Divali magazine on temples and tourism

The Indo-Caribbean Cultural Council (ICC) is inviting writers, designers and photographers to submit their work for publication in its Divali magazine. Divali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, will be observed as a national holiday on Tuesday November 1,  in Trinidad and Tobago. The theme of this year’s edition of the magazine is Temples and Tourism in Trinidad. The concept of spiritual tourism has become the new buzzword in the travel-and-tours circuit all over the world, according to the magazine’s editor Kumar Mahabir. This brand of tourism has remained untapped so far in the southern Caribbean, but has been exploited in the UK by groups like North Yorkshire Tourism Initiative, it was noted.

Spiritual tourism has the greatest potential for attracting foreign visitors outside of the busy Carnival season in Trinidad. Sites like the gigantic 75-foot Lord Hanuman murti (statue) and the offshore Temple-in-the-Sea are new wonders of the world. The majestic Trevini Mandir in Williamsville has murals of art in its sanctums that are unsurpassed in the Caribbean. The Hare Krishna temple in Longdenville houses an altar of breathtaking beauty with craft items in the form of deities, saints, peacocks and flowers. In Penal, there is the Shiva Temple where scores of devotees converge weekly to seek a symbolic stone’s reputed healing powers. The target market for this new tourist initiative is the Hindu and Indian population of the United States.

It comprises of over two million people and is reported to include members of the fastest-growing and wealthiest ethnic community in that country. The deadline for submission of designs and photographs, and articles not exceeding 1,000 words, is September 30, 2005. Writers can e-mail their submissions to mahab@tstt.net.tt or post them in a hardcopy format to ICC, 10 Swami Avenue, Don Miguel Road, San Juan, Trinidad and Tobago. Submissions should contain a suggested title or caption, and a short biography of the author(s), designer or photographer. Articles should be written for a general audience. Writers will be paid for each item published. The copyright of each item belongs to the individual owner(s). Contributors should state that they have given permission to ICC to reproduce their material in its Divali magazine. The editor reserves the right to edit articles for clarity, length and libel.