Avoiding the Guyana 2024 violence during Chaitra Navratri 2024

Minibus

Minibus sound blaring .. 'if dem woman come fuh f.. odder man.. s..t.. f..k' and I ask the driver what happening, if he aint got nutting else to play. Driver said DJ is lawless and tries to fiddle with the keys while managing the road. But the Driver though seems powerless, can't change the DJ's 'lawlessness' , cussing up, and so on which in the minibus.. he can't find any alternative on his playlist.

Chaitra Navratri leading up to Ramnavami and many Hindus are fasting, in mandirs. Mercury in retrogade and I trying to avoid all negativity and so on , but I putting up with the Driver fiddling to stop the DJ cussing  because I want to get home , and I trying to mumble to the Driver that he have power to stop the DJ cussing up women and so on and glad minibus driving fast on clear road so I could reach home and continue my day in my fuzzy bubble.

Power

Sixth night of Navratra and I am looking forward to singing Ramayana with the Cummings Lodge Mandir Ramayana Gole.  Sitting down and moving body around and so to shift body pains and stretch and so , attention jumping all over the place. I realise it is nice to be in mandir even though I am not a devout worshiper of Durga and that it is different from watching the various live videos from around Guyana and the world.

Pandit Omkaar Tewari  explains that this night is for Katyayani - the warrior goddess form of Durga. 

He encourages the women in the audience to invoke their power and I hear him say clearly that no woman should feel she has to stay in any abusive relationship or situation. 

This is different from how I have heard some other pandits and religious leaders talk about how if only the women were like goddesses and not wear sexy clothes and talk quietly and be modest and so on, then the gods in their lives would not abuse them.  

Talking to men too..

 The mandir has more women than men. It seems, standard practice around the religious places where more women are in the congregation. One Muslim  man told me that at his maasjid the women's section is crowded while there is plenty space in the men's section. I told him well, time to switch it up , give the women the larger space. He laughed.

I read that the Government wants to extend a training programme for women to men too because they are committed to gender equality. Apparently, giving women access to the skills and resources they do not normally get because they are women is not gender equality. 

What is not in this programme of gender equality though , .from the announcement,  is saying anything about asking men to be involved in the work to stop the violence and to be accountable for their own violence ..

Like how to tell the Driver to turn off the DJ who cussing up and so on.. and to find the DJ and pray with him and so to heal him

Or the two young men who thought they could attack Ninawattie Sharda Nandalall . Ninawattie Sharda Nandalall was going to pick mangoes to make achar to sell. , and to the men and boys who are thinking that is okay ...

Or the young men raping a girl and videoing it and sharing it around.. , and to the men and boys who think that is okay and fun and want to do the same..

Or the young man who grooming children and taking their pictures to share with others on the Internet., and to the others who are thinking of doing the same..

Or the young men who think that they could 'touch' up their girls and so on because 'they have to know their place..,

Avoiding the violence..

I should probably be praying and so, be more worshipful. But the violence around, the systemic violence of the oiled up dysfunctional governance, the violence on the road, the children on the road bullying a child while others cheer on, the other interpersonal violence, the defense of violence .. 

- the lack of any serious national attention to address and heal from this violence..