Nov 5, 2010
It’s that time of the year when the sky outside my window bursts into myriad colours of sheer joy, when my voice is lost in the resonance of a hundred different sounds - a crescendo from the whiiiiissshhh of the ‘sur-sur kaddi’ to the bang-bang-bang of the bombs. And every time a rocket whizzes into the hazy air, I find myself praying it won’t enter my room.
For me the best part of Diwali has always been the late-night fireworks that some blessed soul in my neighbourhood (I don’t know who) spends on so generously. Come Diwali, and I find myself all ready with my camera trying to capture the splendid scene, and time and again cursing the stupid device for not being competitive enough to do justice to the vibrant display of hues. Red, green, golden, orange, blue...the array of colours put even Govinda to shame.
Being somewhat a chicken and with a pyrophobic kind of enmity with fire, I have been blissfully content with watching the Diwali celebrations from a distance – a big, safe distance, of say, five floors above ground level! Whatever the case, there’s no doubt that Diwali is a very special occasion for all, for many reasons, but mostly for simply the fact that at no other time of the year is the world so beautifully adorned and so colourfully lit as on Diwali.
Diwali, or Deepavali, is one festival which is celebrated across the Hindu pantheon, and across borders. In fact, when it comes to bursting fireworks, it even crosses religious barriers for many. Incidentally, Diwali happens to be an official holiday not only in India but also in countries like Mauritius, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, Sri Lanka and Fiji. The five-day festival begins with Naraka Chaturdashi, followed by Lakshmi puja, Dhanteras, Bhai Dooj and Angadi puja. Deepavali commemorates various events in both Hindu mythology as well as in Indian history. That it marks the return of Rama, Sita and Laxman to Ayodhya from their 14-year exile and the defeat of Ravana is well-known. The people of Ayodhya celebrated their return by adorning their path with earthen lamps or diyas, which is why we get to see the aura of diyas everywhere during the festival.
(Perhaps the land of Ayodhya has another special reason to celebrate this year – that the Allahabad High Court verdict did not lead to even an iota of violence is truly a victory of good over evil, light over darkness).
There are other legends also associated with Diwali – the incarnation of Laxmi, the goddess of wealth (marked by Lakshmi puja), victory of Vishnu over Bali, defeat of Narakasur by Krishna, return of the Pandavas after 12 years of exile, and historically, the coronation of king Vikramaditya. The Jains believe it was during this time that Mahavira attained Nirvana, while for Sikhs Diwali marks the return of Guru Har Gobind to Amritsar after defeating Jehangir and freeing 52 Hindu kings from Fort Gwalior.
Diwali falls on the new moon day of the Hindu month of Kartik, but the festive atmosphere pervades the nation days in advance. People get busy with shopping, decoration, preparation of sweets and gear up to celebrate the biggest festival of the year. The busiest are, of course, the corporate world honchos – in fact, it is a sort of circle – consumers wait for Diwali to come around to bag the best bargain, and the corporate guys do just that. From silly offers like an umbrella free with an expensive mobile phone to lucky draws that literally make you feel like a winner even before you have paid the cashier, Diwali deals are everywhere. Talk about opportunism, or better still, of commercialization of culture, and you cannot have a better example.
Nevertheless, it is heartening to see that commercialization has in no way lessened the spirit of the festival of lights. Says Shravya, a post-graduate, “Diwali is the best time to have fun. Bursting crackers, family get-togethers... the whole week is the most fun-filled week of the year.” Her friend Sindhu agrees, and adds, “The festival of lights is upon us, and it is interesting that cleaning one’s house becomes mandatory in order to attract the Goddess of wealth Laxmi.” Youngsters especially get all excited with fireworks, and from terraces to streets, the day after Diwali give evidence to this fact. There is the deliciously pungent odour of crackers in the air, and even days after the festival you can hear them going off now and then.
This year, have a fun-filled, safe Diwali, as always. Let it be an ‘Action Replay’ (which must be in theatres by the time you read this) of what Diwali stands for - lots of joy, loads of love, and victory of good over evil. Chase away the darkness, within and without, and let the light of humanity envelop us all.
Happy Diwali!
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