Hindus laud HSBC for worldwide Diwali sponsorship

Hindus have commended HSBC, one of the largest banking and financial services organizations in the world, for sponsoring various Diwali events worldwide.

According to reports, as a part of Diwali celebrations, HSBC sponsored Diwali Festival of Lights in Auckland (New Zealand), organized an event at New York (USA) Grand Hyatt complete with professional dancers, a Swami spoke at its world headquarters in London (United Kingdom), held celebrations in St. Regis Hotel ballroom in Singapore which also included a paanwala, sponsored a Diwali Mela in Bangalore (India), displayed Diwali artwork by schoolchildren in its bank foyer in Leicester (UK), its Brunei Chief Executive Officer Vincent Ho hosted a special reception in Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei) Radisson Hotel, etc., recently.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, applauded HSBC for creating wider awareness about Hinduism traditions worldwide with its support of Diwali celebrations through its global network. He urged other world corporations/companies to adopt Diwali on their calendar of annual celebrations.

Rajan Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that it was important for the world citizen to know the beliefs of “others” to become well-nurtured, well-balanced, and enlightened citizen and thus promoting harmony and cohesiveness in the community. Zed hoped that Diwali promotions by world businesses like HSBC would help in opening up Hinduism concepts and beliefs to global community.

Launched in 1865 in Hong Kong, HSBC’s international network comprises about 7,500 offices in 87 countries/territories in Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and Middle East; thus providing financial services to about 95 million customers. D. J. Flint is Group Chairman while S. T. Gulliver is Group Chief Executive of HSBC whose tagline is “world’s local bank”.

Most popular of Hindu festivals Diwali, the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good over evil. Hinduism is oldest and third largest religion of the world with about billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

Source: From Our Correspondent