World Science.” Thousands of Trinidadians, many of them non-Hindus, as well as non-Trinidadians, are attracted to this annual week-long event.