‘Don’t get carried away by rituals but try to understand the meaning behind it’.

This was highlighted by the Attorney General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed‑Khaiyum when he met with Hindu devotees that were celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna at the Gopal Sadhu Hanuman Gadhi Temple in Nakasi.

Sayed-Khaiyum says most importantly people should focus on how to translate these rituals in their own day to day interaction.

He says if people adopt that teaching, the relationship with their family and the community and everybody they will meet will be lot better and it is because religion is about rising above the basic instinct of being a human.

Sayed-Khaiyum briefly spoke about the teachings of Lord Krishna and how one should conduct themselves and to fulfil their duties and responsibilities.

He says Lord Krishna taught that which ever background we come from we should be able to fulfil our duties to the best of our abilities and what ever duties you have, you must do it without any desire to be rewarded for it.

Sayed-Khaiyum says that these occasions every year are opportunities to improve lives through the teachings.

During the Talanoa session with the devotees, the Minister for Economy further explained about the initiatives in the 2018/2019 National Budget.

He stressed that the government is spending more on the younger generation as Fiji has a very young population.

Other issues raised includes new insurance schemes, housing grant scheme for first home buyers and land tenure.

Meanwhile, the President for the temple Vijendra Prakash commended the work done by government and also highlighted on how lives of Fijians improved through various government initiatives.