By Peter Sibon
KUCHING, Nov 3: Temple president and spiritual counsellor of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) Malaysia Section Kuching branch, Kripa Sindhu (Master) Krishna Das has described the Covid-19 pandemic as unprecedented in human history and thus calls for greater respect for nature, fellow human beings and animals.
“We have not seen anything like this before. But we know it’s from Mother Nature. To me, it is time for us to appreciate and respect nature, fellow humans beings and animals too,” Master Krishna told DayakDaily at the Diwali goodies presentation ceremony organised by Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP), Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) and the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at King’s Curry Restaurant here today.
He added that since the origins of Covid-19 is still unknown, it would be wise to follow the stringent standard operating procedures (SOPs) set up by the relevant government agencies especially during the upcoming Diwali celebration.
“Celebrating Diwali during this pandemic would be confined to family members, relatives and selective friends. This is the reality that we have to live in times like this to ensure that we follow the SOP,” said Master Krishna.
He added that since Diwali symbolises the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance”, it is also a time to remember the less fortunate and to promote racial harmony.
“This is why the setting up of Unifor (Unit For Other Religions) is Sarawak is (held up as) a role model by the Sarawak government in providing a platform to promote peace and harmony among all races and religions in Sarawak,” Master Krishna asserted.
Sri Maha Mariamman Temple president Shankar Ram Asnani concurred with Master Krishna and said the ceremony today was organised to celebrate Diwali in a simple but yet meaningful manner.
“Even though we can’t celebrate Diwali as usual due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we still distribute these goodies to our fellow Indians and friends from different races and religions,” he said.
Shankar revealed some 200 goody bags were given out at the ceremony today.
This year, Diwali will be celebrated on Nov 14 (Saturday) 2020.
Present at the ceremony today were PBB Satok deputy chairman and PBB secretary-general Datuk Ibrahim Baki and a political secretary to the Chief Minister Tan Kai. — DayakDaily
