Diwali

This is a festival when Hindus worship Lord Ganesh – the God of Commonweal and Goddess Lakshmi ­the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. It is actually in this part of the season that the previous crops had been harvested and thrashed and stored and the fresh seeds of a fresh crop are sown in the fields. India has been an agricultural country where crops have ever been the source of wealth and prosperity and of common weal. Thus this worship of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi has also its very symbolic significance.

This festival got associated with children enjoying the most with lighting the crackers and such other items of illumination and fun. This had sometimes led to bums and accidents of a serious nature and also have caused a lot of environmental pollution. This year, particularly in Delhi, children launched a ‘no-crackers’ drive and this was a very welcome feature of environmental consciousness on their part. They could give up fun and fro lick to keep the environment free from pollution really a great move on their part. If children can be taught lessons in consciousness on social issues in this manner and are inspired and invoked to take up other social issues which besmear our social psyche, India can hope for a brighter day though it may result in a less bright Deepawali for them. Let them learn the lessons of sacrifice for a social cause – a great lesson, indeed, to learn.

So, Deepawali – the ‘awali’ – or row of ‘Deep’ _ the lamp is a great festival; one of the most festive, one so full of light and glow and at the same time so full of symbolism and so good for the social well being of the people at large.

Remember:

• In India, there is, in every season, a fair or a festival. Association with a season has its significance.
• After the rainy season causing all slush, mud and filth; also insects and germs comes the festivals of Diwali or Deepawali; fifteen days after Vijay Dashami or Dusshehra.
• Diwali enjoins upon all to clean their houses, it’s every look and corner’ and paint or whitewash the walls – all this a ritual but hygienic, after all that dirt of the rainy season.
• Diwali also symbolizes Ram’s victory over Ravana – the Good over the Evil.
• The lighting of lamps attracts the insets who get naturally immolated, thus the balance in nature is maintained.
• On this, festival people worship Ganesh, the God of Commonweal and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity.
• This is actually celebration of the old harvest stored and the new crop to be sowed – prosperity to Indian masses comes through agriculture.
• Children play with crackers and other items illumination. But this causes pollution. This year In Deihi, children decided upon ‘no crackers’ to save the environment from getting polluted – a very welcome lesson in social consciousness.
• Diwali thus symbolizes light to glow in our clean life – that is what it symbolizes.