President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Thursday evening delivered a timely address at the Alexander Village Mandir in Georgetown, his third temple visit this week as the Hindu community observes the nine-night festival of Navratri.
Speaking before a congregation that included religious leaders, businessmen, and community members, President Ali centred his remarks on the concept of consciousness, urging Guyanese to move beyond self-interest toward a deeper awareness of their responsibilities to family, community, and nation.
“We are all inferior in the eyes of God,” the president said, “and we came here to humble ourselves together as a community in devotion to God.”
The president drew a distinction between self-consciousness, concern for one’s own appearance and presentation, and what he described as a higher state of awareness, one rooted in empathy, sacrifice, and service to others.
He used the image of rain falling on different people to illustrate how the same circumstances affect individuals differently, calling on citizens to remain mindful of the struggles of others around them.
The president also invoked the recent history of Guyana’s sugar industry, reminding the gathering that between 2015 and 2020, more than 7,000 workers were sent home and three estates were closed.
