The air is alive with the spirit of Diwali, and the joy is truly infectious. Everywhere I turn, friends are buzzing with excitement, planning festive gatherings and trying to coordinate who will host lunches or dinners on which dates.
Before diving into the celebrations and decorations, we engage in our annual tradition of cleaning and sprucing up our homes to welcome Goddess Laxmi. Many people even repaint their houses or buy new furniture and lights, with some planning to purchase vehicles during this auspicious time.
I have a special fondness for akashkandil. As kids, we eagerly anticipated crafting these lanterns from colorful paper alongside our cousins, competing to create the best designs. It’s heartening to see this tradition making a comeback, with schools encouraging kids to engage in similar activities, and parents joining in the fun. Beyond being a festive symbol, akashkandil is believed to dispel negativity in the home.
Diwali is a festival of lights, and by banishing negativity, we conquer darkness. The light of knowledge helps us overcome ignorance. We all face moments of low energy or overwhelming challenges in our lives, and Diwali revitalizes us, empowering us to confront these struggles. In essence, it represents the triumph of good over evil.
The spirit of Diwali is so widespread that it’s celebrated in many countries. At Symbiosis, we celebrate Diwali with foreign students to sensitise them about our festivals and they enjoy playing with the crackers. Since my childhood the festival of Bhaubeej which is a strong bond between the brother and sister are celebrated. Here foreign and Indian students from different countries develop this bond of a brother and sister. Now that we have started a campus in Dubai, we celebrated Diwali there too and it was witnessed with great enthusiasm, not just by the Indian community but also by people from various backgrounds.
I also love cooking and preparing Diwali pharal, a tradition I learned from my mother. This festive treat goes by different names across India but is a staple in most households. No matter how busy life gets, families find time to come together for this celebration. At Symbiosis, we consider everyone part of our family, which is why we encourage women from the nearby villages to set up stalls on campus to sell their homemade pharal and other decorative things that they have hand made. Many of these women have been with Symbiosis since 2012, gaining digital and financial literacy through our outreach programs and building their small businesses.
Ultimately, Diwali is a time for celebration and an opportunity to instill in our children the significance of our traditions and beliefs. This year, I hope we all gain wisdom, dispel darkness, and bring light into our lives.