Noting that the Deepavali festival celebration symbolises the victory of goodness over evil, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake noted that currently, the Government is undertaking substantial initiatives to address the serious challenges confronting Sri Lanka, including the drug menace and organised crimes.
He stated this in his message for the Deepavali festival which falls today (20).
The President’s statement read: “The Deepavali festival, celebrated with great devotion by Hindus around the world, is celebrated today. In remembrance of Lord Vishnu’s defeat of the demon Narakasura, devotees engage in religious observances while praying that, as righteousness triumphed over unrighteousness, darkness in everyone’s hearts may be dispelled and light spread throughout.
“This celebration symbolises the victory of goodness over evil. Currently, our Government is undertaking substantial initiatives to address the serious challenges confronting our nation, including the pervasive threat of drug menace and organised crimes, which obstruct our nation’s progress. Ensuring the right of every citizen to live safely and promoting this right as fundamental to a good and healthy life remains the primary aim of our endeavours.
“Furthermore, as a Government, we are committed to safeguarding the physical, mental, material, and emotional wellbeing not only of our citizens but of all residents and visitors in the country. We emphasise that we act to overcome all religious and ethnic extremism, to establish social justice and to build a safe nation where every individual can freely enjoy all civil, political and cultural rights without hindrance and where the freedom and dignity of all are preserved.
Deepavali is, above all, a festival of light. On this day, as every household illuminates itself with lamps, we pray that the collective path towards fulfilling the hopes for ‘A Thriving Nation, A Beautiful Life’ may become ever more united. I extend my warmest wishes for a blessed and radiant Deepavali to all Sri Lankan and overseas Hindus, hoping that their hearts may shine with the spirit of the festival.”