The Festival of Lights

Ages ago, or so has the lore, on the day of Diwali, Lord Shri Ram returned to his kingdom and the city of Ayodhya after his exile and the slaying of demon king Ravan. Such was the delight of the citizens of Ayodhya that they decorated the whole city with lights, illuminated the city in commemoration of the victory of good over evil and the return of their beloved Shri Ram. From that day onwards, the day is celebrated as the Festival of Lights. A celebration of the victory of good over evil.

For the full week of Diwali we light oil/ghee lamps (diyas) and place them all over the house to illuminate every nook and corner. We clean the house, prepare loads of sweets, decorate the house to our liking. Two days prior to Diwali is the day of ‘Dhanteras’ which means the ‘Thirteenth Day, dedicated to Wealth’ (or so suggest my innate translation skills) when we typically buy utensils or gold/silver-ware. On the night of Diwali a ‘pooja’ of Goddess Lakshmi (the goddess of wealth) is conducted. After the pooja, children accompanied by the youth burn firecrackers to celebrate. However, in my observance the trend is limiting to children only. A lot of gifts are transacted between people and everyone wishes best to everyone else. So is the festival of Diwali.

Diwali, like most big festivals, is a key event to strengthen your ties and relations as it provides an opportunity to come together to celebrate a common cause.

I started with the thought of wanting to discuss the issues of Pollution, Environment, Business and Ethics as far as Diwali is concerned. But I’ll stop here with a brief introduction to teh festival. After Diwali, I’d continue here.

Happy Diwali to you and your loved ones.

May god bless one and all.

Amen.

EDIT:

November 18th, 2007 – Added my Diwali Pics

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